Refresh for latest updates
16:00 So that's me done. Ireland breathe a sigh of relief at having avoided the group of death and will head into the 2015 World Cup with a great shout of claiming top spot. Good bye for now.
15:43 IF Ireland managed to top Pool D, we would most likely be looking at a quarter final clash with Argentina (possibly Tonga). Could be a lot worse for Kidney's men.
15:38 Here's Fiji prop Deacon Manu's reaction at (most likely) being drawn in Pool A with Australia, England and Wales. Ouch!
15:35 If the same format is used from the 2011 World Cup, second place in Pool D (possibly Ireland) will play first place in Group C (most likely the All-Blacks). If ever there was an incentive for Ireland to win Pool D, there you have it.
15:31 Ireland's other two opponents in Pool D will be from Americas. 1 (either USA or Canada) and Europe 2 (second place team from Georgia, Romania, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Belgium)
15:29: The draw in a nice, bright coloured table:
15.26: Here's BOD with a cheeky smile after the springboks were pulled in Pool B. Maybe he was just thinking about the England-Wales clash in Pool A.
15:23 England will face a very tough group in Pool A along with Australia, Wales and most likely Fiji. And they have just 1,018 days to prepare for their first game.
15:19 So Ireland avoid the group of death and although it is by no means an 'easy' group, they will be quietly happy with their draw.
15:18 Pool D: France Ireland Italy Americas 1 & Europe 2
15:17: Pool C: New Zealand Argentina Tonga Europe 1 & Africa 1
15:17 Pool B: South Africa Samoa Scotland Asia 1 & Americas 2
15:16 Pool A: Australia, England, Wales, Oceania 1 & Play Off Winner
15:15 Australia in Pool A, South Africa in Pool B, New Zealand in Pool C and France will be in Pool D along with Ireland
15:14 England in Pool A with Wales, Samoa Pool B, Argentina Pool C and Ireland will play in Pool D
15:13: Wales in Pool A, Scotland in Pool B, Tonga in Pool C, Italy in Group D
15:11 Americas 2 into Pool B, Africa 1 into Pool C & Europe 2 in Pool D
15:09 Play off Winner first team out and will be in Pool A
15.05: Brian O'Driscoll during Boris's address. Inside, he's cringing.
@brianodriscoll at the #RWC2015 draw #rugbyunited twitter.com/aaronmcallorum…
— Aaron McAllorum (@aaronmcallorum) December 3, 2012
15.02: Boris Johnson concludes his cordial introductory statement with 'bring it on'.
14.52: Setting the draw in the Tate Modern has made Monday better for at least one guy.
Just received a respectful nod from Chris Robshaw at the Tate Modern ahead of the World Cup draw. Great start to the week.
— Isaac Harland (@IsaacHarland) December 3, 2012
14:38: Don't forget the IRB Player of the Year will also be announced at today's draw. Can Owen Farrell upset the odds (I doubt it) or is it going to be a straight shoot out between the All Black pairing of Richie McCaw and Dan Carter? Stay tuned.
14.35: Brian O'Driscoll's pre-Tate Modern's lunch plans have been revealed. He dined in Vapiano, presumably with DK:
It's great when a MUSCULAR sportsman is in having lunch.Brian O'Driscoll, the Ireland Rugby Captain is a man with good taste...
— VapianoUK (@VapianoUK) December 3, 2012
14:28 One of my best memories of the Rugby World Cup came in 2007 at the Millennium Stadium when France faced the New Zealand Haka. I was lucky enough to be in the crowd that evening in Cardiff and it is something that I will never forget. The face of Sebastien Chabal said it all. Do yourself a favour and remind yourself of that unforgettable moment:
14:00 After England's impressive result and display over defending champions New Zealand on Saturday, the air of 'confidence' has returned to the English public. How quickly people forget that England managed just one win (against Fiji) in their previous six Tests before Saturday. It also didn't help when all but two of the All Black's squad were ill just days prior to the defeat at Twickenham. Here's one particular confident English fan's view ahead of today's draw:
13:35 The 2015 World Cup may be some time away yet but here's a compilation of 30 of the best tries in the competition's history. Get in touch and let us know which was your favourite try/moment of the Rugby World Cup.
via (10Mattsson)
13:20 A few interesting World Cup Facts and Stats:
- The last two World Cup final teams have been in drawn in the the same pools (England - South Africa in 2007 and New Zealand - France in 2011)
- New Zealand have always finished top of their pool in Rugby World Cup history
- Samoa and South Africa have been drawn in the same pool at the last three Rugby World Cups
- The hosts and defending champions have been drawn in the same pool on two occasions (South Africa and Austrailia in 1995 and England and New Zealand in 1991)
- Australia have never met New Zealand, France or Scotland in the pool stages in Rugby World Cup history (can only meet Scotland in the 2015 draw)
- England have never been drawn with France, Ireland or Wales in the pool stages (can be drawn with both France and Wales today)
- France have never been drawn in the same pool as Australia, England, Italy, South Africa, Samoa or Wales (they will again avoid Australia and South Africa as they are in the same band)
- Ireland have never gotten past the quarter final stages of the World Cup (they have reached that stage five times)
13:00 Hello everyone and welcome to our coverage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup draw. The competition will of course be held just over the pond in England after they held off rival bids from South Africa, Italy and Japan. The draw takes place at 2:55 pm in the Tate Modern in London. The competition will begin on September 18th and will run until October 31st, 2015, with Twickenham hosting the final.
How the draw works: The 20 teams will be split into five bands of four. Each team is placed in the band which corresponds to their IRB world ranking position. i.e. the top four ranked teams are in Band 1, second four in band 2 etc. The four teams from band 1 will be drawn into one pool each and will be joined by one team from each of the bands 2, 3, 4 and 5 - all of which will be drawn at random. As well as the pool draw, the knock out stages will also be mapped out in today's draw.
The five bands are as follows:
Band 1: New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and France.
Band 2: England, Ireland, Samoa and Argentina.
Band 3: Wales, Italy, Tonga and Scotland.
Band 4: Oceania 1 (most likely to be Fiji), Europe 1 (one from Georgia, Romania, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Belgium), Asia 1 (most likely to be Japan) and Americas 1 (USA or Canada).
Band 5: Africa 1 (one from Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Senegal, Tunisia), Europe 2 (one from Georgia, Romania, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Belgium), Americas 2 (USA, Canada or another qualifier), Repêchage* winner (from Africa, Americas, Asia or Europe).
* Repêchage means that four teams, the best non-qualifier from each region except Oceania, will compete for the last place at the World Cup.
So what does all this mean for Ireland?
Well on the bright side Ireland will avoid the likes of Argentina and England at the pool stages but the proverbial 'group of death' is a distinct possibility. Worst case scenario from an Irish point of view would be a pool containing; New Zealand, Wales and Fiji. In terms of world ranking position, France are the lowest ranked team in Band 1 but there is an argument there that perhaps Australia may be the preferred team to be drawn with.
