Pools

he competition will be contested over 44 days between 20 different nations, over 48 fixtures. The tournament commences on September 7, at Stade de France between hosts France and Argentina. The tournament culminates at the same venue on October 20 for the final to decide who wins the Webb Ellis Cup. The 20 nations are split up into four pools of five teams, known as A through to D. Classification within each pool is based on the following scoring schedule; four points for a win, two for a draw and none for a loss. A bonus point can be awarded in each of the following instances; a team scores four or more tries (regardless of the match result) and/or a team loses by seven points (a converted try) or less.