2019 Rugby World Cup – Africa qualification

Qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup for Africa Rugby began in June 2016, with 14 teams competing. On 18 August 2018, Namibia qualified for the World Cup by winning the 2018 Rugby Africa Gold Cup, defeating Kenya, who finished second and advanced to the repechage tournament.[1]

Format

The Rugby Africa Gold Cup is the perpetual trophy awarded to the winner of the Africa Gold Cup, a qualifier for the Rugby World Cup organised by World Rugby's African association, Rugby Africa, since 2000.

The Africa Cup, controlled by Rugby Africa (CAR), will be the regional qualification tournament for Rugby World Cup 2019.

The first qualifying round was the 2016 1B and 1C Divisions. The winner of Division 1C was promoted to 1B and the second round of qualifying, while the team placed bottom in 1B was relegated and eliminated from Rugby World Cup contention.

Similarly, 2017 saw Divisions 1A (Gold Cup) and 1B (Silver Cup) act as Round 2. The winner of the 2017 Silver Cup advanced to the Gold Cup for 2018 and remain in contention, while the loser of the 2017 Gold Cup was relegated to the 2018 Silver Cup and eliminated from Rugby World Cup contention.

In Round 3, the winners of the 2018 Gold Cup will qualify for the World Cup as 'Africa 1', while the runner-up, 'Africa 2' will advance to the Repechage tournament as the African representative.[2]

Entrants

Fourteen teams competed during for the 2019 Rugby World Cup – African qualification; teams world rankings are prior to the first African qualification match on 12 June 2016 and bold nations denotes teams have previously played in a Rugby World Cup.

Nation Rank Begins play Qualifying status
 Botswana 64 26 June 2016 Eliminated by Ivory Coast on 5 July 2017
 Cameroon 91 5 June 2016 Withdrew from World Cup contention in June 2016
 Ivory Coast 51 29 June 2016 Eliminated by Morocco on 8 July 2017
 Kenya 27 24 June 2017 Advanced to the Repechage as Africa 2
 Madagascar 41 12 June 2016 Eliminated by Morocco on 5 July 2017
 Mauritius 86 10 July 2016 Eliminated by Nigeria on 13 July 2016
 Morocco 54 10 July 2016 Eliminated by Kenya's victory on 11 August 2018
 Namibia 21 1 July 2017 Qualified by defeating Kenya on 18 August 2018
 Nigeria 77 13 July 2016 Eliminated by Morocco on 16 July 2016
 Senegal 50 15 June 2016 Eliminated by Tunisia on 5 August 2017
 South Africa 3 N/A Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2015 World Cup
 Tunisia 38 26 June 2016 Eliminated by Kenya 11 August 2018
 Uganda 49 24 June 2017 Eliminated by Kenya's victory on 11 August 2018
 Zambia 83 12 June 2016 Eliminated by Senegal on 15 June 2016
 Zimbabwe 31 24 June 2017 Eliminated by Namibia on 4 August 2018

Round 1

The first round consisted of ten matches between 10 teams. The winner of the Africa Cup Division 1C, Morocco, advanced to the second round and was promoted to division 1B for 2017, while the two winners of division 1B, Senegal and Tunisia, advanced to division 1A.

Round 1A: 2016 Africa Cup Division 1B

Africa Cup Division 1B was contested by six teams, in a two-group round-robin tournament. Pool 1 was held in Monastir, Tunisia, while Pool 2 was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The team with the worst record was relegated to Division 1C in 2017, and thus eliminated from qualification.

Pool A

Advances to Round 2, Div 1A
Advances to Round 2, Div 1B
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against difference
1  Senegal 2 2 0 0 84 27 +57 1 9
2  Madagascar 2 1 0 1 48 45 +3 1 5
3  Zambia 2 0 0 2 18 78 −60 0 0
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win – 4 points
Draw – 2 points
4 or more tries – 1 point
Loss within 7 points – 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points – 0 points
Matches
12 June 2016
15:00
Madagascar 24–15 Zambia
Match centre[3]
Stade Mahamasina, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Referee: Gauthier 0zoux (Mauritius)
15 June 2016
15:00
Zambia 3–54 Senegal (1 BP)
Match centre[4]
Stade Mahamasina, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Referee: Gauthier 0zoux (Mauritius)
19 June 2016
15:00
(1 BP) Madagascar 24–30 Senegal
Match centre[5]
Stade Mahamasina, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)

Pool B

Advances to Round 2, Div 1A
Advances to Round 2, Div 1B
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against difference
1  Tunisia 2 2 0 0 93 15 +78 2 10
2  Ivory Coast 2 1 0 1 25 63 −38 0 4
3  Botswana 2 0 0 2 23 63 −40 1 1
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win – 4 points
Draw – 2 points
4 or more tries – 1 point
Loss within 7 points – 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points – 0 points
Matches
26 June 2016
16:00
(1 BP) Tunisia 43–10 Botswana
Match centre[6]
Report[7]
Ben Jannet stadium, Monastir, Tunisia
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Sylvain Mane (Senegal)
29 June 2016
16:00
(1 BP) Botswana 13–20 Ivory Coast
Match centre[8]
Report[9]
Ben Jannet stadium, Monastir, Tunisia
Attendance: 800
Referee: Constant Cap (Kenya)
2 July 2016
22:00
(1 BP) Tunisia 50–5 Ivory Coast
Match centre[10]
Report[11]
Ben Jannet stadium, Monastir, Tunisia
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Vivien Praderie (France)

Final

The two pool winners contested the final, with both teams advancing to the 2017 Africa Gold Cup.

12 November 2016
15:00
Senegal 15–14 Tunisia
Report[12]
Ben Jannet stadium, Monastir, Tunisia
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Constant Cap (Kenya)

Round 1B: 2016 Africa Cup Division 1C

Africa Cup Division 1C was contested by three teams in a round-robin tournament. Cameroon were meant to compete but withdrew from the tournament after it was rescheduled for a later date. The tournament was held in Casablanca, Morocco.

Advances to Round 2, Div 1B
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against difference
1  Morocco 2 2 0 0 121 13 +108 2 10
2  Nigeria 2 1 0 1 41 74 −33 1 5
3  Mauritius 2 0 0 2 24 99 −75 0 0
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win – 4 points
Draw – 2 points
4 or more tries – 1 point
Loss within 7 points – 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points – 0 points
Matches
10 July 2016
17:00
Mauritius 3–68 Morocco (1 BP)
Match centre[13]
Report[14]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 1,700
Referee: Salem Attalah (France)
13 July 2016
17:00
(1 BP) Nigeria 31–21 Mauritius
Match centre[15]
Report[16]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Akram Garchi (Tunisia)
16 July 2016
17:00
(1 BP) Morocco 53–10 Nigeria
Match centre[17]
Report[18]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Bahroun Haykel (Tunisia)

Round 2

The second round will see the five highest finishers of the six teams in the Gold Cup, Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe, progress to the 2018 Gold Cup, with the last place side, Senegal, relegated to the Silver Division and eliminated from World Cup qualification. The Winner of Silver Cup, Morocco, was the first team to earn their place in the 2018 Gold Cup.

Round 2A: 2017 Africa Gold Cup

Advances to Round 3
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Namibia 5 5 0 0 272 64 +208 5 25
2  Kenya 5 3 1 1 226 135 +91 4 18
3  Uganda 5 3 1 1 190 126 +64 2 16
4  Tunisia 5 2 0 3 91 272 −181 0 8
5  Zimbabwe 5 1 0 4 111 157 −46 2 6
6  Senegal 5 0 0 5 75 211 −136 1 1
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win – 4 points
Draw – 2 points
4 or more tries – 1 point
Loss within 7 points – 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points – 0 points
Matches
24 June 2017
17:00
(1 BP) Kenya 33–33 Uganda
Report[19]
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi
Referee: Laurent Cardona (France)
24 June 2017
16:00
Senegal 16–28 Zimbabwe (1 BP)
Report[20]
Stade Iba Mar Diop, Dakar
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)
1 July 2017
16:00
(1 BP) Senegal 16–17 Uganda
Report[21]
Stade Iba Mar Diop, Dakar
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: Sébastien Minery (France)
1 July 2017
19:00
Tunisia 7–53 Namibia (1 BP)
Report[22]
Ben Jannet Stadium, Monastir
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Cédric Marchat (France)
8 July 2017
15:00
(1 BP) Kenya 100–10 Tunisia
Report[23]
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi
Attendance: 4,100
Referee: Tual Trainini (France)
8 July 2017
15:00
(1 BP) Namibia 95–0 Senegal
Report[24]
Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Egon Seconds (South Africa)
15 July 2017
13:00
(1 BP) Kenya 45–25 Senegal
Report[25]
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)
15 July 2017
15:00
(1 BP) Uganda 78–17 Tunisia
Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala
Referee: Lesego Legoete (South Africa)
15 July 2017
15:00
(1 BP) Namibia 31–26 Zimbabwe (1 BP)
Report[26]
Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
22 July 2017
14:00
Uganda 24–48 Namibia (1 BP)
Report[27]
Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala
Referee: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)
22 July 2017
15:00
Zimbabwe 22–41 Kenya (1 BP)
Report[28]
Hartsfield Rugby Ground, Bulawayo
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Lesego Legoete (South Africa)
29 July 2017
15:00
Zimbabwe 23–31 Tunisia
Report[29]
Police Grounds, Harare
Referee: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)
29 July 2017
15:00
(1 BP) Namibia 45–7 Kenya
Report[30]
Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Egon Seconds (South Africa)
5 August 2017
16:00
(1 BP) Uganda 38–12 Zimbabwe
Report[31]
Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)
5 August 2017
17:00
Tunisia 26–18 Senegal
Report[32]
Ben Jannet Stadium, Monastir
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Adrien Descottes (France)

Round 2B: 2017 Africa Silver Cup

The 2017 Africa Silver Cup was contested by four teams in a knockout format. The tournament was held in Casablanca, Morocco.

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
5 July 2017 – Casablanca
 
 
 Ivory Coast58
 
8 July 2017 – Casablanca
 
 Botswana25
 
 Morocco8
 
5 July 2017 – Casablanca
 
 Ivory Coast3
 
 Morocco57
 
 
 Madagascar33
 
Third place play-off
 
 
8 July 2017 – Casablanca
 
 
 Botswana24
 
 
 Madagascar47
Matches
5 July 2017
16:00
Ivory Coast 58–25 Botswana
Report[33]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 800
Referee: Ludovic Cayre (France)
5 July 2017
18:00
Morocco 57–33 Madagascar
Report[34]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Cedric Clave (France)
8 July 2017
15:30
Botswana 24–47 Madagascar
Report[35]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 600
Referee: Cedric Clave (France)
8 July 2017
17:30
Morocco 8–3 Ivory Coast
Report[36]
COC stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Ludovic Cayre (France)

Round 3: 2018 Africa Gold Cup

Six teams will contest the 2018 Rugby Africa Gold Cup and the final round of the African qualification, with the winner qualifying as Africa 1. The second placed team, Africa 2, will advance to the repechage tournament.

Qualifies as Africa 1
Advances to Repechage
Place Nation Games Points Bonus
points 		Table
points
played won drawn lost for against diff
1  Namibia 5 5 0 0 347 69 +278 5 25
2  Kenya 5 4 0 1 206 135 +71 1 17
3  Uganda 5 2 0 3 160 172 −12 1 9
4  Tunisia 5 2 0 3 66 279 −213 1 9
5  Zimbabwe 5 1 1 3 139 162 −23 2 8
6  Morocco 5 0 1 4 96 197 −101 1 3
Points were awarded to the teams as follows:
Win – 4 points
Draw – 2 points
3 or more tries than the opponent – 1 point
Loss within 7 points – 1 point
Loss greater than 7 points – 0 points
Matches
16 June 2018
13:00
Zimbabwe 23–23 Morocco
Report
Police Grounds, Harare
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
16 June 2018
15:30
(1 BP) Namibia 55–6 Uganda
Report
Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)
23 June 2018
16:00
(1 BP) Namibia 118–0 Tunisia
Report
Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
23 June 2018
18:00
(1 BP) Morocco 24–28 Kenya
Report
COC stadium, Casablanca
Attendance: 800
Referee: Sébastien Minery (France)
30 June 2018
14:00
Kenya 45–36 Zimbabwe
Report
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Tual Trainini (France)
30 June 2018
17:00
Morocco 7–63 Namibia (1 BP)
Report
COC stadium, Casablanca
Attendance: 600
Referee: Adrien Descottes (France)
7 July 2018
14:00
Kenya 38–22 Uganda
Report
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi
Attendance: 3,200
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
7 July 2018
17:00
Tunisia 18–14 Zimbabwe (1 BP)
Report
Boujemaa El-Kemiti stadium, Béja
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Jonathan Dufort (France)
4 August 2018
14:00
(1 BP) Uganda 67–12 Tunisia
Report
Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
4 August 2018
16:00
Zimbabwe 28–58 Namibia (1 BP)
Report
Police Grounds, Harare
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: Egon Seconds (South Africa)
11 August 2018
14:00
(1 BP) Kenya 67–0 Tunisia
Report
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Julien Castaignede (France)
11 August 2018
16:00
Uganda 47–29 Morocco
Report
Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
18 August 2018
14:00
Uganda 18–38 Zimbabwe (1 BP)
Report
Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)
18 August 2018
16:00
(1 BP) Namibia 53–28 Kenya
Report
Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Windhoek
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Egon Seconds (South Africa)
18 August 2018
18:00
(1 BP) Tunisia 36–13 Morocco
Report
Jemmal Stadium, Jemmal
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)

References

  1. ^ Namibia qualify for 2019 Rugby World Cup, The Namibian, 18 August 2018
  2. ^ "Afrique – Processus de qualification" (in French). World Rugby. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  3. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  7. ^ Tunisia-Botswana report
  8. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  9. ^ Botswana-Ivory Coast Report
  10. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  11. ^ Tunisia-Ivory Coast Report
  12. ^ Senegal-Tunisia final report
  13. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  14. ^ Mauritius-Morocco Report
  15. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  16. ^ Nigeria-Mauritius Report
  17. ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2019". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  18. ^ Morocco-Nigeria Report
  19. ^ Kenya-Uganda report
  20. ^ Senegal-Zimbabwe report
  21. ^ Senegal-Uganda report
  22. ^ Tunisia-Namibia report
  23. ^ Kenya-Tunisia report
  24. ^ Namibia-Senegal report
  25. ^ Kenya-Senegal report
  26. ^ Namibia-Zimbabwe report
  27. ^ Uganda-Namibia report
  28. ^ Zimbabwe-Kenya report
  29. ^ Zimbabwe-Tunisia report
  30. ^ Namibia-Kenya report
  31. ^ Uganda-Zimbabwe report
  32. ^ Tunisia-Senegal report
  33. ^ Ivory Coast-Botswana report
  34. ^ Morocco-Madagascar report
  35. ^ Botswana-Madagascar report
  36. ^ Morocco-Ivory Coast report