RWC 2027 Australia

[liquor box]

I hate the best third place thing so much.......

Is the third best based on rankings or by win/loss then for/against?

The drawback with for/against is that you could be a great team who when you win it was by 1 point because you played in a monsoonal downpour and another team who may not really be as good won by 30 because they had a dry track.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Is the third best based on rankings or by win/loss then for/against?

The drawback with for/against is that you could be a great team who when you win it was by 1 point because you played in a monsoonal downpour and another team who may not really be as good won by 30 because they had a dry track.

Those four teams will be determined by competition points firstly, and if that doesn't separate the sides then points difference and try difference will be the next factors used respectively to determine which teams make it out of the pool stage.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

FQT Round 2

Samoa 26-8 Namibia

Belgium 30-27 Brazil

Samoa v Belgium on Tuesday for the last WC spot.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Draw is set down for December 3 & I think it's now impossible for seventh-ranked Australia to get into the 1-6 Band?

 

[KOB1987]

Draw is set down for December 3 & I think it's now impossible for seventh-ranked Australia to get into the 1-6 Band?

Not impossible but unlikely - we need to overtake Argentina but could do that by doing nothing if they suffer heavy losses to Scotland and England, and if we at least draw with France that would help too. Edit - sorry, Scotland would then overtake us so you could be right. Having had a better look, if Scotland beat Argentina by 1-15 then that would relegate us to 8th, but if we then beat France I think we would overtake both. We are pretty much fucked I'd say, but Argentina beating Scotland tomorrow morning would seal the deal. As posted elsewhere, with the round of 16 and us guaranteed in Pool A, it means as long as we come out of our pool 1st or 2nd we won't meet one of the other pool winners until the quarter finals at the earliest.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

I seem to have misplaced my rating points exchange calculator but I couldnt think of a combination of Aus v Fra & Arg v Sco results that would promote Aus without also promoting one of Arg or Sco.

 

[KOB1987]

I seem to have misplaced my rating points exchange calculator but I couldnt think of a combination of Aus v Fra & Arg v Sco results that would promote Aus without also promoting one of Arg or Sco.

I think our only chance of getting in the top 6 is if Scotland have a narrow win over Argentina, we beat France, and Argentina lose to England. The Scotland v Tonga game will largely be irrelevant, if we jump Argentina we will also jump Scotland.

Here is the link to the calculator I assume you lost.

https://rawling.github.io/WR (World Rugby)-calc/

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

What does our backline look like with amrky mark back
Tate
Carter
Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase)
Len
Jas
Max
Tom?
Bench
Lonegran/Gordon
Tade/donaldson
Filipino
Pietsch

either max or jas could cover 15

 

[KOB1987]

What does our backline look like with amrky mark back
Tate
Carter
Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase) (Nawaqanitawase)
Len
Jas
Max
Wright

Funnily enough I was about to post asking people what they thought our strongest potential XV currently is I.e forget the starters v finishers, just who would be our best players in each position assuming all available, fit and in form. You nailed the exact same backline as me.

What about the forwards? My crack:

Bell
Pollard
Tupou
Skelton
Frost
Hooper
Mcreight
Valetini

 

[Upthemaroon!]

What does our backline look like with amrky mark back
Tate
Carter
Marky Mark (Nawaqanitawase) (Nawaqanitawase)
Len
Jas
Max
Tom?
Bench
Lonegran/Gordon
Tade/donaldson
Filipino
Pietsch

either max or jas could cover 15

I think you should start Lonergan. Tate is just so much more effective when the gaps around the ruck start to increase. Besides that you are dead on

 

[rugbyAU]

Funnily enough I was about to post asking people what they thought our strongest potential XV currently is I.e forget the starters v finishers, just who would be our best players in each position assuming all available, fit and in form. You nailed the exact same backline as me.

What about the forwards? My crack:

Bell
Pollard
Tupou
Skelton
Frost
Hooper
Mcreight
Valetini

for 2027?

1 - Bell
2 - Pollard
3 - AA (c)
4 - Frost
5 - Skelton
6 - Hooper
7 - McReight (vc)
8 - Valetini
9 - McDermott (vc)
10 - Gordon (goalkicker)
11 - Mark N (Nawaqanitawase)
12 - Ikitau
13 - JAS (goalkicker)
14 - Jorgensen
15 - Wright

16 - Faessler
17 - Ross
18 - Tupou
19 - LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto)
20 - Gleeson
21 - Lonergan
22 - O'Connor
23 - Kellaway

 

[JRugby2]

I think you should start Lonergan. Tate is just so much more effective when the gaps around the ruck start to increase. Besides that you are dead on

Yeah definitely -

Big Tate fan. Genuinely think he's our best 9 but he's most effective running around tired players (though this could be muted by a bomb squad bench).

 

[Major Tom]

Yeah definitely -

Big Tate fan. Genuinely think he's our best 9 but he's most effective running around tired players (though this could be muted by a bomb squad bench).

He's just too good off the bench. We could nearly play him on the wing with they he was going. And with him you could play a 6-2 split.

 

[Ignoto]

1 - Bell
2 - Pollard
3 - AA (c)
4 - Frost
5 - Skelton
6 - Hooper
7 - McReight (vc)
8 - Valetini

I guarantee that 8 gets absolutely smoked at the breakdown. Only one guy in that 8 has the workrate to get to a lot of the rucks, its one of the upsides to Harry. Yes he may not be as destructive at running the ball, but his workrate balances out the team.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

I feel like I've said this before, but...

The draw for the 48-team FIFA WC takes place on 5/12/25 & the tournament starts on 11/06/26.

The draw for the 24-team RWC takes place on 3/12/25 & the tournament starts on 1/10/27.

WTF? Esp when seedings are mostly rankings-based & hardly anyone has to actually qualify whereas the opposite is generally true for FIFA.

 

[Wilson]

I feel like I've said this before, but...

The draw for the 48-team FIFA WC takes place on 5/12/25 & the tournament starts on 11/06/26.

The draw for the 24-team RWC takes place on 3/12/25 & the tournament starts on 1/10/27.

WTF? Esp when seedings are mostly rankings-based & hardly anyone has to actually qualify whereas the opposite is generally true for FIFA.

And I think this is better than it's been in the past too.

I'm sure the argument is around wanting more of a lead time for scheduling and ticket sales, but based on past demand (and similar large events like the Lions tour) I'm pretty sure we'd be fine to do it at the end of 2026 instead. Has the added benefit of letting the lead up to the world cup breath a bit more without so many games being talked about in the context of pool/likely first round knock out matches

 

[Rob42]

It's also been mentioned that teams want time to choose and set up their base for the tournament - again though, not sure why rugby teams would need an extra 12 mo to do this vs soccer teams.

 

[liquor box]

Tade/donaldson

I don't know is Tane is prepared to team up with Quade, maybe with time it will work out

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/10/06/quade-cooper-apologises-to-tane-edmed-after-blunt-put-down-i-dont-want-to-be-one-of-those-ex-players/