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LONDON (AFP) –
France’s rugby union national team’s lock Julien Pierre grabs the ball during a training session in Paris. England, Wales and Australia have been drawn together in a potential ‘group of death’ for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
England, Wales and Australia were all drawn together in a potential ‘group of death’ when the draw for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England was made on Monday.
The trio all found themselves in Pool A at a draw conducted at London’s Tate Modern gallery.
This means one of the sport’s traditional powers will be knocked out before the quarter-finals, with only the top two teams from each of the four pools going through to the knockout stages.
Wales were beaten 14-12 by Australia, twice the world champions, in Cardiff on Saturday — their eighth straight defeat by the Wallabies.
England are currently in confident mood after their 38-21 victory over reigning world champions New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
The All Blacks, who’ve never lost a pool match, were drawn in a Pool C with Argentina, Tonga and two as yet unqualified teams in Europe 1 and Africa 1.
South Africa, winners on home soil in 1995, were in Pool B with Samoa, Scotland, Asia 1 and Americas 2.
France, beaten finalists in New Zealand last year, were in a Pool D with a strong Six Nations bias as it also included major European rivals Ireland and Italy as well as Americas 1 and Europe 2.
The eight remaining teams will come from a series of global qualifying matches that started in Mexico in March and will culminate in 2014.
The 2015 World Cup in England, the eighth edition of the tournament, will run from September 18 to October 31, 2015, with the final at Twickenham.
Full draw
Pool A – Australia, England, Wales, Oceania 1, Repechage winner
Pool B – South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Asia 1, Americas 2
Pool C – New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Europe 1, Africa 1
Pool D – France, Ireland, Italy, Americas 1, Europe 2
