While the global pandemic has wreaked havoc on the game at all levels, the teams currently contending for slots in the RWC 2023 have perhaps been the hardest hit. South Africa and Japan were unable to play any matches in 2020, while other elite teams from around the world saw their schedules change on a regular basis, but last year brought some form of normalcy back. Rugby Fans can buy Rugby World Cup 2023 Tickets from our website.
However, the same cannot be stated for many growing economies around the world. While previous Rugby World Cup champions England, Australia, and New Zealand have lost a lot of money and a lot of fixtures, their four-year Rugby World Cup cycle hasn't changed much. The past two years have been a nightmare for teams who have limited possibilities to play test matches but must still prepare for Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification.Despite neither side having
played meaningful rugby since the last tournament in 2019, Samoa and Tonga
faced a battle in July to determine who will represent the Pacific at the
France Rugby World Cup 2023.
The Americas qualifiers faced off
in a series of matches in the second half of the season to determine who would
advance directly to the RWC 2023 event and who would have to compete for a
position in the final repackage tournament. Canada was the big loser in these
games, losing to the United States (in their first test since 2019) and Chile,
thus missing out on the Rugby World Cup for the first time in the competition's
history.
Of course, tier two and three
teams have always had to contend with the most difficult conditions over the
years, and even if they do qualify for rugby's showcase event, they have the
most difficult schedules.
Thankfully, that will not be the
case at RWC 2023, as rest periods will be more fairly distributed than in
previous championships. Unfortunately, that luxury will not be afforded to this
year's key qualification event amongst Africa's top rugby-playing nations, with
World Rugby announcing a draw this week that will be extremely difficult for
the eight teams involved.
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Algeria will all compete in the 2022 Africa Cup in France later this year, which will be a strict eight-team knockout competition (quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a grand final) to determine the Africa qualifier for the Rugby World Cup next year. The victor will be grouped with New Zealand, France, Italy, and Uruguay in Pool A.
The event will be played over just ten days, which is the real kicker. While every team will be on an equal footing, it's impossible to imagine a scenario in which Ireland, Wales, or South Africa are expected to go through a similar slew of matches in such a short time to determine a critical Rugby World Cup position.Based on past results, the
competition will be a straight shootout for Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification
between Namibia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Kenya, however, Namibia will enter the
10-day event as clear favorites.
While the Welwitschias were
shocked to lose to Ivory Coast in last year's fixtures, no such result is
expected this time around when Namibia has all of its players on the field and
a spot on rugby's highest stage on the line.
The losing finalist will then compete
in a repackage tournament against the best-of-the-rest teams from the Americas,
Europe, and Asia. The Rugby Africa Cup will begin on July 1 and end on July 10,
with the final scheduled on July 10. Marseille and Aix-en-Provence will host
all of the matches.
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