{"id":289796,"date":"2023-09-06T19:19:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=289796"},"modified":"2023-09-06T19:19:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:19:17","slug":"how-deep-is-your-pool-the-only-rugby-world-cup-guide-youll-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/how-deep-is-your-pool-the-only-rugby-world-cup-guide-youll-need\/","title":{"rendered":"How deep is your pool? The only Rugby World Cup guide you\u2019ll need"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Iain Payten<\/span> and Jonathan Drennan<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Webb Ellis Cup is up for grabs for a 10th time.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n

Save articles for later<\/h3>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

The Rugby World Cup was once a predictable affair, where the same big teams would cruise past the minnows in the pool stages before the serious business began in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

There have been upsets over the decades, of course, and even some shock qualifiers for the play-offs.<\/p>\n

But this year, the Rugby World Cup shapes as the most open tournament ever, with eligibility changes and experience in top-level domestic competitions lifting the quality of several teams, notably from the Pacific Islands. Celtic nations like Ireland and Scotland are ascendant, and at the same time, historic heavyweights like England, Australia and Wales are struggling after 11th-hour coach changes.<\/p>\n

So who\u2019s who in the zoo? And how will each pool pan out? Let\u2019s take a look at all the groups … and make some fearless predictions.<\/p>\n

Pool A<\/strong><\/h3>\n