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May 11, 2017

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All Blacks get Boks in 2019 WCup pool

NEW Zealand will face arch-rival South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup pool stage in Japan and Six Nations champion England was again drawn in the toughest pool of the tournament yesterday.

The All Blacks, the two-time defending champions, have never lost a pool game, but that record will be tested when they face the Springboks, the former two-time champions, in Pool B.

The Springboks won their biggest cup match, the 1995 final that was portrayed in the movie “Invictus,” but the All Blacks have won their last two cup ties, including the 2015 semifinal.

It will be the first time the two nations meet in the pool stage.

“Any one of the top eight teams that you get paired up with are going to be tough,” New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen said. “In this case we get South Africa. They are a team that knows us well and we know them very well. There is a lot of good history between the two teams and it will be one of the games of the tournament.”

The ninth Rugby World Cup takes place from September 20 to November 2, 2019.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was among the dignitaries to take part in the draw at the historic Kyoto Guest House. The 2019 tournament in Japan will be the first to be held in Asia and outside of the traditional rugby nations. The draw featured the 12 teams that had booked places courtesy of a top-three pool finish at the 2015 World Cup in England.

England was drawn with France and Argentina in a grueling Pool C. Two-time champion Australia was with Wales and Georgia in Pool D. Host Japan was with Ireland and Scotland in Pool A.

England became the first host team to fail to advance from the pool stage in 2015 after it lost to Australia and Wales. The 1991 champion and two-time finalist faces another tough pool in Japan. France has reached three finals, and Argentina has made the semifinals of two of the last three World Cups. The others in the pool could be the US or Canada, and Fiji or Samoa.

“Our pool will be highly competitive and full of intensity, as a World Cup group should be,” England coach Eddie Jones said.




 

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