2019 Rugby World Cup – Europe qualification

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 and bold nations denotes teams have previously played in a Rugby World Cup.

NationRankBegan playQualifying status
 Andorra6222 October 2016Eliminated by Malta on 11 February 2017
 Austria878 October 2016Eliminated by Serbia on 29 April 2017
 Belgium2418 February 2017Eliminated via points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Bosnia and Herzegovina748 October 2016Eliminated by Hungary on 20 May 2017
 Croatia5429 October 2016Eliminated by Malta on 29 April 2017
 CyprusNR29 October 2016Eliminated by Andorra on 11 February 2017
 Czech Republic333 September 2016Eliminated by Portugal on 18 November 2017
 Denmark888 October 2016Eliminated by Hungary's victory on 6 May 2017
 England2N/AQualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 EstoniaNR1 October 2016Eliminated by Hungary's victory on 22 April 2017
 Finland978 October 2016Eliminated by Denmark on 22 April 2017
 France8N/AQualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Georgia11N/AQualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Germany2611 February 2017Advances to Europe/Oceania play-off
 Hungary821 October 2016Eliminated by Czech Republic in 27 April 2017
 Ireland6N/AQualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Israel635 November 2016Eliminated by Malta on 22 April 2017
 Italy13N/AQualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Latvia5122 October 2016Eliminated by Czech Republic on 15 April 2017
 Lithuania465 November 2016Eliminated by Czech Republic's victory on 6 May 2017
 Luxembourg5922 October 2016Eliminated by Czech Republic's victory on 15 April 2017
 Malta4922 October 2016Eliminated by Czech Republic on 20 May 2017
 Moldova3212 November 2016Eliminated by Portugal on 11 March 2017
 Netherlands345 November 2016Eliminated by Portugal's victory on 1 April 2017
 Norway908 October 2016Eliminated by Hungary on 22 April 2017
 Poland3724 September 2016Eliminated by Portugal on 18 March 2017
 Portugal3019 November 2016Eliminated by Germany on 16 June 2018
 Romania1611 February 2017Eliminated via points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Russia2112 February 2017Qualified via mass points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Scotland9N/AQualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Serbia7929 October 2016Eliminated by Bosnia and Herzegovina on 22 April 2017
 Slovenia6729 October 2016Eliminated by Austria on 22 April 2017
 Spain2312 February 2017Eliminated via points deduction on 15 May 2018
 Sweden583 September 2016Eliminated by Latvia on 29 April 2017
  Switzerland3119 November 2016Eliminated by Netherlands on 18 March 2017
 TurkeyNR5 November 2016Withdrew from competition on 5 November 2016
 Ukraine2724 September 2016Eliminated by Portugal's victory on 4 March 2017
 Wales5N/AQualified 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 Hungary440015730+127319
2 Denmark430116142+119214
3 Norway420298109–11210
4 Finland410392144–5226
5 Estonia400439222–18300
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

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 Herzegovina32016554+1119
2 Austria32015451+308
3 Slovenia31028948+4126
4 Serbia310252107–5504
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

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 Republic440015826+132319
2 Lithuania43019347+46214
3 Latvia42025698–42210
4 Sweden410356124–6815
5 Luxembourg400439107–6811
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

Round 2B: South
Advances to Conference Final
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points		 Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1 Malta431014749+98317
2 Israel4301135100+35214
3 Croatia421110679+27313
4 Andorra410362181–11904
5 Cyprus400472113–4122
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

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 Portugal550017937+142424
2 Netherlands530215994+65315
3  Switzerland5302140122+18113
4 Poland530273730012
5 Moldova5104100162-6237
6 Ukraine500552215–16300
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

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: Christopher Ridley (England)

Round 5

Round 5A: Rugby Europe Trophy

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 Russia8404226144+82420
2 Germany8206149446–287210
3 Romania8602296126+1706-30 0
4 Spain860221785+1322-40–14
5 Belgium8206170257–873-30–19
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

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'
 Report Try: 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)

See also

References
  1. Game Sheet Denmark vs Finland
  2. Game Sheet Hungary vs Norway
  3. Game Sheet Estonia vs Denmark
  4. Game Sheet Finland vs Hungary
  5. Game Sheet Norway vs Estonia
  6. Slovenia-B&H
  7. Austria-Slovenia
  8. B&H-Serbia
  9. Serbia-Austria
  10. Rd1 Final report
  11. Sweden-Czech Republic
  12. Latvia-Luxembourg
  13. Lithuania-Latvia
  14. Luxembourg-Sweden
  15. Czech Republic-Lithuania
  16. Czech Republic-Latvia
  17. Game Sheet Lithuania vs Luxembourg
  18. Latvia-Sweden
  19. Sweden-Lithuania
  20. Luxembourg-Czech Republic
  21. "Andorra v Malta". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  22. "Malta v Cyprus". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
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  24. Israel-Croatia
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  26. Andorra-Cyprus
  27. Israel-Andorra
  28. "Malta v Israel". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  29. Game Sheet Malta vs Israel
  30. Croatia-Malta
  31. Cyprus-Croatia
  32. Rd2 Final
  33. Round 3 Report
  34. Poland-Ukraine
  35. Ukraine-Netherlands
  36. Moldova-Ukraine
  37. Netherlands-Moldova
  38. "Switzerland v Portugal". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  39. Switzerland-Moldova
  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.
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  44. Moldova-Poland
  45. Netherlands-Switzerland
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  47. Poland-Netherlands
  48. Poland-Switzerland
  49. Game Sheet Portugal vs Czech Republic
  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 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  52. MEDIA RELEASE - RWC-2019-QUALIFICATION-DISPUTE-JUDGMENT
  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. https://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/worldrugby/document/2018/06/06/1a671241-08fe-4060-bfb9-3696cfe3cff0/180606-Appeal-Committee-Decision-RWC-2019-Qualifier-Dispute-FINAL-.pdf
  57. https://www.rugbyeurope.eu/final-ranking-rugby-world-cup-2019-qualifiers
  58. "Germany v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  59. "Spain v Russia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  60. Romania-Spain
  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
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