Shocking Rugby World Cup quarter-final draw: ‘It’s a disgrace’

Next weekend, two of the top four teams at the Rugby World Cup will be knocked out before the semi-finals.

The Springboks have been placed on a collision course with hosts France in the World Cup quarter-finals, with that clash scheduled for 9 pm on Sunday, 15 October in Paris.

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Ireland will face New Zealand at the Stade de France on Saturday in another blockbuster battle where one top side will be sent packing.

Meanwhile, Fiji are set to progress from Pool C, while Argentina, England and Wales have already booked their places in the playoffs.

It’s a shocking set of fixtures when considering how lopsided the matches look, and there has been a widespread backlash on X – formerly known as Twitter.

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Can never be said enough. The draw for this World Cup is an utter disgrace – the best four teams in the world are so superior to the rest it's incredible and they have to play each other next week. It's wrong

— Rúaidhrí O'Connor (@RuaidhriOC) October 7, 2023

to go out in QF is bad for anyone ,but next weekend will feel extra bad..

we will say goodbye to 2 of the top 4 teams in the world 😩

– goodbye to the host nation
– goodbye to the defending champ
– goodbye to the All blacks
– goodbye to Worlds #1 team

going to be tears 😭

— Oom Rugby (@Oom_Rugby) October 8, 2023

And there you have it. We knew it was coming, but still pretty jaw-dropping when seen in black and white. INDUSTRIAL set of quarter finals from one side of the draw. Either could be a final! pic.twitter.com/ziRhhTkryk

— Front Row Grunt (@FrontRowGrunt) October 8, 2023

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In what has turned out to be an error in judgment, the pools for the 2023 competition were announced on 14 December 2020, just under three years out from the start of the World Cup in France.

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It has resulted in a lopsided draw, with the top five nations in the rankings in either Pool A or B. As a result, two of the current top four teams – France, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa – will not make it into the semi-finals.

It’s an absolute travesty that two teams of such quality will crash out at the quarter-final stage simply because of the nature of the draw, while the likes of Wales and England could find an easy route to the final four.

You can view the Rugby World Cup pools currently stand by clicking here