2019 Rugby World Cup – Europe qualification

2019 Rugby World Cup – Europe qualification
Tournament details
Dates1 October 2016 – 16 June 2018
No. of nations31
← 2015
2023 →

Qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup for European Rugby began in September 2016, where 5 teams are competing for one direct qualification spot into the final tournament, and a further 26 teams competing, alongside the initial 5 teams, for a place in the Europe/Oceania play-off and or repechage.

The qualification process came to a chaotic conclusion when 3 of the 5 teams in the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Rugby Europe Championship were effectively disqualified for fielding ineligible players. As a result, Russia qualified for the World Cup and Germany advanced to a playoff against Portugal for a place in the repechage process.

Format

The Rugby Europe Championship, controlled by Rugby Europe, is the regional qualification tournament for Rugby World Cup 2019, with the Championship, Trophy and Conference 1 and 2 being involved in the process.

The 2016–17 Rugby Europe International Championships form the majority of qualification matches for the European region. The respective winners of Round 1A and 1B, Rugby Europe Conference 2 North and South, will progress to the Round 1 Final. The overall winner of Round 1, will advance to the Round 3, where they will play against the winner of Round 2, Conference 1. The winner of Round 3 will play against the winner of the 2016–17 Rugby Europe Trophy tournament in the Round 4 Final, where the winner of that final will parachute down to Round 6 - the European Final play-off.

The winner of Round 5, which is an aggregate table of the 2017 and 2018 Rugby Europe Championship's, will qualify for the World Cup as Europe 1, the runner-up will advance to Round 6.

Round 6 will see the winner of Round 4 and the runner-up of Round 5 face against each other in a one-off play-off match, the higher ranked team hosting at the time of teams decided, to earn the right to progress to a home and away Cross-Regional play-off series against the third placed team from Oceania, Oceania 3.

Entrants

Thirty one teams competed during for the 2019 Rugby World Cup – European qualification; teams world rankings are prior to the first European qualification match on 3 September 2016.

Nation Rank Began play Qualifying status
 Andorra 62 22 October 2016 Eliminated by Malta on 11 February 2017
 Austria 87 8 October 2016 Eliminated by Serbia on 29 April 2017
 Belgium 24 18 February 2017 Eliminated via points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 74 8 October 2016 Eliminated by Hungary on 20 May 2017
 Croatia 54 29 October 2016 Eliminated by Malta on 29 April 2017
 Cyprus NR 29 October 2016 Eliminated by Andorra on 11 February 2017
 Czech Republic 33 3 September 2016 Eliminated by Portugal on 18 November 2017
 Denmark 88 8 October 2016 Eliminated by Hungary's victory on 6 May 2017
 England 2 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Estonia NR 1 October 2016 Eliminated by Hungary's victory on 22 April 2017
 Finland 97 8 October 2016 Eliminated by Denmark on 22 April 2017
 France 8 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Georgia 11 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Germany 26 11 February 2017 Advances to Europe/Oceania play-off on 16 June 2018
 Hungary 82 1 October 2016 Eliminated by Czech Republic in 27 April 2017
 Ireland 6 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Israel 63 5 November 2016 Eliminated by Malta on 22 April 2017
 Italy 13 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Latvia 51 22 October 2016 Eliminated by Czech Republic on 15 April 2017
 Lithuania 46 5 November 2016 Eliminated by Czech Republic's victory on 6 May 2017
 Luxembourg 59 22 October 2016 Eliminated by Czech Republic's victory on 15 April 2017
 Malta 49 22 October 2016 Eliminated by Czech Republic on 20 May 2017
 Moldova 32 12 November 2016 Eliminated by Portugal on 11 March 2017
 Netherlands 34 5 November 2016 Eliminated by Portugal's victory on 1 April 2017
 Norway 90 8 October 2016 Eliminated by Hungary on 22 April 2017
 Poland 37 24 September 2016 Eliminated by Portugal on 18 March 2017
 Portugal 30 19 November 2016 Eliminated by Germany on 16 June 2018
 Romania 16 11 February 2017 Eliminated via points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Russia 21 12 February 2017 Qualified as Europe 1 via mass points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Scotland 9 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Serbia 79 29 October 2016 Eliminated by Bosnia and Herzegovina on 22 April 2017
 Slovenia 67 29 October 2016 Eliminated by Austria on 22 April 2017
 Spain 23 12 February 2017 Eliminated via points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Sweden 58 3 September 2016 Eliminated by Latvia on 29 April 2017
  Switzerland 31 19 November 2016 Eliminated by Netherlands on 18 March 2017
 Turkey NR 5 November 2016 Withdrew from competition on 5 November 2016
 Ukraine 27 24 September 2016 Eliminated by Portugal's victory on 4 March 2017
 Wales 5 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup

Round 1: Rugby Europe Conference 2

Round 1A: North

Advances to Round 1 Final
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Hungary 4 4 0 0 157 30 +127 3 19
2  Denmark 4 3 0 1 161 42 +119 2 14
3  Norway 4 2 0 2 98 109 –11 2 10
4  Finland 4 1 0 3 92 144 –52 2 6
5  Estonia 4 0 0 4 39 222 –183 0 0
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
Offensive Bonus Point is given for 3 more tries than the other team - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points
Matches
1 October 2016
14:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Estonia 5–53 Hungary (1 BP)
Kalevi Keskstaadion, Tallinn
Referee: Georgii Kopp (Russia)
8 October 2016
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Norway 48–31 Finland
Bislett Stadium, Oslo
Referee: Afonso Nogueira (Portugal)
8 October 2016
15:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Hungary 25–13 Denmark
RCH Stadion, Esztergom
Referee: Hrvoje Bartolic (Czech Republic)
22 October 2016
13:00 EEST (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Finland 51–6 Estonia
Myllypuro sports park, Helsinki
Referee: Ramunas Grumbinas (Lithuania)
22 October 2016
16:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Denmark 20–0 Norway
Odense Atletikstadion, Odense
Referee: Daniel Maughan (Germany)
22 April 2017
16:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Denmark 53–5 Finland
Report[1]
Odense Atletikstadion, Odense
Attendance: 450
Referee: Dariusz Reks (Poland)
22 April 2017
15:50 EEST (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Hungary 42–7 Norway
Report[2]
RCH Stadion, Esztergom
Attendance: 500
Referee: Lukasz Jasinski (Poland)
29 April 2017
14:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Estonia 12–75 Denmark (1 BP)
Report[3]
Kalevi Keskstaadion, Tallinn
Attendance: 50
Referee: George Mossford (Finland)
6 May 2017
13:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Finland 5–37 Hungary (1 BP)
Report[4]
Myllypuro sports park, Helsinki
Attendance: 400
Referee: Kevin Sulejmani (Belgium
6 May 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Norway 43–16 Estonia
Report[5]
International School of Stavanger, Stavanger
Attendance: 500
Referee: Rami Aro (Sweden)

Round 1B: South

Advances to Round 1 Final
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 2 0 1 65 54 +11 1 9
2  Austria 3 2 0 1 54 51 +3 0 8
3  Slovenia 3 1 0 2 89 48 +41 2 6
4  Serbia 3 1 0 2 52 107 –55 0 4
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
Offensive Bonus Point is given for 3 more tries than the other team - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points
Matches
8 October 2016
15:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Austria 29–22 Bosnia and Herzegovina (1 BP)
Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna
Referee: Štepán Cekal (Czech Republic)
29 October 2016
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Slovenia 74–13 Serbia
ŽŠD Ljubljana Stadium, Ljubljana
Referee: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
8 April 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Slovenia 15–22 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Report[6]
ŽŠD Ljubljana Stadium, Ljubljana
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Norbert Mátrai (Hungary)
22 April 2017
17:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Austria 13–0 Slovenia
Report[7]
Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna
Attendance: 800
Referee: Pedro Mendes Silva (Portugal)
22 April 2017
15:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 21–10 Serbia
Report[8]
Stadion Kamberovice Polje, Zenica
Attendance: 300
Referee: Csaba Priskin (Hungary)
29 April 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Serbia 29–12 Austria
Report[9]
Rad Stadium, Belgrade
Attendance: 200
Referee: Shota Tevzadze (Georgia)

Round 1 Final

Hungary, as winners, qualify for round 3.

20 May 2017
16:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Hungary 19–17 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Report[10]
Franka Pálya, Esztergom
Attendance: 800
Referee: Andrea Spadoni (Italy)

Round 2: Rugby Europe Conference 1

Round 2A: North

Advances to Conference Final
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Czech Republic 4 4 0 0 158 26 +132 3 19
2  Lithuania 4 3 0 1 93 47 +46 2 14
3  Latvia 4 2 0 2 56 98 –42 2 10
4  Sweden 4 1 0 3 56 124 –68 1 5
5  Luxembourg 4 0 0 4 39 107 –68 1 1
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
Offensive Bonus Point is given for 3 more tries than the other team - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points
Matches
3 September 2016
15:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Sweden 14–56 Czech Republic (1 BP)
Report[11]
Enköpings Rugbyklubb, Enkoping
Attendance: 400
Referee: Maxime Burlet (Belgium)
22 October 2016
15:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Latvia 31–24 Luxembourg (1 BP)
Report[12]
Daugava Stadium, Riga
Attendance: 450
Referee: Tomáš Tuma (Czech Republic)
5 November 2016
15:00 EET (UTC+02)
Lithuania 11–6 Latvia (1 BP)
Report[13]
Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas
Attendance: 500
Referee: Arthur Kaptyukh (Russia)
5 November 2016
16:00 CET (UTC+01)
Luxembourg 0–19 Sweden (1 BP)
Report[14]
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Luca Trentin (Italy)
12 November 2016
14:00 CET (UTC+01)
Czech Republic 15–6 Lithuania
Report[15]
Stadion ragby Císařka, Prague
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Shota Tevzadze (Georgia)
15 April 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Czech Republic 54–3 Latvia
Report[16]
Stadion ragby Císařka, Prague
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Gabriel Chirnoaga (Italy)
22 April 2017
15:00 EEST (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Lithuania 24–12 Luxembourg
Report[17]
Vingis Park Rugby Stadium, Vilnius
Attendance: 450
Referee: Mike Hawkins (Denmark)
29 April 2017
15:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Latvia 16–9 Sweden (1 BP)
Report[18]
Daugava Stadium, Riga
Attendance: 500
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
6 May 2017
15:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Sweden 14–52 Lithuania (1 BP)
Report[19]
Enköpings Rugbyklubb, Enkoping
Attendance: 320
Referee: Killian O'Brien (Germany)
6 May 2017
16:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Luxembourg 3–33 Czech Republic (1 BP)
Report[20]
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)

Round 2B: South

Advances to Conference Final
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Malta 4 3 1 0 147 49 +98 3 17
2  Israel 4 3 0 1 135 100 +35 2 14
3  Croatia 4 2 1 1 106 79 +27 3 13
4  Andorra 4 1 0 3 62 181 –119 0 4
5  Cyprus 4 0 0 4 72 113 –41 2 2
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
Offensive Bonus Point is given for 3 more tries than the other team - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points
Matches
22 October 2016
18:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Andorra 15–63 Malta (1 BP)
Match centre[21]
Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella
Referee: Riccardo Angelucci (Italy)
29 October 2016
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Malta 31–3 Cyprus
Match centre[22]
Hibernians Stadium, Paola
Referee: Ariel Cabral (Israel)
29 October 2016
15:15 CEST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Croatia 47–15 Andorra
Report[23]
Stadion Stari plac, Split
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Ionut Bodea (Romania)
5 November 2016
14:00 IST (UTC+02)
Israel 23–16 Croatia (1 BP)
Report[24]
Wingate Institute, Netanya
Attendance: 1,700
Referee: John Catteau (Belgium)
12 November 2016
14:30 EET (UTC+02)
Cyprus 28–38 Israel (1 BP)
Report[25]
Pafiako Stadium, Paphos
Attendance: 500
Referee: Matéj Rázga (Czech Republic)
11 February 2017
18:00 CET (UTC+01)
Andorra 15–14 Cyprus (1 BP)
Report[26]
Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Philippe Lenne (Belgium)
8 April 2017
14:00 IST (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Israel 57–17 Andorra
Report[27]
Wingate Institute, Netanya
Attendance: 700
Referee: Yann Benoît (Switzerland)
22 April 2017
14:00 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Malta 39–17 Israel
Match centre[28] Report[29]
Hibernians Stadium, Paola
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
29 April 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Croatia 14–14 Malta
Report[30]
Stadion NŠC Stjepan Spajić, Zagreb
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Jorge Molpeceres (Spain)
6 May 2017
15:00 EEST (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Cyprus 27–29 Croatia
Report[31]
Pafiako Stadium, Paphos
Attendance: 500
Referee: Nigel Correll (Ireland)

Round 2 Final

The Czech Republic, as winners, qualify for round 3.

20 May 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Czech Republic 48–14 Malta
Report[32]
Stadion Markéta, Prague
Attendance: 500
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)

Round 3

The Czech Republic, as winners, qualify for the final of round 4.

27 May 2017
14:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Czech Republic 47–19 Hungary
Report[33]
Stadion ragby Císařka, Prague
Attendance: 500
Referee: François Bouzac (France)

Round 4

Round 4A: Rugby Europe Trophy

Advances to Round 4 Final
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Portugal 5 5 0 0 179 37 +142 4 24
2  Netherlands 5 3 0 2 159 94 +65 3 15
3   Switzerland 5 3 0 2 140 122 +18 1 13
4  Poland 5 3 0 2 73 73 0 0 12
5  Moldova 5 1 0 4 100 162 -62 3 7
6  Ukraine 5 0 0 5 52 215 –163 0 0
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
Offensive Bonus Point is given for 3 more tries than the other team - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points
Matches
24 September 2016
19:30 CEST (UTC+02)
Poland 22–0 Ukraine
Report[34]
Arena Lublin, Lublin
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
5 November 2016
14:00 EET (UTC+02)
Ukraine 12–54 Netherlands (1 BP)
Report[35]
Arena Lviv, Lviv
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
12 November 2016
13:00 EET (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Moldova 54–15 Ukraine
Report[36]
Stadionul Central, Bălți
Attendance: 500
Referee: Laurent Cardona (France)
19 November 2016
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Netherlands 44–17 Moldova
Report[37]
NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam
Attendance: 3,215
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
19 November 2016
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
Switzerland 10–28 Portugal
Match centre[38]
Stade Municipal, Yverdon-les-Bains
Attendance: 2,057
Referee: Emanuele Tomo (Italy)
26 November 2016
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
Switzerland 29–26 Moldova (1 BP)
Report[39]
Stade Municipal, Yverdon-les-Bains
Attendance: 1,030
Referee: Frank Himmer (Germany)
18 February 2017
15:00 WET (UTC+00)
(1 BP) Portugal 35–10 Poland
Match centre[40]
CAR Rugby do Jamor, Lisbon
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
4 March 2017
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
Netherlands 10–26 Portugal (1 BP)
Match centre[41]
NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: Giuseppe Vivarini (Italy)
11 March 2017
15:00 WET (UTC+00)
(1 BP) Portugal 59–0 Moldova
Match centre[42]
CAR Rugby do Jamor, Lisbon
Attendance: 1,400
Referee: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
12 March 2017
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Switzerland 54–18 Ukraine
Report[43]
Centre Sportif des Cherpines, Geneva
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania)
18 March 2017
13:00 EET (UTC+02)
Moldova 3–15 Poland
Report[44]
Balti Stadium, Bălți
Attendance: 350
Referee: Alexei Bryzgalin (Russia)
18 March 2017
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
Netherlands 38–25  Switzerland
Report[45]
NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Iñigo Atorrasagasti (Spain)
1 April 2017
14:00 EEST (UTC+03)
Ukraine 7–31 Portugal
Match centre[46]
Spartak Stadium, Odesa
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Vlad Iordăchescu (Romania)
8 April 2017
18:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Poland 14–13 Netherlands (1 BP)
Report[47]
Stadion Widzewa, Łódź
Attendance: 400
Referee: Tual Trainini (France)
22 April 2017
17:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Poland 12–22  Switzerland
Report[48]
Stadion Polonii, Warsaw
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

Round 4 Final

This fixture, unlike previous knock out fixtures, doubles as part of the Rugby Europe Trophy competition. Portugal, as winners, advance to round 6.

18 November 2017
15:00 WET (UTC+0)
Portugal 45–12 Czech Republic
Report[49]
Estádio Nacional, Oeiras
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)

Round 5

Round 5A: Rugby Europe Championship

Table

For the Rugby Europe Championship teams, results are considered on a 2-year aggregate from the 2017 and 2018 seasons (excluding matches involving Georgia, who had already qualified). The winner advanced to the Rugby World Cup and the runner-up advanced to the Round 6 play-off.[50]

Qualified as Europe 1
Advances to Round 6
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Deductions Total
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Russia 8 4 0 4 226 144 +82 4 20
2  Germany 8 2 0 6 149 446 –287 2 10
3  Romania 8 6 0 2 296 126 +170 6 -30 0
4  Spain 8 6 0 2 217 85 +132 2 -40 –14
5  Belgium 8 2 0 6 170 257 –87 3 -30 –19
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
Offensive Bonus Point is given for 3 more tries than the other team - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points

World Rugby received complaints against all five teams of fielding ineligible players, in breach of Regulation 8, during the qualification process. The neutral panel cleared Germany and Russia of the alleged ineligible players, but found Belgium, Romania and Spain guilty of breaching Regulation 8. The panel determined that each nation would be deducted 5 points for each game they had fielded an ineligible player, regardless of if more than one ineligible player had been fielded. The investigation found that Belgium and Romania had fielded ineligible players 6 times (a deduction of 30 points) and Spain 8 times (a deduction of 40 points) during the qualification process. This meant, with the deducted points for the respective nations, Russia would qualify ahead of Romania and Germany would advance to the play-offs ahead of Spain.[51][52] On 29 May 2018, it was confirmed that both Romania and Spain had appealed the decision.[53] On 6 June, the appeal failed and the decision was upheld meaning Russia was confirmed as Europe 1 and qualified for the World Cup, whilst Germany advanced to round 6.[54][55][56][57]

Matches

2017 Matches
11 February 2017
13:15 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Germany 41–38 Romania (1 BP)
Match centre[58]
Sparda Bank Hessen Stadium, Offenbach
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Maxime Chalon (France)
11 February 2017
15:45 CET (UTC+01)
Spain 16–6 Russia
Match centre[59]
Estadio Nacional Complutense, Madrid
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
18 February 2017
14:00 EET (UTC+02)
Romania 13–3 Spain
Report[60]
Stadionul Emil Alexandrescu, Iași
Referee: Elia Rizzo (Italy)
18 February 2017
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Belgium 18–25 Russia
Match centre[61]
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Salem Attalah (France)
4 March 2017
13:00 MSK (UTC+03)
Russia 10–30 Romania (1 BP)
Match centre[62]
Sochi Central Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
4 March 2017
16:15 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Germany 34–29 Belgium (1 BP)
Match centre[63]
Sparda Bank Hessen Stadium, Offenbach
Attendance: 4,126
Referee: Iñigo Atorrasagasti (Spain)
11 March 2017
13:00 CET (UTC+01)
Germany 15–32 Spain
Match centre[64]
Sportpark Höhenberg, Cologne
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
11 March 2017
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
Belgium 17–33 Romania (1 BP)
Match centre[65]
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Claudio Blessano (Italy)
18 March 2017
15:00 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Spain 30–0 Belgium
Match centre[66]
Estadio Nacional Complutense, Madrid
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Vlad Iordăchescu (Romania)
19 March 2017
14:00 MSK (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Russia 52–25 Germany
Match centre[67]
Sochi Central Stadium, Sochi
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Cédric Marchat (France)

As the bottom-placed team in the 2017 Championship, Belgium faced the 2016/17 Trophy champions Portugal in a promotion/relegation play-off. While the game did not effect Portugal's World Cup qualification chances, as they were still to compete in the round 4 final at the time, Belgium were competing to stay in the European Championship and therefore the qualifying tournament.[68] On 20 May 2017, Belgium defeated Portugal to remain in contention.

20 May 2017
16:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Belgium 29–18 Portugal
Match centre[69]
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
Attendance: 1,820
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
2018 Matches
10 February 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Russia 13–20 Spain
Report[70]
Kuban Stadium, Krasnodar
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
10 February 2018
16:00 EET (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Romania 85–6 Germany
Report[71]
Cluj Arena, Cluj
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Maxime Burlet (Belgium)
17 February 2018
15:00 MSK (UTC+03)
(1 BP) Russia 48–7 Belgium
Report[72]
Kuban Stadium, Krasnodar
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Iñigo Atorrasagasti (Spain)
18 February 2018
12:45 CET (UTC+01)
Spain 22–10 Romania
Report[73]
Estadio Nacional Complutense, Madrid
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)
3 March 2018
16:00 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Belgium 69–15 Germany
Report[74]
King Baudouin Stadium – Annex 2, Brussels
Attendance: 1,600
Referee: Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
3 March 2018
16:00 EET (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Romania 25–15 Russia
Report[75]
Cluj Arena, Cluj
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
10 March 2018
13:00 EET (UTC+02)
(1 BP) Romania 62–12 Belgium
Report[76]
Stadionul Municipal, Buzau
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
11 March 2018
12:30 CET (UTC+01)
(1 BP) Spain 84–10 Germany
Report[77]
Estadio Nacional Complutense, Madrid
Attendance: 15,753
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
18 March 2018
13:00 CET (UTC+01)
Germany 3–57 Russia (1 BP)
Report[78]
Sportpark Höhenberg, Köln
Attendance: 2,600
Referee: Ian Tempest (England)
18 March 2018
13:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Belgium 18–10 Spain
Report[79]
King Baudouin Stadium – Annex 2, Brussels
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Vlad Iordăchescu (Romania)

Round 6: Final play-off

Germany, as winners, advance to the Europe/Oceania play-off.

16 June 2018
15:00 CEST (UTC+02)
Germany 16–13 Portugal
Try: Els 51' c
Con: Parkinson (1/1) 53'
Pen: Parkinson (3/3) 6', 64', 72'		ReportTry: Villax 48' c
Con: Rodrigues (1/1) 49'
Pen: Rodrigues (2/2) 24', 29'
Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark, Heidelberg
Attendance: 2,700
Referee: Tom Foley (England)
Team details
FB 15 Pierre Mathurin downward-facing red arrow 40'
RW 14 Marcel Coetzee
OC 13 Mathieu Ducau
IC 12 Raynor Parkinson downward-facing red arrow 75'
LW 11 Maxime Oltmann
FH 10 Hagen Schulte downward-facing red arrow 50'
SH 9 Sean Armstrong
N8 8 Jarrid Els downward-facing red arrow 70'
OF 7 Jaco Otto
BF 6 Ayron Schramm
RL 5 Sebastian Ferreira
LL 4 Eric Marks
TP 3 Samy Füchsel downward-facing red arrow 52'
HK 2 Mika Tyumenev downward-facing red arrow 47'
LP 1 Julius Nostadt (c) downward-facing red arrow 68'
Replacements:
HK 16 Mark Fairhurst upward-facing green arrow 47'
PR 17 Anthony Dickinson upward-facing green arrow 68'
PR 18 Jörn Schröder upward-facing green arrow 52'
LK 19 Marcel Henn upward-facing green arrow 70'
LK 20 Timo Vollenkemper upward-facing green arrow 19'
SH 21 Tim Menzel upward-facing green arrow 74'
FB 22 Nikolai Klewinghaus upward-facing green arrow 40'
FH 23 Chris Hilsenback upward-facing green arrow 50'
Coach:
Uruguay Pablo Lemoine
FB 15 Nuno Sousa Guedes
RW 14 Tomás Appleton
OC 13 Rodrigo Fruedenthal
IC 12 Vasco Ribeiro
LW 11 Adérito Esteves
FH 10 José Rodrigues
SH 9 Manuel Queirós
N8 8 Jacques le Roux downward-facing red arrow 75'
OF 7 Sebastião Villax
BF 6 Salvador Vassalo Santos (c)
RL 5 Gonçalo Uva downward-facing red arrow 59'
LL 4 Jean Sousa
TP 3 Bruno Rocha downward-facing red arrow 53'
HK 2 Duarte Diniz
LP 1 Francisco Fernandes downward-facing red arrow 53'
Replacements:
PR 16 Bruno Medeiros upward-facing green arrow 53'
HK 17 Nuno Mascarenhas
LK 18 Geordie McSullea upward-facing green arrow 59'
N8 19 Francisco Sousa upward-facing green arrow 75'
SH 20 Francisco Vieira
CE 21 Manuel Vilela Pereira
FB 22 Andreu Cyrille
PR 23 João Taveira upward-facing green arrow 53'
Coach:
Portugal Martim Aguiar

Touch judges:
Ian Tempest (England)
Christophe Ridley (England)

Notes:

  • Mark Fairhurst (Germany) and Jean Sousa and João Taveira (both Portugal) made their international debuts.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Game Sheet Denmark vs Finland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  2. ^ "Game Sheet Hungary vs Norway" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  3. ^ "Game Sheet Estonia vs Denmark" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  4. ^ "Game Sheet Finland vs Hungary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  5. ^ "Game Sheet Norway vs Estonia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  6. ^ "Slovenia-B&H" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  7. ^ "Austria-Slovenia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  8. ^ "B&H-Serbia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  9. ^ "Serbia-Austria" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  10. ^ "Rd1 Final report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  11. ^ "Sweden-Czech Republic" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  12. ^ "Latvia-Luxembourg" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  13. ^ "Lithuania-Latvia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  14. ^ "Luxembourg-Sweden" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  15. ^ "Czech Republic-Lithuania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  16. ^ "Czech Republic-Latvia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-16. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  17. ^ "Game Sheet Lithuania vs Luxembourg" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  18. ^ Latvia-Sweden[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Sweden-Lithuania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  20. ^ "Luxembourg-Czech Republic" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  21. ^ "Andorra v Malta". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Malta v Cyprus". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Croatia-Andorra" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  24. ^ "Israel-Croatia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  25. ^ "Cyprus-Israel" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  26. ^ "Andorra-Cyprus" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  27. ^ "Israel-Andorra" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  28. ^ "Malta v Israel". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  29. ^ "Game Sheet Malta vs Israel" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  30. ^ "Croatia-Malta" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  31. ^ "Cyprus-Croatia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  32. ^ "Rd2 Final" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  33. ^ "Round 3 Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  34. ^ "Poland-Ukraine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  35. ^ "Ukraine-Netherlands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  36. ^ "Moldova-Ukraine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  37. ^ "Netherlands-Moldova" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  38. ^ "Switzerland v Portugal". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  39. ^ "Switzerland-Moldova" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  40. ^ "Portugal v Poland". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  41. ^ "Netherlands v Portugal". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  42. ^ "Portugal v Moldova". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  43. ^ "Switzerland-Ukraine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  44. ^ "Moldova-Poland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  45. ^ "Netherlands-Switzerland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  46. ^ "Ukraine v Portugal". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  47. ^ "Poland-Netherlands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-10. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  48. ^ "Poland-Switzerland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  49. ^ "Game Sheet Portugal vs Czech Republic" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-04. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  50. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  51. ^ "World Rugby statement regarding the independent disputes committee's decision". Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  52. ^ "MEDIA RELEASE - RWC-2019-QUALIFICATION-DISPUTE-JUDGMENT". Archived from the original on 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  53. ^ Disciplinary update: Romania and Spain to appeal disputes committee outcomes
  54. ^ Independent Appeal Committee decision regarding Romania and Spain
  55. ^ "Judicial Committee judgement" (PDF). Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  56. ^ Appeal committee decision
  57. ^ "FINAL RANKING RUGBY WORLD CUP 2019 QUALIFIERS | Rugby Europe". Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  58. ^ "Germany v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  59. ^ "Spain v Russia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  60. ^ "Romania-Spain" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  61. ^ "Belgium v Russia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  62. ^ "Russia v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  63. ^ "Germany v Belgium". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  64. ^ "Germany v Spain". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  65. ^ "Belgium v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  66. ^ "Spain v Belgium". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  67. ^ "Russia v Germany". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  68. ^ Rugby RU. "Qualification process Europe". Rugby.ru. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  69. ^ "Belgium v Portugal". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  70. ^ REIC RUSvESP Game Sheet
  71. ^ REIC ROUvGER Game Sheet
  72. ^ Game Sheet Russia vs Belgium
  73. ^ Game Sheet Spain vs Romania
  74. ^ Game Sheet Belgium vs Germany
  75. ^ Game Sheet Russia vs Romania
  76. ^ Game Sheet Romania vs Belgium
  77. ^ Game Sheet Spain vs Germany
  78. ^ Game Sheet Germany vs Russia
  79. ^ Game Sheet Belgium vs Spain

External links

  • "Regional qualification process set for Rugby World Cup 2019" (World Rugby)