The 20 Teams were allocated to four pools of five Teams each at the RWC 2015 Pool Allocation Draw, held in London in December 2012.
The pool phase will consist of a round robin in which each Team shall play each other Team within the pool once. There will be 10 Matches played in each pool, for a total of 40 Matches in the pool phase of the Tournament.
The following number of Match points will be awarded for each pool phase Match:
Win 4 points
Draw 2 points
Loss 0 points
4 or more tries 1 point
Loss by 7 points or less 1 point
No Match points will be awarded to a Team which has been expelled from the Tournament, refuses to play a Match or abandons a Match in progress, without direction from Match Officials or the Match Commissioner, subject always to the provisions of the Terms of Participation. Should this occur, the opponent in that Match shall be awarded a win and therefore four Match points. For the avoidance of doubt, bonus points will not be awarded.
Where a Team is expelled from the Tournament, it shall forfeit all Match points previously awarded and its opponents in each Match previously played shall be awarded four Match points (which shall replace any Match points previously awarded from the particular Match). All points scored for and against in these Matches shall be discounted in the official pool rankings and Team records used for Tournament purposes.
At the completion of the pool phase, the Teams in a pool are ranked one through five based on their cumulative Match points, and identified respectively as winner, runner-up, third, fourth and fifth.
If at the completion of the pool phase two or more Teams are level on Match points, then the following criteria shall be used in the following order until one of the Teams can be determined as the higher ranked:
The winner and runner-up in each pool qualify for the quarter-finals. Teams ranked third, fourth and fifth will be eliminated from the Tournament.
Quarter-finals
The first two Teams in each pool will progress to the quarter-final round, which will be contested by knock out Matches. The quarter-final Matches will be determined as follows:
| QF 1 - Winner pool B v Runner up pool A |
| QF 2 - Winner pool C v Runner up pool D |
| QF 3 - Winner pool D v Runner up pool C |
| QF 4 - Winner pool A v Runner up pool B |
Teams winning quarter-final Matches qualify for the semi-finals and Teams losing quarter-final Matches will be eliminated from the Tournament.
The semi-final Matches will be contested by knock out Matches, as follows:
| SF 1 - Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 |
| SF 2 - Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 |
The winners of the semi-final Matches qualify for the Final, and the losers of the semi-final Matches will contest the Bronze Final.
Pool phase
Tied Matches will be considered as a draw in the pool phase and no winner determined through additional rules. This means that each Team is awarded two Match points for the drawn Match plus any bonus point earned for scoring four or more tries.
Knock out Matches
For quarter-finals, semi-finals, Bronze Final and the Final, if Teams are tied at fulltime, then the winner shall be determined through the following sequential criteria;
Extra time
Following an interval of 5 minutes, extra time of 10 minutes each way (with an interval of 5 minutes) shall be played in full. For the avoidance of doubt, Teams must remain on the Field of Play. The Match Referee will conduct a coin toss during the 5 minute interval to determine which Team will kick off and the direction of play. Team B will call the toss, in line with Section XX, page XX. The Team captain who wins the coin toss can either:
Sudden death
If the scores are tied at the conclusion of extra time, and following an interval of 5 minutes, then a further extra time of 10 minutes maximum shall be played. At the end of extra time, Teams swap ends and whichever Team kicked off the first half of extra time also kicks off sudden death. During this period the first Team to score any points shall be declared the winner (sudden death);
Kicking competition
If after this sudden death period no winner can be declared, a kicking competition will be organised between the two Teams. The winner of that competition shall be declared the winner of the Match.
For Matches completed at the end of extra time or during the sudden death period of play, the final score will be presented as the score at the time at which the Match was completed (that is, including extra time or sudden death).
For Matches completed through the organisation of a kicking competition, the final score shall be presented as the Match score at the completion of the sudden death period, followed in brackets by the notification of the winner of the Match and the score in the kicking competition.
If at the end of a knock out Match, after extra time and sudden death periods of play have been completed, the Teams remain tied, then the referee will conduct a place-kick competition to determine the winner of the Match. RWCL will predetermine which end the kicking competition will take place in order to simplify relocation of photographers and ensure the best broadcast coverage of the kicking competition.
The following procedures apply:
1. All players and Match Officials will remain on the playing enclosure. The referee will call the captains of the two Teams to the centre of the playing enclosure and will conduct a coin toss. As per Section 6.8.2 Team B will call the toss. The winner of the coin toss will choose which Team kicks first.
2. Only players on the playing enclosure at the time of the completion of the sudden death period may take part in the kicking competition. For the avoidance of doubt, no substituted (including for injury and/or blood), ordered off or temporarily suspended player not on the field at the completion of the sudden death period may take part in the kicking competition at any time. The five players selected and the order in which they kick must be specified to the referee by the start of the kicking competition.
3. The Match Officials and Team Members will assemble on the halfway line. Team Members must remain behind the halfway line in the side of the playing area not being used for the kicking competition. No one except the referee, two assistant referees and two ball boys is allowed in the part of the playing area being used for the competition.
4. The five players from each Team will place kick from three different areas, all on the 22 metre line, as follows:
First area: directly in front of the posts
Second area: on the 15 metre line on the left hand side of the posts (determined as facing the posts)
Third area: on the 15 metre line on the right hand side of the posts (determined as facing the posts)
5. The referee will start the competition by calling the first player selected from the Team kicking first to the first kicking point. Once the player has taken the kick, the referee calls a player from the opposing Team to kick from the same area.
6. The next two players (one from each Team) will kick from the second area in turn. This will continue until all five players from each Team have kicked (the next players kicking respectively from the third area, first area and finally the second area), or until one Team is unable to equal the score of the other Team within the remaining number of kicks.
7. If there is an equal number of successful kicks once each Team has completed its five kicks, the competition continues on a “sudden death” basis, following the same order of kickers used in the first five kicks.
8.The competition will continue two kicks at a time (one from each Team), going progressively through the three kicking areas stated above (and repeating the process if necessary) until one player succeeds with a kick and the player from the other side taking the same kick misses it. Once this occurs, the Team of the player who succeeded with the kick will be declared the winner.
9. Throughout the kicking competition:
9.1 Players must be nominated immediately on request by the referee. Once a player has been handed the ball on the kicking area, he must take the kick within one minute. Should he take longer, the referee shall declare the kick void.
9.2 After each kick, the referee will record the number of the player and whether or not the attempt was successful. The Match Commissioner will record the same details on the official Match report.
9.3 Whether or not the kick is successful is the sole decision of the referee, who may at his sole discretion rely on the assistance of his assistant referees and/or the TMO. The referee’s decision shall be final and binding.
9.4 Once a player has completed his kick, he shall return to stand with his Team behind the halfway line in the side of the playing area not being used for the kicking competition.
Compliance with the relevant World Rugby Laws and Regulations is critical in the conduct of the Tournament. Should Teams be found to be in breach of Law 3.5 (suitably trained and experienced players in the front row), the matter will be forwarded to the Tournament Disputes Committee for consideration.
In the absence of any mitigating circumstances this will result in:
In terms of the provision of front row players to comply with Law 3.5, the necessary number of reserve front row players must be included in the Tournament Team to cover last minute injuries to front row players selected in the Match Team within the 48 hour replacement timeframe set out in Section 4.5 on page XX.
In the interests of the Teams, the commencement of Matches at the scheduled time shall be the first priority in all instances. However, in circumstances deemed necessary and/or appropriate by RWCL, Matches may need to be delayed, postponed, abandoned or cancelled. All decisions in this regard shall be communicated to Teams by the Match Commissioner.
Where the delay, abandonment, postponement or cancellation of a Match is deemed to be caused by a Participating Union, not acting under instruction of a Match Official or Match Commissioner, such Participating Union shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Participation Agreement, be subject to the decisions of RWCL regarding forfeiture of the Match, and financial and/or other sanctions as appropriate.
Pool Matches
Delayed Matches
Where a pool Match cannot be started at the scheduled time, it will be considered delayed. Decisions on the delay of Matches will be taken as early as possible on the Match day and be communicated to Teams by the Match Commissioner.
Where a pool Match cannot be commenced on the day in which it is scheduled, it shall not be postponed to the following day, and shall be considered as cancelled. In such situations, the result shall be declared a draw and Teams will be allocated two Tournament points each and no score registered. For the avoidance of doubt, no bonus points will be awarded.
Where a pool Match is stopped following commencement, and cannot be completed the same day, it will not be rescheduled to the following day, and will be considered as abandoned.
In such situations, the following procedures shall apply:
1. Where a Match has to be abandoned either at half time or at any time during the second half, the score at the time of the abandonment shall be considered as final and used to determine the result of the Match.
2. Where a Match has to be abandoned at any time during the first half the result shall be declared a draw for Match points purposes, however each Team will keep its score at the time of the abandonment. Any bonus points for scoring four tries secured at the time of the abandonment are also retained by the Teams involved in abandoned pool Matches.
Knock out Matches
Where a knock out Match cannot be started at the scheduled time, it will be considered delayed. Decisions on the delay of Matches will be taken as early as possible on the Match day and be communicated to Teams by the Match Commissioner.
Postponed Matches
Where a knock out Match cannot be commenced on the scheduled Match day, it will be considered as postponed, and will be re-scheduled to be played within the two days following the scheduled Match day, or such longer period as determined by RWCL.
Abandoned Matches
Where a knock out Match is stopped following commencement, and cannot be completed the same day, it shall be considered as abandoned.
In such situations, the following procedures shall apply:
1. Where a Match has to be abandoned either at half-time or at any time during the second half or any additional periods of play, the score at the time of the abandonment shall be considered as final and used to determine the result of the Match.
If the above result is a tie, then the winner will be determined by reference to the following sequential criteria:
Where a knock out Match cannot commence within the two days following the scheduled Match day (or such longer period as specified by RWCL), or is abandoned prior to half-time and cannot be postponed and re-scheduled within this period, it shall be considered as cancelled.
In such situations, the following sequential criteria shall apply to determine the winner of the cancelled Match: