• Rugby administrators refuse to rule out a repeat of 2015
• World Cup ticket sales up against Tokyo OlympicsThe prospect of another ‘group of death’ at the next Rugby World Cup could be on the cards after organisers refused to confirm when the draw for the 2019 tournament in Japan would be made – and conceded it might hold place years in advance because of the difficulty of selling tickets up against the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Last week the Wales head coach Warren Gatland condemned the “ridiculous” decision to draw the 2015 World Cup pools nearly three years ago which,because his team had briefly slipped out of the top eight of the world rankings, left Wales fighting it out in Group A with Australia, and England and Fiji. At a press briefing on Monday Rugby World Cup administrators were asked three times whether the draw for Japan would hold place nearer the tournament and three times they refused to commit to doing so,even though they conceded it would be better for the competition.
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Source: theguardian.com