2019 Rugby World Cup – Africa qualification

Qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup for Africa Rugby will begin in June 2016, where across 3 years, 14 teams will compete for one direct qualification spot into the final tournament, and one spot in the Repechage tournament.

Format

The Africa Cup, controlled by Rugby Africa (CAR), will be the regional qualification tournament for Rugby World Cup 2019.

The first qualifying round will be the 2016 1B and 1C Divisions. The winner of Division 1C will be promoted to 1B and the second round of qualifying, while the team placed bottom in 1B will be relegated and eliminated from Rugby World Cup contention. Similarly, 2017 will see Divisions 1A and 1B act as Round 2, with the winner of Division 1B promoted to 1A and the third qualification round in 2018, and the bottom placed team of 1A relegated and eliminated from qualifying. This will leave the final qualify tournament as the 2018 Division 1A Championship, with the winner of Division 1A qualifying as Africa 1, and the runner-up, Africa 2, advancing to the Repechage tournament.

Entrants

Fourteen teams will compete for the 2019 Rugby World Cup – Africa qualification. Shown in parentheses are the teams world rankings prior to the first African qualification match on 5 June 2016 (currently set as of 12 May 2016).

Nation Rank
(5 March 2016) 		Begins play Qualifying status
 Botswana 63 26 June 2016
 Cameroon 92 5 June 2016 Withdrew from World Cup contention in June 2016
 Ivory Coast 52 29 June 2016
 Kenya 28 TBA 2017
 Madagascar 41 12 June 2016
 Mauritius 88 10 July 2016 Eliminated by Nigeria on 13 July 2016
 Morocco 54 10 July 2016
 Namibia 21 TBA 2017
 Nigeria 79 13 July 2016 Eliminated by Morocco on 16 July 2016
 Senegal 50 15 June 2016
 South Africa 3 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Tunisia 39 26 June 2016
 Uganda 47 TBA 2017
 Zambia 82 12 June 2016 Eliminated by Senegal on 15 June 2016
 Zimbabwe 31 TBA 2017

Round 1

Main article: 2016 Africa Cup

The first round will consist of ten matches between 10 teams. The winner of the Africa Cup Division 1C will advance to the second round and will be promoted to division 1B for 2017, while the top five teams in division 1B will also advance into the second round.

Round 1: 2016 Africa Cup Division 1B

Africa Cup Division 1B was contested by six teams, in a two-group round-robin tournament. Pool 1 was held in Monastir, Tunisia, while Pool 2 was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The team with the worst record was relegated to Division 1C in 2017, and thus eliminated from qualification.

Pool A

Advances to round 2
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points		 Table
points
played won drawn lost for against difference
1 Senegal22008427+5719
2 Madagascar21014845+315
3 Zambia20021878–6000
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
4 or more tries - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points

Pool B

Advances to round 2
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points		 Table
points
played won drawn lost for against difference
1 Tunisia22009315+78210
2 Ivory Coast21012563–3804
3 Botswana20022363–4011
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
4 or more tries - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points

Final

The two pool winners contested the final. Both teams remain in qualifying, with the winners advancing to the 2017 Division 1A and the losers remaining in Division 1B.

12 November 2016[1]
15:00
Senegal  15 - 14  Tunisia
Ben Jannet stadium, Monastir, Tunisia

Round 1: 2016 Africa Cup Division 1C

Africa Cup Division 1C was contested by three teams in a round-robin tournament. Cameroon were meant to compete but withdrew from the tournament after it was rescheduled for a date. The tournament was held in Casablanca, Morocco.

Advances to round 2
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points		 Table
points
played won drawn lost for against difference
1 Morocco220012113+108210
2 Nigeria21014174–3315
3 Mauritius20022499–7500
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win - 4 points
Draw - 2 points
4 or more tries - 1 point
Loss within 7 points - 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points - 0 points

Round 2

Round 2: 2017 Africa Cup Division 1B

Teams:

Round 2: 2017 Africa Cup Division 1A

Teams

Round 3: 2018 Africa Cup Division 1A

Teams and fixtures to be decided.

References

  1. ↑ "Rugby Africa Schedule". Retrieved 27 August 2016.
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