Various cities in Japan will host team camps for the 20 teams participating in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. They were picked from a pool of applicants consisting of about 90 prefectures and cities, after consulting with the different competing teams.
According to Akira Shimazu, the 2019 Rugby World Cup organizing committee’s president and CEO, the selection process involved a particular set of criteria that put major weight on the quality and the variety of the facilities offered by each nominee.
A Brief History of the Rugby World Cup
Launched in 1987, the Rugby World Cup is an international men’s rugby competition held every four years. Its inaugural tournament was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, and had 16 teams participating, with New Zealand emerging as the champions after defeating France.
Throughout its history, only four teams have snatched the much-coveted William Webb Ellis Cup (a silver-gilt trophy named after the supposed inventor of rugby), and they are:
- New Zealand – has won it a total of three times: 1987, 2011, and 2015
- Australia – has won it twice: 1991 and 1999
- South Africa – has also won it twice: 1995 and 2007
- England – has won it once: 2003
The next two contests will be held in 2019 and 2023 in Japan and France, respectively.
Information on the 2019 Rugby World Cup
From September 20, 2019 to November 2, 2019, Japan will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup. It will be the tournament’s first time in an Asian country, and will be participated in by 20 teams divided into four pools made up of five teams.
As of the moment, the teams that have secured their spots in the upcoming competition are the following:
| Pool A | Pool B |
| Ireland | New Zealand |
| Scotland | South Africa |
| Japan | Italy |
| Romania | Africa 1 |
| Playoff winner | Repechage winner |
| Pool C | Pool D |
| England | Australia |
| France | Wales |
| Argentina | Georgia |
| United States | Fiji |
| Tonga | Uruguay |
2019 Rugby World Cup Tournament format
The 2019 Rugby World Cup consists of pool or group stage, quarterfinals, semifinals, bronze medal/third place game, and final.
Pool stage
The Pool Stage follows a single-round robin system made up of a total of 10 games. Teams that belong in the same pool play one game against each other, and the top two teams in each pool move on to the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals and Semifinals
Every game in the quarterfinals and semifinals is a knockout game. This means each team has to win their only game at each of the two stages to advance.
Here’s what the quarterfinals and semifinals brackets look like:
| QUARTERFINALS | SEMIFINALS |
| (I) Pool A Winner vs Pool B Runner up | Winner of (I) vs Winner of (II) |
| (II) Pool D Winner vs Pool C Runner up | |
| (III) Pool B Winner vs Pool A Runner up | Winner of (III) vs Winner of (IV) |
| (IV) Pool C Winner vs Pool D Runner up | |
Bronze Final
For the bronze medal or third place match, a knockout game is scheduled for the two semifinal losers.
Final
The two semifinal winners will play a knockout game for the gold medal.
For the complete schedule and venues, visit the official website of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Japanese prefectures/cities that are to be used as team camp sites during the 2019 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage
Enumerated below are the 52 camp sites to be used for the 2019 Rugby World Cup Pool or Group Stage. Each camp will be equipped with accommodation facilities, as well as a swimming pool, a gym, and other indoor and outdoor amenities for training.
| Pool A | |
| Team | Cities/Prefectures |
| Ireland | Ichihara City, Yokohama City, Kakegawa City/Iwata City, Kobe City, Kasuga City |
| Scotland | Tokyo Metropolitan Government A, Yokohama City, Hamamatsu City, Kobe City/Hyogo Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture/Nagasaki City |
| Japan | Tokyo Metropolitan Government B, Tokyo Metropolitan Government C, Hamamatsu City |
| Romania | Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City A, Musashino City, Ebina City, Kakegawa City/Iwata City, Awaji City/Hyogo Prefecture |
| Play-off winner | Yamagata Prefecture/Yamagata City/Tendo City, Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City B, Nagoya City, Awaji City/Hyogo Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture/Fukuoka City |
| Pool B | |
| Team | Cities/Prefectures |
| New Zealand | Urayasu City, Tokyo Metropolitan Government C, Ichinomiya City, Beppu City |
| South Africa | Urayasu City, Omaezaki City, Ichinomiya City, Kobe City |
| Italy | Shizuoka City, Toyota City, Sakai City, Fukuoka Prefecture/Fukuoka City |
| Africa 1 | Iwate Prefecture/Miyako City, Morioka City, Machida City, Toyota City, Osaka Prefecture/Higashi Osaka City, Wakayama Prefecture/Kamitonda Town |
| Repechage winner | Iwate Prefecture/Kamaishi City, Kobe City/Hyogo Prefecture, Nagato City, Kasuga City, Oita Prefecture/Beppu City |
| Pool C | |
| Team | Cities/Prefectures |
| England | Sapporo City A, Fuchu City, Tokyo Metropolitan Government C, Kobe City, Miyazaki Prefecture/Miyazaki City |
| France | Fuchu City, Tokyo Metropolitan Government A, Fujiyoshida City/Fujikawaguchiko Town, Kumamoto Prefecture/Kumamoto City A |
| Argentina | Fukushima Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City A, Tokyo Metropolitan Government B, Osaka Prefecture/Higashi Osaka City |
| USA | Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City B, Sakai City, Fukuoka Prefecture/Fukuoka City, Yomitan Village |
| Tonga | Sapporo City B, Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City B, Osaka Prefecture/Higashi Osaka City, Sakai City, Nagasaki Prefecture/Shimabara City, Kumamoto Prefecture/Kumamoto City B |
| Pool D | |
| Team | Cities/Prefectures |
| Australia | Hokkaido Prefecture/Ebetsu City, Urayasu City, Tokyo Metropolitan Government C, Kakegawa City/Iwata City, Beppu City |
| Wales | Tokyo Metropolitan Government B, Toyota City, Otsu City, Kitakyushu City, Kumamoto Prefecture/Kumamoto City A, Beppu City |
| Georgia | Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City B, Omaezaki City, Nagoya City, Sakai City |
| Fiji | Sapporo City C, Abashiri City, Iwate Prefecture/Miyako City, Otsu City, Osaka Prefecture/Higashi Osaka City, Oita City |
| Uruguay | Iwate Prefecture/Kamaishi City, Kitakami City, Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City A, Kumamoto Prefecture/Kumamoto City B, Oita City |
The organizers will be working closely with the named cities and prefectures to ensure that everything will be ready in time and allow the participants coming from different parts of the globe to practice and perform at their best levels during the two-week tournament.
The camp sites for knockout stages are yet to be revealed. Check the official website of the 2019 Rugby World Cup for the latest news and updates.
