England’s elimination does not hinder Rugby World Cup

LONDON England’s failure to make the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals all of a sudden doesn’t seem so bad for the people running the show.

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper says local fans have been resolute and doom and gloom didn’t necessarily follow England’s elimination following back-toback losses to the Welsh and the Wallabies.

Perhaps more importantly for organizers, ticket sales and broadcasting figures mean the Rugby World Cup “is still tracking to be the best we’ve delivered to date.”

The quarter-finals next weekend are all north vs. south affairs, with defending champion New Zealand against France in a rematch of the 2011 final, Australia vs. Scotland, Ireland against Argentina, and South Africa against Wales.

Here are some things to know after the 40 matches in the pool stage:

MIND THE GAP:

The average winning margin in the pool phase was 24 points, down from 28 in 2011. The average margin in matches featuring Tier One vs. Tier Two teams was down to 30 from 36. The biggest margin was South Africa’s 64-0 win over the United States. Namibia, which was pounded 142-0 by Australia in 2003 and 87-0 by South Africa in 2011, crossed for tries against New Zealand and Argentina, and picked up its first ever competition point from a one-point loss to Georgia.

TICKETS PLEASE:

Local organizers say ticket sales exceeded 2.41 million — 97 per cent of capacity — which is a Rugby World Cup record. More than 1.8 million people attended the 40 pool matches. Also, 85,000 tickets have been re-sold through the tournament’s official website Broadcasting figures were peaking, Gosper said, particularly in Japan, which now owns the single-nation record for a Rugby World Cup match.

SCHEDULE:

Complaints from some Tier Two nations about the scheduling of their matches, particularly the dreaded four-day turnaround, have forced organizers to review planning for 2019. “It’s not perfect — there’s more work to be done. It’s a difficult problem, fitting 48 matches into six weeks,” Rugby World Cup Ltd. spokesman Alan Giplin said.

MORE, AND BETTER:

Tier Two nations are pushing for more tests against the top teams, and World Rugby is backing the calls. The All Blacks visited Samoa this year for the first time, the Wallabies played in the United States, and both teams have played in Japan in recent years. More of that is wanted. “We recognize for Tier Two to progress, they have to play against Tier One teams more often,” Gosper said. “Our desire is to have as much as we can within a calendar.”

THE DRAW:

After all the criticism of the 2015 draw being conducted three years ago, rendering the current rankings almost meaningless, there’s no guarantee the draw for 2019 will be made any closer to the tournament. World Rugby said the fact Tokyo was hosting the 2020 Olympics might make it imperative to hold the draw early to give Japanese fans and broadcasters certainty on the schedule.