The quarter-final picture

The quarter-final picture

Quarter finals

Date - WST Time/Result/Venue

QF1 06 Oct - 21:00 Australia - England, Marseille (Winner v Winner QF2)

QF2 07 Oct - 03:00 New Zealand - France, Cardiff (Winner v Winner QF1)

QF3 07 Oct - 21:00 South Africa - Fiji, Marseille (Winner v Winner QF4)

QF4 08 Oct - 03:00 Argentina - Scotland, Saint-Denis (Winner v Winner QF3)

(Rugby News Service) Sunday 30 September 2007
By Karen Bond, PARIS, 30 September -

Only eight teams remain in the hunt to lift the Webb Ellis Cup after the quarter-final line-up for the IRB Rugby World Cup was confirmed on Sunday.

Former champions South Africa, Australia and New Zealand were already confirmed as the winners of Pool A, B and C with one match remaining.

Australia, the only nation to have won the world cup twice, will play Pool A runners-up England in the first quarter-final at Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Saturday, 6 October at 15:00 CET after they beat Tonga 36-20 in Paris.

South Africa, the champions on home soil in 1995, will be on unfamiliar territory in their quarter-final in Marseille a day later as they have never faced Pool B runners-up Fiji in a world cup match before.

The only quarter-final taking place outside of France will feature New Zealand, who have always reached at least the semi-finals of every world cup, against Pool D runners-up France at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 6 October.

France had been expecting to win their pool, but were on the back foot after losing to Argentina in the tournament's opening match and despite winning their next three matches they missed out on the luxury of a quarter-final on home soil.

The last quarter-final takes place at Stade de France in Saint-Denis where Pool D winners Argentina come face to face with Scotland, the runners-up in Pool C, at 21:00 CET on 7 September.

Argentina, unbeaten at RWC 2007, face Scotland for the first time in world cup history after they avenged their 37-17 loss to Italy in the Six Nations with a 18-16 victory in Saint-Etienne on Saturday to preserve their record of always reaching the last eight.

Tonga, Wales and Italy may have missed out on the quarter-finals, but they can at least take some in comfort in that, along with Ireland, they have secured automatic qualification for the IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand by finishing third in their pools.

Looks like there's some late nights / early mornings coming up!!
I love rugby :D

you speak truth

are those times perth time or le france times



south africa struggled against tonga because they were to slow at the breakdown, if they play the same fiji will punish them.

Nope they'd be french...so add 6hrs

add 6 or take 18??

I prefer less maths...they're 6 hours behind us

Have converted original message now to WST...I think :S
From the Quarters on all matches are at 0300 WST :(

3am thats great just go to bed earlier and get up and watch before work.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Burgs

Have converted original message now to WST...I think :S
From the Quarters on all matches are at 0300 WST :(

---

YEAH and you'll be even more please to know the grand final is on at 3am as well :verysad:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Burgs

The quarter-final picture


QF1 06 Oct - 21:00 Australia - England, Marseille (Winner v Winner QF2)

QF2 07 Oct - 03:00 New Zealand - France, Cardiff (Winner v Winner QF1)

QF3 07 Oct - 21:00 South Africa - Fiji, Marseille (Winner v Winner QF4)

QF4 08 Oct - 03:00 Argentina - Scotland, Saint-Denis (Winner v Winner QF3)

---

so are these times WST or French time??

the whole thing would be easier if they staged the games at Perth times instead of local times

They're the Perth times Jargan :D Burgs updated them

Quarter masters: last eight that have shaken up the world

Rupert Guinness in Marseilles | October 2, 2007

And then there were eight … but what an eight it is that have fought their way into this weekend's World Cup quarter-finals.

After the group stage provided this sixth edition of the tournament with some of the most thrilling action since its 1987 debut in New Zealand, it was hard to find anyone backing the International Rugby Board proposal to cut the participants from 20 teams to 16.

And it was fitting that it took until Sunday and the second last of the 40 group games for the quarter-finals line-up to be determined. When Argentina beat Ireland 30-15 at the Parc des Princes, not only was the hosts' survival secured but the prospect of the first South American World Cup winner was also kept alive.

Also confirmed was the elimination of another sorry Six Nations outfit in Ireland, whose exit followed hot on the heels of Wales' departure at the hands of South Pacific dazzlers Fiji.

The net return as the World Cup surges into the knockout rounds? A last eight featuring five southern hemisphere teams - Australia, South Africa, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina. Represented are Africa, the Pacific Islands, South America, Australasia, and Europe - giving the event the world image it needs.

And it all begins at Marseilles on Saturday, when two-time winners Australia meet defending champions England in a replay of the 2003 World Cup final at Stade Velodrome. That is followed by a mouthwatering clash between favourites and 1987 winners New Zealand and hosts France, losing finalists to the Wallabies in 1999.

Then, on Sunday, Marseilles hosts the battle between 1995 champions South Africa and Fiji before the action returns to Paris, where the Pumas face Scotland, who only just scraped through with an 18-16 win over Italy.

French coach Bernard Laporte may have been looking a little stressed after watching Argentina qualify as winners of the "group of death" courtesy of their victories over Ireland and the hosts.

You couldn't blame him. After his second-string French side finished their group campaign with a 64-7 win over Georgia at Marseilles, the size of the challenge that awaits Les Bleus was written on his face.

But then, a quarter-final against the mighty All Blacks is preferable than the public condemnation that awaited Laporte had France been eliminated from "their" World Cup, as would have been the case had they not beaten Ireland.

When asked on television for his first thoughts about having to play New Zealand at Cardiff, Laporte's response indicated they are human beings and not invincible monsters: "I don't call them the Blacks. We call them New Zealand. They are New Zealanders first."

Laporte praised Argentina for taking top spot in group D, confirming their opening-day win over the French was not a fluke. "Argentina did what they had to. They beat us in the pool. They beat Ireland in the pool. They are the strongest in the pool," he said.

As for France's chances against the Kiwis? Laporte was unable to hide his disappointment that his side had not secured a home match against Scotland. "Of course we would have preferred to finish first and play our quarter-final at Paris," he said.

But the French coach is not waving the white flag. "It's a big team," he said when asked if he knew how to beat the All Blacks. "But there is always a way. We will have a card to play."

Cheers Jehna, doesnt help wen i only discosver the thread half way thru it and every one shouting about time zones etc :s Cheers to Burgs for updating them