Afternoon all! It may still be three years away, but the build-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup starts here. Who will England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland be grouped with?
England could face New Zealand in the draw this afternoon. Just two days after their sensational win over the All Blacks. The victory ended the world champions' 20-match unbeaten run as they announced their return to form with a bang.
Here's a word from England scrum-half Ben Youngs: "We will be a vastly more experienced team. The goal is 2015 and I'm sure that we will be contenders. If you look back at the last two World Cups, the finalists in 2007 and 2011 came out of the same pool, so what's the big deal three years from the event?" he told reporters.
Meanwhile, he is an interesting statistic provided by the BBC: England fought off rival bids from South Africa and Italy to win the right to stage the event. It will be the second time England have hosted the competition. Meanwhile, Japan will host the following World Cup in 2019.
Just a reminder that, as stated above, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and France are the four top seeds and cannot face each other in the pool. Meanwhile, all teams will want to avoid Wales, who are in Tier three.
In terms of the draw, the best scenario for England would be Australia from Tier one and Tonga from Tier three. The worst case would be New Zealand from Tier one and Wales from tier three. But this is England so they should always expect the worse. You have to beat the best to be the best. Something like that, anyway.
Here is a final reminder of the pool:
Tier one: New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and France.
Tier two: England, Ireland, Samoa and Argentina.
Tier three: Wales, Italy, Tonga and Scotland.
Tier four: Oceania 1, Europe 1, Asia 1 and Americas 1.
Tier five: Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Repechage winner.
The opening speeches are underway ahead of the draw. Chairman of England Rugby 2015 Andy Cosslett has just addressed the audience at the Tate Modern gallery. We should be live in the next couple of minutes.
Pool A: England
Pool B: Samoa
Pool C: Argentina
Pool D: Ireland
Pool A: England, Australia
Pool B: Samoa, South Africa
Pool C: Argentina, New Zealand
Pool D: Ireland, France
Pool A: Australia, England, Wales, Oceania 1, Playoff winner.
Pool B: South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Asia 1, Americas 2.
Pool C: New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Europe 1, Africa 1.
Pool D: France, Ireland, Italy, Americas 1, Europe 2.
So there we have it. England are drawn alongside Australia and Wales in Group A. They will be joined by Oceania 1 and Playoff winner.
England do indeed avoid New Zealand, but they have been drawn against Wales, the strongest team in Tier three. Meanwhile, the qualifiers for the remaining spots will be played next year.
So there we have it. It could have been a lot worse for England but it is going to be far from simple. Pool A is certainly the toughest. Oceania 1 could indeed be Fiji. And knowing England's luck it will be!
South Africa will certainly be the most pleased with Pool B, but Scotland will have a tough ask to make the latter stages of the competition. One thing is for certain, there are some wonderful matches in that draw.
Just a reminder that the final of the competition will be held at Twickenham. But there are a number of Premier League and Championship football grounds in the running to host matches during the tournament. Spare a moment for the ground staff of those chosen!
So there we have it. That concludes the draw on Sports Mole. Thanks for joining us for the action. See you soon!
