England face France and Argentina in tough 2019 World Cup draw

England crashed out of the 2015 World Cup on home soil at the group stage under Stuart Lancaster
England crashed out of the 2015 World Cup on home soil at the group stage under Stuart Lancaster
Author

13 May, 2017

Last time they met, the Australians ended the Welsh quest for first place in Pool A after both teams had knocked out tournament hosts England in the infamous "pool of death".

While Japanese rugby has made big strides in the last few years, most notably with a win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup, few expect the "Brave Blossoms" to beat both Ireland and Scotland, now ranked fourth and fifth in the world, respectively.

Kenya-who will face off with Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Senegal for the sole African ticket-will not avoid New Zealand, Italy, South Africa and the repechage victor if they sail through.

"Whichever side we drew from the top band was always going to be very tough".

The two sides are joined by Georgia who qualify courtesy of their third place finish in their pool at the last World Cup. "There is a lot of good history between the two teams and it will be one of the games of the tournament".

"It doesn't matter who we are drawn against, because to win the Rugby World Cup you have to beat the best teams out there", said Springbok coach Allister Coetzee.

Twelve teams of an eventual 20 learned their fate at a glitzy draw ceremony in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital, more than two years before the tournament starts.

The tournament gets underway in September 2019.

The current World Champions have been drawn in Pool B along with 1995 World Cup winners South Africa, six-time World Cup rivals Italy, the victor of Africa 1 and the Repechage winners from the qualifying tournament. The 1991 champions and two-time finalists face another arduous pool in Japan.

"If that comes to fruition then clearly they're going to be a different beast in the World Cup year than what they are now". [The Play-Off Winner] could well be Tonga, Samoa or Fiji.

"It's all very exciting, we have two Tests against Argentina in June so we can practice a little bit", said Jones.

Jones quipped "nobody is going to die" when it was put to him that England had been drawn in the group of death and, while he will be seeking divine intervention, he ultimately views the games as ideal preparation for realising the ambition of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup.

"Whether it's better for us or Ireland that we know each other so well, we will find out in a couple of years' time".

"Everyone is pretty much in the same boat, the sea looks rough, there are pros and cons about every group", the New Zealander said.


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