What is the format?published at 08:20 GMT
The top two teams from each pool will progress to the round of 16 along with the four best third-place nations.
This is where it gets a bit more complicated…
- The top team in Pools A, B, C and D will face teams that finished third in their group
- The winners of Pools E and F will play the runners-up from Pools D and B
- The runners-up from Pools A and C will then take on the runners-up from Pools E and F
Some have said the format is imbalanced, but organisers say this is “addressed in the next round” and will even itself out.
So for example, the winner of Pool A will play a third-place team in the round of 16, but could face the winner of Pool B if that team advances. The winner of Pool E will play a second-place team in both knockout rounds.
Image source, World Rugby
