World Rugby is set to extend plans to use televised match official ‘bunker’ technology at next month’s World Cup, despite fears it was damaged by the controversy sparked by Owen Farrell’s red card against Wales.

Farrell was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Wales back-row Taine Basham as a result of the bunker review system being tested during the World Cup warm-up. Farrell was initially shown a yellow card, but TV match official Brian MacNeice later referred the incident to the bunker and escalated it to a red card.

The controversial decision by the Independent Disciplinary Board to reinstate the yellow card has not only sparked outrage, but has also left national head coaches privately concerned about the potential implications of the bunkering process if it is used at the World Cup.

World Rugby has yet to officially confirm it will be used during the tournament in France, but it is understood the decision to appeal the downgrading of Farrell’s red card is in part a show of their support for both the officials and the bunker process.

When is the Rugby World Cup?

The tournament kicks off on Friday, September 8, with France playing New Zealand. The final will be played on Saturday, October 28.

South Africa became the host of the last tournament in 2019. In Japan, they were the winners when they beat England in the final, and this year they will be among the favorites again. New Zealand, as always, will be the team to beat, especially after their dominant performance in the Rugby Championship.

But a strong European challenge is expected, particularly from France and Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland, who are yet to advance to the World Cup but beat England in their warm-up game.

Where is it?

in 2023 The Rugby World Cup will be played in France, in nine stadiums in nine cities. The final will be played at Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Paris).

• Stade de France (capacity 80,698) – Saint-Denis (Paris)
• Stade Velodrome (67,394) – Marseille
• Lyon Olympic Park (59,186) – Lyon
• Pierre-Mauroy Stadium (50,186) – Lily
• New Stade de Bordeaux (42,115) – Bordeaux
• Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium (41,965) – Saint Etienne
• Allianz Riviera (35,624) – Great
• Stade de la Beaujoire (35,322) – Nantes
• Municipal stadium (33,150) – Toulouse

How to watch the Rugby World Cup?

ITV has exclusive broadcasting rights in the UK. We will inform you about the specific channels for each match of the tournament when they are announced by the broadcaster.

Radio commentary for each match will be available exclusively on the BBC, via Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds service. The BBC says there will be a “commissioned production” in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Amazon Prime will broadcast England’s first three World Cup qualifiers in August, as well as nine other warm-up matches featuring other Six Nations teams.

England’s next qualifier is August 19. will be with Ireland. The final game before the trip to France, against Fiji at Twickenham next weekend, will also be on Amazon Prime.

The US tournament is broadcast on NBC Sports. In South Africa it is SuperSport.

Who is playing?

A total of 20 teams qualified for the Rugby World Cup. These teams were divided into four pools of five, with one team in each of the five “groups”.

The first group featured the four highest-ranked teams since 2019. the draw for the tournament (South Africa, New Zealand, England, Wales) was made. The second group consisted of the four highest-ranked teams (Ireland, Australia, France, Japan), and the third group consisted of four (Scotland, Argentina, Fiji, Italy).

Each side in the first three groups automatically qualified for the tournament based on their world ranking, while the other two groups were made up of countries that qualified for the tournament through qualification (Samoa, Georgia, Uruguay, Tonga, Namibia, Romania, Chile, Portugal).

Who is in what pool?

Pool A
New Zealand
France
Italy
Uruguay
Namibia

Pool B
South Africa
Ireland
Scotland
Tonga
Romania

Pool C
Wales
Australia
Fiji
Georgia
Portugal

Pool D
England
Japan
Argentina
Samoa
Chile

All of 2023 rugby world cup tournament and schedule