“The reality is that England have got a better group than most and they’ve got to top it. And then when you get into the knockout stage it’s anybody’s,” Robinson, the Asahi Super Dry ambassador for the 2023 World Cup, told the PA news agency.
“I don’t think there has ever been a World Cup where there are so many teams in contention and I would say England are in the mix, but they are going to have to build some form. I would never have said we’d get to the final in 2007 with the form that we had in the lead up to it, not a chance. We were playing crap.
“We limped through the pool stages in 2007, getting beaten 36-0 by South Africa. I pulled my hamstring in that game. It was a real slap in the face for us. While we didn’t have form in the team, we still had some good players. The defeat against South Africa was the shock we needed.
“We got through the pool and then we found some form against Australia in the quarters. We beat France who were hosts and suddenly we were in the final. We could have won that too had Mark Cueto (who had a try controversially disallowed after it was ruled his left foot had made contact with the touchline) not had six toes!
“What happened to us in 2007 gives hope. It can be done – in sport you can turn things around in a very short space of time.”
When is the Rugby World Cup?
The tournament begins on Friday, September 8 with France taking on New Zealand. The final will be played on Saturday, October 28.
South Africa were the winners of the last tournament – in Japan in 2019 – when they beat England in the final, and will be among the favourites again this year. New Zealand, as ever, will be the team to beat.
However, a strong European challenge is expected, not least from the hosts France and Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland, who have yet to put their best foot forward at a World Cup.
Where is it?
The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be played in France across nine stadiums in nine cities. The final will be played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Paris).
Stade de France (capacity 80,698) – Saint-Denis (Paris)Stade Velodrome (67,394) – MarseilleParc Olympique Lyonnais (59,186) – LyonStade Pierre-Mauroy (50,186) – LilleNouveau Stade de Bordeaux (42,115) – BordeauxStade Geoffroy-Guichard (41,965) – Saint-ÉtienneAllianz Riviera (35,624) – NiceStade de la Beaujoire (35,322) – NantesStadium Municipal (33,150) – Toulouse
How do I watch it?
ITV have won the exclusive broadcast rights to show the Rugby World Cup in the UK. We will update you with specific channels for each match at the tournament once they are revealed by the broadcaster.
The radio commentary of every match will be available only on the BBC, across Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds service. The BBC says there will be a “bespoke output” in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Amazon Prime will broadcast England’s first three World Cup warm-up games in August as well as nine other fixtures featuring other Six Nations teams.
Steve Borthwick’s team take on Wales in a home-and-away double-header before traveling to Ireland on August 19. Their final match before heading to France, against Fiji at Twickenham the following weekend, is also likely to be on Amazon Prime with scheduling issues being finalised.
The streaming service will also show warm-up games such as France welcoming Eddie Jones’ Australia.
Who is playing?
A total of 20 teams have qualified for the Rugby World Cup. These teams have been split into four pools of five, with each pool getting one team from five ‘bands’.
Band one featured the four highest-ranked teams from when the draw for the tournament was made (South Africa, New Zealand, England, Wales). Band two comprised the next four highest-ranked teams (Ireland, Australia, France, Japan) and band three the four after that (Scotland, Argentina, Fiji, Italy).
Each side in the first three bands qualified automatically for the tournament owing to their world ranking, while the further two bands comprised the sides who had made it into the tournament via qualifying (Samoa, Georgia, Uruguay, Tonga, Namibia, Romania, Chile, Portugal).
Which players should we keep an eye on?
Titi Lamositele, capable of propping on both sides of the scrum, won trophies at Saracens before moving to Montpellier in the wake of the salary-cap scandal. He has been allowed to switch allegiance from the USA to Samoa due to the recent change in World Rugby eligibility rules that allows players to switch countries after a three-year stand-down period, provided that they qualify through birthright.
Tonga are likely to count Adam Coleman, the Australia lock, among their nation-hopping cohort at the tournament and Pacific Island teams are not the only ones taking advantage of the rule change.
Henry Thomas could swap England for Wales and Tawera Kerr-Barlow, the exceptional La Rochelle scrum-half, is now eligible to switch from New Zealand to Australia by dint of being born in Melbourne. South Africa confirmed that they would be exploring the availability of ex-Ireland lock Jean Kleyn, in fine form for Munster last season.
Who is in what pool?
Pool ANew ZealandFranceItalyUruguayNamibia
Pool BSouth AfricaIrelandScotlandTongaRomania
Pool CWalesAustraliaFijiGeorgiaPortugal
Pool DEnglandJapanArgentinaSamoaChile
Rugby World Cup 2023 full fixtures and schedule
POOL MATCHES
Friday, Sept 8 – France v New Zealand, Stade de France, 8pm BSTSaturday, Sept 9 – Italy v Namibia, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, 12.00pmSaturday, Sept 9 – Ireland v Romania, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, 2.30pmSaturday, Sept 9 – Australia v Georgia, Stade de France, 5pmSaturday, Sept 9 – England v Argentina, Stade Vélodrome, 8pmSunday, Sept 10 – Japan v Chile, Stadium Municipal, 12pmSunday, Sept 10 – South Africa v Scotland, Stade Vélodrome, 4.45pmSunday, Sept 10 – Wales v Fiji, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, 8pmThursday, Sept 14 – France v Uruguay, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 8pmFriday, Sept 15 – New Zealand v Namibia, Stadium Municipal, 8pmSaturday, Sept 16 – Samoa v Chile, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, 2pmSaturday, Sept 16 – Wales v Portugal, Allianz Riviera, 4.45pmSaturday, Sept 16 – Ireland v Tonga, Stade de la Beaujoire, 8pmSunday, Sept 17 – South Africa v Romania, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, 2pmSunday, Sept 17 – Australia v Fiji, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, 4.45pmSunday, Sept 17 – England v Japan, Allianz Riviera, 8pmWednesday, Sept 20 – Italy v Uruguay, Allianz Riviera, 4.45pmThursday, Sept 21 – France v Namibia, Stade Vélodrome, 8pmFriday, Sept 22 – Argentina v Samoa, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, 4.45pmSaturday, Sept 23 – Georgia v Portugal, Stadium Municipal, 1pmSaturday, Sept 23 – England v Chile, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 4.45pmSaturday, Sept 23 – South Africa v Ireland, Stade de France, 8pmSunday, Sept 24 – Scotland v Tonga, Allianz Riviera, 4.45pmSunday, Sept 24 – Wales v Australia, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, 8pmWednesday, Sept 27 – Uruguay v Namibia, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, 4.45pmThursday, Sept 28 – Japan v Samoa, Stadium Municipal, 8pmFriday, Sept 29 – New Zealand v Italy, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, 8pmSaturday, Sept 30 – Argentina v Chile, Stade de la Beaujoire, 2pmSaturday, Sept 30 – Fiji v Georgia, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, 4.45pmSaturday, Sept 30 – Scotland v Romania, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 8pmSunday, Oct 1 – Australia v Portugal, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, 4.45pmSunday, Oct 1 – South Africa v Tonga, Stade Vélodrome, 8pmThursday, Oct 5 – New Zealand v Uruguay, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, 8pmFriday, Oct 6 – France v Italy, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, 8pmSaturday, Oct 7 – Wales v Georgia, Stade de la Beaujoire, 2pmSaturday, Oct 7 – England v Samoa, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 4.45pmSaturday, Oct 7 – Ireland v Scotland, Stade de France, 8pmSunday, Oct 8 – Japan v Argentina, Stade de la Beaujoire, 12pmSunday, Oct 8 – Tonga v Romania, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 4.45pmSunday, Oct 8 – Fiji v Portugal, Stadium Municipal, 8pm
Quarter-finals
Saturday, Oct 14 – Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D, Stade Vélodrome, 4pmSaturday, Oct 14 – Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A, Stade de France, 8pmSunday, Oct 15 – Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C, Stade Vélodrome, 4pmSunday, Oct 15 – Winner Pool 4 v Runner-up Pool B, Stade de France, 8pm
Semi-finals
Friday, Oct 20 – Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2, Stade de France, 8pmSaturday, Oct 21 – Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4, Stade de France, 8pm
Bronze final
Friday, Oct 27 – Runner-up SF 1 v Runner-up SF 2, Stade de France, 8pm
Final
Saturday, Oct 28 – Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2, Stade de France, 8pm
