Format Announced

[donny donny]

http://www.midlandsrugbyleague.co.uk/article/2013-rugby-league-world-cup.html

Group A
ENGLAND
AUSTRALIA
FIJI
IRELAND

Group B
NEW ZEALAND
FRANCE
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
SAMOA

Group C
SCOTLAND
TONGA
EUROPEAN QUALIFIER (Lebanon, Serbia, Russia or Italy)

Group D
WALES
COOK ISLANDS
ATLANTIC QUALIFIER (USA, South Africa or Jamaica)

Group C and D teams play one cross group game as follows;
SCOTLAND V ATLANTIC QUALIFIER
TONGA V COOK ISLANDS
WALES V EUROPEAN QUALIFIER

The top 3 teams from both Group A and B progress along with the winners of Group C and D to the quarter-finals.

 

[roopy]

Good format.
Not too many mismatches.
Wales and Scotland have a good chance to win their pools, so they should get crowds locally.

 

[Spitty]

I liked the last format better. With this format I'd be surprised in New Zeland didn't win all their pool games by at least 50 points.

 

[DINGb@T]

Yeah, but every other game in that pool is going to be a ripper.

 

[***MH***]

I liked the last format better. With this format I'd be surprised in New Zeland didn't win all their pool games by at least 50 points.

With this format, New Zealand can rest their profile players before the Semi Finals.

 

[PaulyTom]

NZ v Samoa game will be good. The number of islanders that are coming through the sport is phenomenal. NZ will not want to have an off day.

The race for 2nd and 3rd will be intense with France / Samoa and PNG all about the same level.

Wales and Tonga should make it through in groups C and D.

 

[siv]

Scotland / Tonga and what should be Lebanon - will be a ripper group

 

[jim_57]

Think people are a little premature in assuming Lebanon will qualify easily, watch out for Italy.

 

[langpark]

This is a good format, because you want to have a final eight after the group stage. Any other number just involves more dicking around into the knockout stage.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

So, any idea on how the quater finals will pan out?

1st A vs 1st C
2nd B vs 3rd A
1st B vs 1st D
2nd A vs 3rd A

 

[joshie]

I would rather see Italy qualify then Lebanon. They play their last qualifier against each other so I think it will come down to that!

 

[hutch]

I hope Lebanon does, our sport should be trying to gain a foothold in the middle east and this could influence other nations to take up the sport!

 

[Goddo]

Tezza, given the potential match ups desirable for elimination matches, I think the finals would look more like

1st A vs 3rd B
2nd B vs 1st C
1st B vs 3rd A
2nd A vs 1st D

That would be most likely as it would likely result in better match ups:


Quarter finals:
Australia vs France
PNG vs Scotland/Tonga
New Zealand vs Fiji
England vs Wales

Semi-finals:
Australia vs PNG
New Zealand vs England

Final:
Australia vs New Zealand/England

 

[adamkungl]

I would assume that being a knockout format from the quarters, all things being fair that higher ranked teams would get the easiest QF matchups. This obviously does not take into account competitiveness of matches, more fairness of the competition as a whole.

So possibly/hypothetically :

q1: A1 v D (Aus v Wales)
q2: B1 v C (NZ v Tonga)
q3: A2 v B3 (Eng v France)
q4: A3 v B2 (Fiji v PNG)

s1: q1 v q4 (Aus v PNG)
s2: q2 v q3 (NZ v Eng)

f: s1 v s2 (Aus v Eng)

 

[roughyedspud]

it'll be set up in such a way that if everything goes to plan it'll be a england v australia final....and a australia v NZ semi final too :lol:

 

[adamkungl]

Well basically it should be made so A1 and A2, and B1 and B2 can't meet again until the final. Any decent format will achieve this. Mind you, unless they really rig it, England should still have to beat either Aus or NZ at least once to make the final.

 

[roughyedspud]

well in 1995 we beat australia in the opening group game which sealed a australia v NZ semi

 

[Wilson1]

well in 1995 we beat australia in the opening group game which sealed a australia v NZ semi

That is what should happen here. The loser of Australia and England should meet New Zealand with the winner getting easy entry into the final.

 

[pcpp]

The big question for me is which QF match won't include one of the "big three", which will most likely decide which team will get the last semi final spot.

I am thinking that the RFL will want either France or Wales to get the final SF spot, so it could be B2 v D1, but depending on results that could be a very risky strategy.

 

[Poul]

So, any idea on how the quater finals will pan out?

1st A vs 1st C
2nd B vs 3rd A
1st B vs 1st D
2nd A vs 3rd A

Is there an answer to this question yet?

Anything confirmed?