The 2027 Rugby World Cup will not kick off with the trans-Tasman clash between the Wallabies and All Blacks as had been hoped.
Following the pool stage draw in December, many were expecting the match between the hosts and New Zealand to provide a blockbuster opening to the tournament, but Australia will instead take on Hong Kong China in Perth on October 1.
The All Blacks then begin their campaign a day later when they face Chile – also at Perth Stadium – on Saturday, October 2.
France and England, two more of the top nations, also open up on that Saturday, taking the later slots for their matches against the USA and Tonga respectively, with the latter hopefully proving to be one of the more intriguing pool games.
However, the most important encounters in the opening round of fixtures sees Japan face Samoa and the Springboks taking on Italy, which will have a bearing on both qualification and how the tournament plays out.
The second round kicks off on Friday, October 8 with Wales and Tonga going head-to-head, which may well decide who moves into the knockout stages of the World Cup, before the most eagerly anticipated contest takes place.
Biggest match of the RWC pool stage
On Saturday, October 9 at 17:10 local time, the Wallabies and the All Blacks face-off in a match which could have huge ramifications for the tournament going forward.
That weekend also has Ireland and Scotland clashing in Perth on the Sunday, but overall, the fixture reveal hints at a pool stage that will not be the most intriguing.
While those encounters will be thrilling to watch, there is little jeopardy in them, certainly from a qualification standpoint, with the big nations effectively guaranteed to get out of their group.
Of course, that trans-Tasman battle will likely determine whether the All Blacks meet the Springboks in the quarter-finals, but the real excitement will only start when the round-of-16 comes along.
Even the final weekend may not have too much riding on it, with England v Wales and Argentina v Fiji the standout fixtures, as the pool stage primarily sees the giants taking on the minnows, which will likely be one-sided affairs.
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Tier two stories
The most heartwarming stories will come from the tier two sides, with the aforementioned Hong Kong China making their World Cup debut. They are the only team to be doing so, but there are a couple of nations returning after a long time out in the form of Zimbabwe and Spain.
The former appeared in the first two editions in the global tournament but haven’t been seen since while the latter’s only World Cup was in 1999.
Chile, who debuted in 2023, follow the Spanish in appearing for a second time, and no doubt there will be some great moments from those sides, but they will be fewer given the truncated nature of the group stage.
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The format appears designed to make sure the top dogs get into the knockout rounds, with Scotland, for example, not suffering the frustration they endured in 2019 and 2023 by failing to make it through. If they did, with Portugal and Uruguay in their pool, it would be the ultimate embarrassment.
Just under two years out from the start of the tournament, most of the qualifiers therefore appear decided, but Pool E does at least have the capability of exciting. France should go through as group winners but, with Japan, Samoa and USA the other nations alongside them, it will be a ding-dong battle to see who joins them.
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