WC Pool Schedule announced

[fivepointer]

This looks absolutely ideal for us.....

England’s schedule for the 2019 Rugby World Cup has been announced with fixtures taking place in Sapporo, Kobe, Tokyo and Yokohama.

Eddie Jones’ side will open their Rugby World Cup campaign against Tonga on Sunday 22 September at Sapporo Dome (19:45).

Their second Pool C game will be against USA at Kobe Misaki Stadium on Thursday 26 September (19:45).

England will then play Argentina on 5 October at Tokyo Stadium (17:00), before ending the group stages against France on 12 October at International Stadium Yokohama (17:15).

[Digby]

France up last doesn't sound ideal

[Puja]

Yeah, I agree with Digby. Would rather not have our two big games at the end. Would've preferred USA at the end to give us a rest week before the quarters.

Still, it is what it is and we'll need to deal with it.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

I agree with Puja. The sequence of fixtures gives us an opportunity to build some momentum/form before we reach the bigger games in the group, but it doesn’t really give us much opportunity for rotation/resting players.

[fivepointer]

I see it differently. Start with our 2 easiest opponents, allowing some rotation, then we have a nice break before Argentina and France when we need to be going full bore in readiness for the QF.

[Raggs]

Short turnaround in the first two. Dirt trackers, then 1sts all the way through.

[Digby]

Supposing we and NZ progress they'll go something like Italy, Scotland and then us, and we'll go France, Oz/Wales and then NZ.

Battle hardened or knackered? Probably a bit of both

[Scrumhead]

I’d probably go fo a bit of mix and match so that our first choice players aren’t going in to the Argentina game cold.

It might be worth looking at units and thinking that we’ll give our first choice front 5 and half backs a run out in one game and our first choice back row and back three a run out in the next one. That way, we spread the risk but we get key combinations ready to go.

I guess this underlined the whole point of Eddie wanting the best possible squad. In an ideal world, we don’t have ‘dirt trackers’ and all 31 players picked are first XV contenders. Obviously a lot depends on injuries/fitness and form, but there’s not much of a drop off from ‘Krutoje’ to Lauch and Lawes for example.

[Scrumhead]

I also just realised that the kick-off times are Japanese time which means they’re at silly o’clock for us!

If my maths is correct it’s:

Tonga - 4.45am on a Monday
USA - 4.45am on a Friday
Argentina - 2am on a Saturday
France - 2.15am on a Saturday

That pretty much kills any atmosphere around watching the tournament live in the UK!

[Raggs]

Daylight savings make any difference to that? 5.45am is a lot more comfortable than 4.45am.

[Danno]

Possibly as JP does not observe DST

Edit: yes, so the 5.45am matches are all ours and Arg/Fra don't start until 3am. However, DST will end on 28 Oct, making one semi final, the final and the third place match very late nights (or early mornings) indeed

[Mellsblue]

Looks ok to me. First choice against Tonga, second team against USA and then full bore until ultimate glory.

[Scrumhead]

Possibly as JP does not observe DST

Edit: yes, so the 5.45am matches are all ours and Arg/Fra don't start until 3am. However, DST will end on 28 Oct, making one semi final, the final and the third place match very late nights (or early mornings) indeed

Regardless, I don’t think the times allow for much of a social element ... I like a beer or two but not usually at 5.45am.

[Mellsblue]

Champagne breakfast when we win. Could be worse.

[Fungineer]

Surely these times are all wrong? Japan is 8 hours ahead in September/early October so a 7.45pm kickoff is 11.45am in the morning in the UK (Thursday and Sunday games) and the 5pm kickoffs are 9am (Saturday) so not that different to Lions games?

All times quite reasonable given the days of the week concerned.

I think you were calculating by adding 10 hours rather than subtracting 8 hours!

[fivepointer]

Good spot. Japan is 8 hours ahead of the UK, so its currently almost 4am there.

[Fungineer]

Actually, I think Japan is currently 9 hours ahead (GMT) but only 8 hours ahead during BST. Either way, I think most times and days of the week will be favourable to us; three weekend days all starting at 9am or after and the Thursday game starts at 11.45am which could conceivably be watched during an extended lunchbreak if you have to be at work.

[Scrumhead]

Haha. Ignore me then!

[Puja]

Good catch fungineer and welcome to the board. I was thinking it was unusual that they'd alienate the time-zone where most of the money comes from, so that explanation makes a lot more sense.

I'm still a little bit concerned about our potential run of big games. If Argentina do as rumoured and allow the selection of overseas stars for the RWC, then they'll be a very different proposition to the shower of sh*te that's turning out at the moment. If we plan on winning this, then we'd need five big consecutive games in five weeks - not impossible, but I still wouldn't've minded having that broken up with one of the minnows so we could recuperate.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Good catch fungineer and welcome to the board.

Puja

Welcome indeed; but, as mod, would you have a word about his liberal use of facts.

[Digby]

Good catch fungineer and welcome to the board.

Puja

Welcome indeed; but, as mod, would you have a word about his liberal use of facts.

So licentious one almost expects he/she is an MP

[Mellsblue]

Jones on the schedule: “If you wanted to set it up, that’s how you would want it”. Which, I would imagine, should be taken with the usual pinch of salt.
On the short turnaround between Tonga and the US: “We will replicate that in the Six Nations. We will get good at physiological and physical part of it”.

[Puja]

Jones on the schedule: “If you wanted to set it up, that’s how you would want it”. Which, I would imagine, should be taken with the usual pinch of salt.
On the short turnaround between Tonga and the US: “We will replicate that in the Six Nations. We will get good at physiological and physical part of it”.

I am willing to bet that soundbite was written before the schedule was released and would have been said no matter what order we played people in.

The short turnaround is exacerbated by the two locations being 1,000 miles apart. Hell of a commute. Might be worthwhile splitting the squad and having the team to play USA travel there early.

Puja

[Digby]

Jones wants to put England in a central base and commute from there for all games. Basically he's picking a fight with the IRB