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Rugby Union World Cup - New Zealand 2011
That's right Rugby fans, the Rugby World Cup 2011 is set to start on 10 September 2011 and culminate in the final to be played on the weekend beginning 22 Ocotber 2011. This will be the biggest sporting event that New Zealand has ever held, and is likely to ever hold. With the Rugby World Cup having grown so remarkably since it was first held in New Zealand in 1987, the small nation, although well known for its enthusiasm for Rugby, was fortunate to get the opportunity to showcase itself on the international stage as cup hosts. With the return on investment required by the International Rugby Board (IRB), New Zealand is unlikely to be able to generate sufficient returns required by the International Rugby Board due to a small population and small stadiums. This competition will be the biggest thing going in the small country with no danger of being overshadowed by anything else that may be going on. The Rugby Union World Cup will provide a great opportunity for Rugby fans to visit New Zealand and see some live action games by buying online tickets.
Rugby World Cup 2011 - Number of Teams
The IRB confirmed that the 2011 World Cup will again feature 20 teams after speculation following the last tournament in 2007 that the number of teams would be reduced to 16. There will be seven weeks of competition, with 48 games taking place over 7 weekends, the last weekend being a long weekend in New Zealand to celebrate Labour Day. The opneing match will see hosts New Zealand play Tonga on 9 September 2011.
World Cup 2011 - Pools
The 20 teams are broken down into four pools of 5 teams each. The teams play everyone in their pool, and the top two teams go on to the final rounds. The Pools are as follows:
Pool A: New Zealand, France, Tonga, Canada, Japan (likely winner of Asian competition).
Pool B: Argentina, England, Scotland, Georgia, Playoff Winner (yet to be determined).
Pool C: Australia, Ireland, Italy, Russia, United States.
Pool D: South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Namibia.
Quarter Finals of the Rugby Union World Cup 2011
Once the pool stages are complete, the knockout Quarter Finals begin and are structured as follows:
Quarter Final 1: Winner of Pool C against Runner Up in Pool D (likely Australia vs Wales)
Quarter Final 2: Winner of Pool B against Runner Up in Pool A (likely England vs France)
Quarter Final 3: Winner of Pool D against Runner Up in Pool C (likely South Africa vs Ireland)
Quarter Final 4: Winner of Pool A against Runner Up in Pool B (likely New Zealand vs Argentina)
The teams assigned to the matches in the finals are our predictions for the likely winners and runners up in each pool. There could be some surprises in this Rugby Union World Cup like that produced by the mighty Argentina side in 2007.
Finals of the Rugby Union World Cup 2011
Once the Quarter Finals are complete, the Semi Final Round is as follows:
Semi Final 1: Winner of Quarter Final One vs Winner of Quarter Final Two (likely Australia vs France)
Semi Final 2: Winner of Quarter Final Three against Winner of Quarter Final Four (likely South Africa vs New Zealand)
Final: Winner of Semi Final One vs Semi Final Two
Third Place Final: Loser of Semi Final One against Loser Semi Final Two
Any teams assigned to the matches in the finals are our predictions for the likely winners of the Quarter Finals. No one is prepared to hazard a guess at the finalists this far out from the competition! Read our pages on the main team to see how your team is likely to perform, and read our tips for buying tickets online to make sure you don't miss out on live action at the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup.
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