Forty pool matches are now complete. Twelve teams are heading home and for two of the eight quarter finalists they are just 160 minutes away from the Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France on Saturday 28 October. Before teams can lock that date in their diary though there is the small matter of four quarter finals.
Saturday 14th October:
- Quarter final 1 – Wales vs Argentina (Marseille)
- Quarter final 2 – Ireland vs New Zealand (Paris)
Sunday 15th October:
- Quarter final 3 – England vs Fiji (Marseille)
- Quarter final 4 – France vs South Africa (Paris)
Both Marseille fixtures kick off at 17:00hrs local time and 21:00hrs in Paris.
The final round of pool matches did not disappoint with high drama right through to the very end as Portugal beat Fiji (24-23) in Toulouse to record their first ever World Cup win. A losing bonus point enough to secure Fiji's passage through to the knock out stages.
Elsewhere, Ireland set up a monumental clash against the All Blacks after ending Scotland's slim hopes of gatecrashing the quarters. Of the eight quarter finalists only Argentina is ranked outside the top eight sides in the world and their final pool match victory over Japan ensured they face the unbeaten Welsh.
England exit the pool stages having won all four of their matches although Samoa pushed them to the wire in Lille on Saturday, winning by a solitary point. They now face Fiji. The host nation will take on the reigning world champions South Africa after they beat neighbours Italy in Lyon to top Pool A.
Who will face who in the semi finals? The winner of quarter final 1 will play the winners of Quarter final 2 in Semi final 1 on Friday 20 October in Paris. The next day in the same stadium the winners of Quarter final 3 & 4 will battle it out in Semi final 2 for a place in the final in the French capital.
Demand for the tickets for the quarter finals is expected to ramp up following the confirmation of the fixtures. To check availability and learn more about the hospitality options (gold category tickets) click here or the link below.
