Rugby World Cup 2015: Schedule, Opening Ceremony Details and Live Stream Info
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is nearly upon us, with hosts England taking on Fiji at the legendary Twickenham Stadium on Friday, September 18. ITV will broadcast both the opening ceremony and curtain-raiser, with full live streams available via the ITV Player. American viewers will be able to watch via Universal Sports.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET), just 40 minutes after the conclusion of the opening ceremony, so event organisers will have their work cut out for them getting the pitch ready in time for the match. As shared by ITV Press Centre, broadcasting will start at 6:45 p.m.
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Here's a look at the schedule for the 2015 Rugby World Cup:
| 18 | 8 p.m. | England | Fiji | Twickenham, London |
| 19 | Noon | Tonga | Georgia | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester |
| 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Ireland | Canada | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 19 | 4:45 p.m. | South Africa | Japan | Brighton Community Centre, Brighton |
| 19 | 8 p.m. | France | Italy | Twickenham, London |
| 20 | Noon | Samoa | USA | Brighton Community Centre, Brighton |
| 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Wales | Uruguay | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 20 | 4:45 p.m. | New Zealand | Argentina | Wembley Stadium, London |
| 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Scotland | Japan | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester |
| 23 | 4:45 p.m. | Australia | Fiji | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 23 | 8 p.m. | France | Romania | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 24 | 8 p.m. | New Zealand | Namibia | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 25 | 4:45 p.m. | Argentina | Georgia | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester |
| 26 | 2:30 p.m. | Italy | Canada | Elland Road, Leeds |
| 26 | 4:45 p.m. | South Africa | Samoa | Villa Park, Birmingham |
| 26 | 8 p.m. | England | Wales | Twickenham, London |
| 27 | Noon | Australia | Uruguay | Villa Park, Birmingham |
| 27 | 2:30 p.m. | Scotland | USA | Elland Road, Leeds |
| 27 | 4:45 p.m. | Ireland | Romania | Wembley Stadium, London |
| 29 | 4:45 p.m. | Tonga | Namibia | Sandy Park, Exeter |
| 1 | 4:45 p.m. | Wales | Fiji | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 1 | 8 p.m. | France | Canada | Stadium MK, Milton Keynes |
| 2 | 8 p.m. | New Zealand | Georgia | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Samoa | Japan | Stadium MK, Milton Keynes |
| 3 | 4:45 p.m. | South Africa | Scotland | St James' Park, Newcastle |
| 3 | 8 p.m. | England | Australia | Twickenham, London |
| 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Argentina | Tonga | Leicester City Stadium, Leicester |
| 4 | 4:45 p.m. | Ireland | Italy | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 6 | 4:45 p.m. | Canada | Romania | Leicester City Stadium, Leicester |
| 6 | 8 p.m. | Fiji | Uruguay | Stadium MK, Milton Keynes |
| 7 | 4:45 p.m. | South Africa | USA | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 7 | 8 p.m. | Namibia | Georgia | Sandy Park, Exeter |
| 9 | 8 p.m. | New Zealand | Tonga | St James' Park, Newcastle |
| 10 | 2:30 p.m. | Samoa | Scotland | St James' Park, Newcastle |
| 10 | 4:45 p.m. | Australia | Wales | Twickenham, London |
| 10 | 8 p.m. | England | Uruguay | Manchester City Stadium |
| 11 | Noon | Argentina | Namibia | Leicester City Stadium, Leicester |
| 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Italy | Romania | Sandy Park, Exeter |
| 11 | 4:45 p.m. | France | Ireland | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 11 | 8 p.m. | USA | Japan | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester |
| 17 | 4 p.m. | B1 | A2 | Twickenham, London |
| 17 | 8 p.m. | C1 | D2 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 18 | 1 p.m. | D1 | C2 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 18 | 4 p.m. | A1 | B2 | Twickenham, London |
| 24 | 4 p.m. | Winner QF1 | Winner QF2 | Twickenham, London |
| 25 | 4 p.m. | Winner QF3 | Winner QF4 | Twickenham, London |
| 30 | 8 p.m. | Loser SF1 | Loser SF2 | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 31 | 4 p.m. | Winner SF1 | Winner SF2 | Twickenham, London |
This year's opening ceremony will be just 20 minutes long and tell the story of rugby's birth, and per the Daily Mail's Nik Simon, event organisers are prepared for everything. Managing director Stephen Brown explained how the show is constructed in such a way that individual acts can be cut immediately if needed, and the players will have adequate room to warm up:
"The ceremony is broken down into segments and if something were to go wrong, they can drop a segment without the audience noticing to keep kick-off exactly on time.
The teams are aware of the arrangements and it won't have any fundamental impact. They will be out just before the ceremony, then return to the changing rooms. The most important thing is that it doesn't get in the way of the rugby.
"
Little is known about the upcoming ceremony, other than that it will celebrate rugby's history from its very start, following the legend of William Webb Ellis picking up a ball and running with it at Rugby School, to where the sport stands today.
As expected, the presence of several members of the Royal Family was confirmed via Twitter:
Friday's opener will be vitally important for both teams, as England and Fiji have been drawn into Group A, widely considered the toughest group of this year's World Cup. Apart from those two teams, Australia, Wales and Uruguay will also be battling for a ticket to the next round.
The hosts are expected to join Australia in the knockout stages, with Wales and Fiji seen as dangerous outsiders, so Friday's match immediately becomes a must-win fixture.
Rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson warned his former team-mates not to be too distracted by the opening ceremony and all the celebrations, and instead focus on the task at hand, via the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary:
"I always used to shut out stuff because it reminded me of being celebrated as a team before you had achieved anything,. It is a bit like talking about the final when you are playing pool games.
The whole celebration thing is tricky. It can be amazing but it is also a borderline distraction. For me, we were given messages in the past to take it all in, to embrace it, but I always shut it out. Players do things differently.
You see Usain Bolt messing about before a race but if I was doing the 100 metres and the camera was in front of me, I’d have my eyes on the ground straight ahead of me. I wouldn’t be doing that other stuff. People talk to me now about opening ceremonies and stuff in the past and I’m like, ‘Really? I don’t even remember being there.’
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Wilkinson was the emotional leader of the England squad at the 2011 World Cup, and this year's tournament marks the first time in ages the prolific fly-half won't be defending the national colours. George Ford and Owen Farrell both look like solid replacements and have battled it out for the starting position for months now, with the former expected to lead England against Fiji.
The Fijians shouldn't be underestimated, but after a solid showing in the Six Nations, an in-form England squad should be able to take care of business on Friday and start the 2015 Rugby World Cup on the right foot.
With matches against Australia and Wales right around the corner, a win on Friday is the only acceptable result.
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