RWC 2023 draw to Go Ahead in November 2020

With the sporting world on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic there are questions concerning when competitions will resume. In the case of rugby there is no clear answer. Administrators are busy behind the scenes seeking solutions, yet World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont has said there is a strong possibility that there will not be any further activity this year.

Without further matches there will not be opportunities for teams to alter their positioning in the World Rankings. This is problematic for a number of reasons. For the 12 automatically qualified competitors for RWC 2023 it means some are doomed to a tough raw without playing.

In the case of the Americas this involves Argentina. Los Pumas are scheduled to play host to France and Italy in July. The two countries are among the most hit from the pandemic and both unions have made it clear that touring is not expected.

Both France and Italy played in the Six Nations, before it was suspended due to the outbreak. The competition saw Les Bleus rising in the rankings. Argentina watched on, yet may now have no opportunity to also rise. Closed borders and flight cancelations, particularly in the case of New Zealand, places the Rugby Championship in serious doubt.

There are multiple possible scenarios. One of them is that there may not be further test match rugby this year. Claude Atcher, the Head of RWC 2023, has nonetheless made it clear that the show must go on. Atcher confirmed that the RWC 2023 draw is to go ahead in November 2020.

Archer told L´Equipe that the date of the draw will not change. It is set for November 30, 2020. He stated that:

“If the health crisis is still severe, we will conduct the draw via a video conference.”

Atcher also presented three alternative scenarios, none of which are positive for the 10th ranked Argentina.

1. If the upcoming tours (July and November) are canceled and the remaining matches of the 6 Nations cannot be played, the chosen world ranking will be the one made after the 2019 World Cup.
2. If the international test matches and the remaining 6 Nations matches are played before November 30, then the world ranking used will be the final ranking published before the draw.
3. If the remaining 6 Nations matches are played before November 30, but not the international tours then the ranking used (for RWC 2023 seedings) would be the last one published before the draw.