2011 Rugby World Cup Bracket: Round by Round Breakdown

The 2011 Rugby World Cup is set to begin on Friday, September 9 and runs a total of six weeks. The World Cup Final will take place on Sunday, October 23.

The United States have qualified for this year's event, but they were unable to come away with a single victory in the 2007 World Cup.

The defending champion, South Africa, will be hoping to defend their 2007 title with a repeat performance in 2011.

Here is a look at each of the groups for the group stages:

Pool A	Pool B	Pool C	Pool D
Canada	Argentina	Australia	Fiji
France	England	Ireland	Nambia
Japan	Georgia	Italy	Samoa
New Zealand	Romania	Russia	South Africa
Tonga	Scotland	United States	Wales

England and Australia Appear to Be on a Collision Course

England has not been pretty. They have performed well under their potential. They are a team in turmoil. They are also in the final eight, and just two victories away from the finals.

They will also a team from France that is in even more turmoil than they are. It appears that someone is looking out for this team from England.

The same cannot be said for the host New Zealand. The All Blacks are now without the excellent services of the injured Dan Carter. They also have nothing but tough opponents ahead as they are locked in the much tougher side of the draw.

That side includes the Australian team that is playing well, and is clearly the team to beat at this World Cup.

This scenario points to a nightmare outcome for the World Cup hosts. They may have to watch a final between dreaded Australia and England.

World's Worst Rugby Nation Provides Comic Relief Away from Action

This is a story that will make all the losers at the Rugby World Cup feel better. The last ranked team in the world according to the IRB is Finland, who are back home trying to get ready for the next World Cup.

They apparently think they have a shot at making that one.

To make matters worse, their captain has reason to believe they aren't the worst team in the world.

Here is what team captain Steve Whittaker had to say to the Washington Post, about being the worst team in the world,

"

Is it fair to say we’re the worst team in the world? No. Quite clearly not. Yes, we are ranked last in the IRB rankings, but there are many countries that are not ranked, so therefore technically, theoretically below us.

"

Okay, he has a point, but really? That is the defense you are presenting? That is laughable and quite pathetic.

You can't even say that you think your team could be Guam? Yes, Guam is ranked ahead of Finland.

Next time you need an excuse for being the worst rugby player on your team, be sure to point out that you are better than the guy over on the tennis courts.

Off-Field Distractions Take Center Stage at Rugby World Cup

Samoa's Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has caused quite a stir at the Rugby World Cup with his Twitter comments referring to exploitation by the International Rugby Board.

Some of the comments have been removed, but BBC Sport noted the comments before they were removed,

"

IRB, Stop exploiting my people. Please, all we ask, is fairness. If they get a week, give us a week. Simple. #equ[al]ity #justice."

Ok, it's obvious the IRB are unjust. Wales get 7 days, we get 3. Unfair treatment, like slavery, like the holocaust, like apartheid.

Give Wales 3 days off and give Samoa a week! We would kill them!

You can't get punished for speaking out against injustice. That would be unjust. Anyone can tackle a man. Try tackling injustice.

"

Sapolu certainly takes things too far, sports is nothing like slavery or the Holocaust.

He could face a suspension for his Twitter rant per IRB social media guidelines. It is likely well deserved, as the game has no place for these sort of comments.

Australia Shocked in First Major Upset of Tournament

What a disaster for Australia in Auckland. They were the favorites to win their group, but found themselves in a heap of trouble against Ireland.

No tries were scored in the entire match, and Ireland completely outplayed Australia for much of the match.

The Wallabies fell to Ireland for the first time ever in the World Cup, and now find themselves on a crash course with South Africa in the quarterfinals.

Not many people thought South Africa and Australia would meet this early in the tournament, but Ireland now have a grip on first place in the group.

A shocking day for Australia to say the least.

New Zealand Proving Themselves as World Cup Favorites

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the All Blacks looked dominant in their first match of the Rugby World Cup, as they ran Tonga off the field with a 41-10 defeat.

New Zealand is the clear favorite to bring home the trophy this year, and should have no problem coasting through the group stages.

This New Zealand team is far from perfect right now. They have been uncertain of which players deserve a spot in the starting lineup on the backline and at the fullback position.

Here is what Chris Rattue of the New Zealand Herald had to say about the question marks surrounding the team,

"

In a sea of uncertainty, here's a jagged rock to sit upon briefly: There is no way that Henry will leave Muliaina, a favourite son, marooned on 99 tests. Canada looms as the century game for Muliaina. Another option would be the dud bronze-medal match. The All Blacks won't want to rely on being in that, although they are a good chance with all this selection nonsense.

"

The group stages are the perfect time to mess with a roster. They are playing some teams that are inferior to then, so have no doubts that New Zealand will straighten out their roster during the group stages, and will be ready to roll once the knockout stage comes around.

Russia Looking to Upset USA

Russia vs. USA on Thursday, September 15 is the marquee game of the week. 

USA enters the duel as the favorite, but Russia is preparing for a monstrous upset.

“'This is the best team to challenge the USA,'” said team director Kingsley Jones, according to RugbyWorldCup.com.

This will surely be a hard-hitting grudge match as Russia looks to make a name for themselves and USA looks to keep their reputation alive. More importantly, USA is fighting with heavy hearts after just reliving the events of 9/11 that took place 10 years ago. 

This is sure to be one of the most exciting matchups of the tournament as both teams enters with much to prove.

Underdogs Are Poised to Make This a Tournament to Remember

The 2011 Rugby World Cup is proving that the gap is narrowing between the top tier teams and the bottom feeders. Early play has set the tone for what promises to be a tournament filled with upsets and surprises.

Just compare some the early results from this year to last year.

In 2010, New Zealand tallied 100 against Portugal and then thrashed Romania 87-8; the Japanese lost 72-18 to Wales, and Namibia lost 87-10 to France.

The margins have shrunk. Check out some of the early results from this tournament. France beat Japan 47-21, Scotland beat Romania 34-24, England beat Argentina 13-9, Fiji beat Namibia 49-25.

This sets the table for a tournament of unpredictable action.

Group Stages

Here is the full schedule for the group stages:

Date	Match No.	Pool	Match	Location	Stadium	Time
Fri Sept 9	1	A	New Zealand v Tonga	Auckland	Eden Park	4:15 AM
Sat Sept 10	2	B	Scotland v Romania	Invercargill	Rugby Park Stadium	8:45 PM
Sat Sept 10	3	D	Fiji v Namibia	Rotorua	Rotorua International Stadium	11:15 PM
Sat Sept 10	4	A	France v Japan	North Shore	North Harbour Stadium	1:45 AM
Sat Sept 10	5	B	Argentina v England	Dunedin	Otago Stadium	4:15 AM
Sun Sept 11	6	C	Australia v Italy	Auckland	North Harbour Stadium	11:15 PM
Sun Sept 11	7	C	Ireland v USA	New Plymouth	Stadium Taranaki	1:45 AM
Sun Sept 11	8	D	South Africa v Wales	Wellington	Wellington Regional Stadium	4:15 AM
Wed Sept 14	9	D	Samoa v Namibia	Rotorua	Rotorua International Stadium	10:15 PM
Wed Sept 14	10	A	Tonga v Canada	Whangarei	Northland Events Centre	12:45 AM
Wed Sept 14	11	B	Scotland v Georgia	Dunedin	Carisbrook	3:15 AM
Thurs Sept 15	12	C	Russia v USA	New Plymouth	Stadium Taranaki	3:15 AM
Fri Sept 16	13	A	New Zealand v Japan	Hamilton	Waikato Stadium	3:45 AM
Sat Sept 17	14	B	Argentina v Romania	Invercargill	Rugby Park Stadium	11:15 PM
Sat Sept 17	15	D	South Africa v Fiji	Wellington	Wellington Regional Stadium	1:45 AM
Sat Sept 17	16	C	Australia v Ireland	Auckland	Eden Park	4:15 AM
Sun Sept 18	17	D	Wales v Samoa	Hamilton	Waikato Stadium	11:15 PM
Sun Sept 18	18	B	England v Georgia	Dunedin	Otago Stadium	1:45 AM
Sun Sept 18	19	A	France v Canada	Napier	McLean Park	4:15 AM
Tues Sept 20	20	C	Italy v Russia	Nelson	Trafalgar Park	3:15 AM
Wed Sept 21	21	A	Tonga v Japan	Whangarei	Northland Events Centre	3:15 AM
Thurs Sept 22	22	D	South Africa v Namibia	North Shore	North Harbour Stadium	3:45 AM
Fri Sept 23	23	C	Australia v USA	Wellington	Wellington Regional Stadium	4:15 AM
Sat Sept 24	24	B	England v Romania	Dunedin	Carisbrook	1:45 AM
Sat Sept 24	25	A	New Zealand v France	Auckland	Eden Park	4:15 AM
Sun Sept 25	26	D	Fiji v Samoa	Auckland	Eden Park	10:15 PM
Sun Sept 25	27	C	Ireland v Russia	Rotorua	Rotorua International Stadium	12:45 AM
Sun Sept 25	28	B	Argentina v Scotland	Wellington	Wellington Regional Stadium	3:15 AM
Mon Sept 26	29	D	Wales v Namibia	New Plymouth	Stadium Taranaki	2:15 AM
Tues Sept 27	30	A	Canada v Japan	Napier	McLean Park	11:45 PM
Tues Sept 27	31	C	Italy v USA	Nelson	Trafalgar Park	2:15 AM
Wed Sept 28	32	B	Georgia v Romania	Palmerston North	Arena Manawatu	2:15 AM
Fri Sept 30	33	D	South Africa v Samoa	North Shore	North Harbour Stadium	3:15 AM
Sat Oct 1	34	C	Australia v Russia	Nelson	Trafalgar Park	10:45 PM
Sat Oct 1	35	A	France v Tonga	Wellington	Wellington Regional Stadium	12:45 AM
Sat Oct 1	36	B	England v Scotland	Auckland	Eden Park	3:15 AM
Sun Oct 2	37	B	Argentina v Georgia	Palmerston North	Arena Manawatu	7:45 PM
Sun Oct 2	38	A	New Zealand v Canada	Wellington	Wellington Regional Stadium	10:15 PM
Sun Oct 2	39	D	Wales v Fiji	Hamilton	Waikato Stadium	12:45 AM
Sun Oct 2	40	C	Ireland v Italy	Dunedin	Carisbrook	3:15 AM