World Cup 2023

[Neils]

The draw is this Friday!

Bonkers.

[Heathen]

Indeed!

[NorthYorksWasp]

Nothing quite like forward planning is there! 😀

[MarleyWasp]

They have already done the draw. It's the fixtures being released.

Pool A - New Zealand, France, Italy, Americas 1, Africa 1
Pool B - South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Asia/Pacific 1, Europe 2
Pool C - Wales, Australia, Fiji, Europe 1, Final Qualifier Winner
Pool D -  England, Japan, Argentina, Oceania 1, Americas 2

[Neils]

They have already done the draw. It's the fixtures being released.

Pool A - New Zealand, France, Italy, Americas 1, Africa 1
Pool B - South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Asia/Pacific 1, Europe 2
Pool C - Wales, Australia, Fiji, Europe 1, Final Qualifier Winner
Pool D -  England, Japan, Argentina, Oceania 1, Americas 2

And the bases/pitches

[Heathen]

I've registered my interest for tickets.

We decamped to chez nous for the 2007 tournament and went to the 5 matches in Lens, Stade de France, Parc de Princes, Nantes and Marseiiles. We used the TGV for 4 of the 5, Nantes being a 2 1/2 drive south of us. If you book TGV tickets early enough you can get 1st class returns for €90 to any destination.

I am hopeful that more matches will be staged in the north and north-west of France this time around.

[MarleyWasp]

I am hopeful that more matches will be staged in the north and north-west of France this time around.

Lille, the Stade de France and Nantes are the only venues in the north of France hosting matches. Lyon, St Etienne, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Nice are also hosting matches.

[InBetweenWasp]

Fixtures announced today.  England games are:

9th Sep v Argentina in Marseilles (South Africa vs Scotland is on the 10th, so could be a cracker to be at)
17th Sep v Japan in Nice (Wales play one of the late qualifiers the day before in Nice for a try-fest)
23rd Sep v Americas2 in Lille
7th Oct v Oceania1 in Lille

The Argentina and South Africa games could make for a good weekend.  Shame that Marseilles is a such a hole, really.  Although I guess options for some places not too far away.

For the 2007 QF vs Australia, a few of us flew into Lyon on a late Friday flight, drove down to Marseilles.  Up early to get on the beers for the game, then out into the old town to watch Les Bleus beat NZ on the big screen in port, few more beers.  Then the South Africa vs Fiji game in the Sun where Fiji nearly won.  No beers.  Then a drive to Toulouse, with Dinner in Montpellier ready for a crack-of-dawn flight to London on Monday morning and in the office by mid-morning.

Also drove out for the Final.  The less said about that, the better.

Looking forward to a few weekends in Sunny France.

[coddy]

Well Lille is easy to get to on a bike from Calais even though it will be against one of the Tier 2 nations.

I wonder how difficult tickets will be to get hold of?

[Heathen]

I wonder how difficult tickets will be to get hold of?

Register your interest on the official site :

https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/en/

[Rifleman Harris]

Lille is very doable from here.  My old boss lives just the Belgian side of the border from Lille and we used to go to Lille for meetings. Driving time wise it's closer than the Ricoh!

[MarleyWasp]

Just registered. Given I'm still paying off the loan from what 2015 cost me, I'm not sure it's the best idea I've ever had!

[InBetweenWasp]

If 2007 was anything to go by, tickets were pretty easy to get hold of. 

For the QF, I hedged my bets with a couple of mates.  We booked better seats for the first QF that England could have been in and cheap seats for the second one.  Worked a treat.

Don’t forget, that I don’t think you can drink alcohol once inside a stadium in France.  At least, you definitely couldn’t in 2007!

Quite a bit of a amusement from the French staff, watching pissed up Brits order beers at the bars not knowing they were zero alcohol. 

[Chunky24]

We were at the 2007 final, plenty of empty seats around us, think the very late kick off meant quite a few supporters peaked too early!

[hookender]

There were a lot of  final tickets available at below face value from NZ fans who just wanted to get home.