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SCOTS TO FACE AULD ENEMY IN 2011 WORLD CUP
Posted: 01/Dec/08
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Scotland will face their oldest rivals England at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
The draw was made in London this afternoon and joining Scotland and England in Pool B are
*Argentina;
*the winner of the European qualifying pool - that could be Georgia, Romania or Portugal;
*and the winner of a play-off that will determine the 20th and final country to compete for the seventh time for the William Webb Ellis trophy.
Scotland coach Frank Hadden said: "It's a good draw and one that gives Scotland every chance of maintaining our proud record of being one of only five countries to qualify for the quarter-final of every World Cup.
The draw is the first piece of the jigsaw. The second piece is the scheduling of games and I believe it is absolutely imperative that games are scheduled to allow players proper recovery and preparation time given the intensity of international matches.
As far as our Pool B opponents are concerned Im happy with the draw. We havent played England in the World Cup since the 1991 semi-final, and we lost out at last years World Cup to Argentina in the quarter-final.
It looks as if weve missed the Pacific Islands countries as they are pretty much playing on their home patch so thats a bonus."
Scotland captain Mike Blair said: Im excited by the draw. In England and Argentina we have two extremely tough sides in our pool who have a very proud record in the tournament. It will take a big effort from us but thats what we will be setting our minds on.
The full World Cup draw, made by IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset and Chairman of New Zealand 2011 Jock Hobbs, is:
Pool A Asia 1; Americas 1; Tonga; France; New Zealand
Pool B Play-off winner; Europe 1; Scotland; England; Argentina
Pool C Americas 2; Europe 2; Italy; Ireland; Australia
Pool D Africa 1; Oceania1; Fiji; Wales; South Africa
Should Scotland win their pool, they would face the runners-up in pool A in the quarter-final. If Scotland are second in their pool, they would face the winners of pool A in the quarter-final.
Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Gordon McKie said: This is an exciting draw for Scotland one which both our players and supporters will relish.
The only previous occasion Scotland have played England at the World Cup was the 1991 semi-final at Murrayfield, which Scotland lost 6-9.
Full-back that day, Gavin Hastings, said: I think to face England in New Zealand will be a terrific occasion. Weve got to be pleased to have the opportunity to play England again and Im sure that fixture will inspire the players.
Notes to editors:
RWC 2011 knockout structure
Following the RWC 2011 pool matches, the knockout rounds will follow the same structure as RWC 2003 and RWC 2007. The full structure is as follows:
Quarter Final 1: Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
Quarter Final 2: Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
Quarter Final 3: Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
Quarter Final 4: Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
Semi-Final 1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
Semi-Final 2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
Bronze Final: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
Final: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
RWC planning milestone
The RWC 2011 Pool Allocation Draw marks another important milestone in preparations for the tournament in New Zealand.
The venues for the final, bronze final, semi finals and quarter finals have already been announced, whilst Rugby New Zealand (RNZ) 2011 Ltd has received proposals from regional groups representing 18 regions in New Zealand to host pool matches. The full match schedule is due to be announced in the second quarter of 2009.
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This article was posted on 1-Dec-2008, 19:24 by Hugh Barrow.
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