2003 Rugby World Cup – European qualification

none September 2022 23 September 2000 24 November 2002 32 1999 2007 There were a number of positions open to European nations to qualify for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Ireland, Romania, Georgia and Italy, joining a number of other nations that automatically qualified. Round 1 (2000–2001) The 18 teams that entered qualification at this stage were divided into three pools of six teams each. The winners of each pool and the best runner-up advanced to the second round of qualifying. Pool A Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1SWE5500+208152LAT5401+79133AUT5302+78114ISR5203+5195LUX5104−22276NOR5005−1945 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 23 September 2000 NOR 9–41 LUX Stavanger, Norway 21 October 2000 AUT 10–42 SWE Vienna, Austria 28 October 2000 LAT 24–19 LUX Riga, Latvia 28 October 2000 SWE 44–3 NOR Korsangens, Sweden 11 November 2000 LAT 38–12 AUT Riga, Latvia 3 March 2001 LUX 3–62 ISR Luxembourg 17 March 2001 ISR 3–21 LAT Israel 5 May 2001 ISR 43–3 NOR Israel 5 May 2001 LUX 3–116 SWE Cessange, Luxembourg 12 May 2001 AUT 77–0 LUX Vienna, Austria 19 May 2001 LAT 37–0 NOR Riga, Latvia 19 May 2001 SWE 35–20 ISR Växjö, Sweden 2 June 2001 AUT 21–6 ISR Vienna, Austria 9 June 2001 NOR 7–51 AUT Borrebanen, Norway 9 June 2001 SWE 17–10 LAT Korsangens, Sweden Pool B Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1SUI5401+166132FR Yugoslavia5302+45113AND5302+43114HUN5203−995BIH5203−5896BUL5104−1877 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 30 September 2000 BIH 13–12 HUN Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 October 2000 SUI 43–6 BIH Geneva, Switzerland 14 October 2000 BUL 9–90 SUI Pernik, Bulgaria 14 October 2000 AND 12–9 FR Yugoslavia Andorra la Vella, Andorra 28 October 2000 HUN 27–21 AND Százhalombatta, Hungary 5 November 2000 FR Yugoslavia 46–6 BUL Dimitrovgrad, Yugoslavia 31 March 2001 FR Yugoslavia 25–10 HUN Dimitrovgrad, Yugoslavia 5 May 2001 SUI 38–25 AND Lausanne, Switzerland 5 May 2001 BUL 30–8 BIH 12 May 2001 AND 59–10 BUL Andorra la Vella, Andorra 12 May 2001 SUI 61–23 HUN Basel, Switzerland 12 May 2001 BIH 23–13 FR Yugoslavia 25 May 2001 FR Yugoslavia 13–10 SUI Gornji, Yugoslavia 25 May 2001 AND 23–13 BIH Andorra la Vella, Andorra 25 May 2001 HUN 46–7 BUL Pool C Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1BEL5500+71152SVN5311+46123MDA5302+25114LTU5212+38105MON5104−3076MLT5005−1505 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 28 October 2000 MON 15–17 MDA Menton, France 28 October 2000 BEL 24–10 SVN King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium 18 November 2000 SVN 19–19 LTU Ljubljana, Slovenia 18 November 2000 MDA 58–8 MLT Bender, Moldova 25 November 2000 MLT 0–26 BEL Three Cities, Malta 2 December 2000 MON 8–13 SVN Menton, France 20 January 2001 MLT 3–9 MON Three Cities, Malta 3 March 2001 MON 12–18 BEL Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France 7 April 2001 BEL 26–10 MDA Brussels, Belgium 21 April 2001 MLT 11–39 LTU Three Cities, Malta 28 April 2001 SVN 30–15 MDA Ljubljana, Slovenia 5 May 2001 BEL 29–20 LTU Laakdal, Belgium 12 May 2001 SVN 45–5 MLT Ljubljana, Slovenia 12 May 2001 LTU 33–10 MON Vilnius, Lithuania 2 June 2001 MDA 20–16 LTU Chișinău, Moldova Round 2 (2001–2002) The four teams that qualified from Round 1 were joined by the six teams from the European Nations Cup Second Division. They were divided into two pools of five teams each. Each pool was played as a single round-robin tournament, and the winner of each pool advanced to Round 3. Pool A Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1POL4400+69122GER4202+2483SWE4202+2384DEN4202+1985LAT4004−1354 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 22 September 2001 LAT 18–60 POL Riga, Latvia 29 September 2001 POL 18–6 SWE Gdańsk, Poland 7 October 2001 SWE 37–12 LAT Trelleborg, Sweden 20 October 2001 SWE 32–10 GER Malmö, Sweden 27 October 2001 DEN 33–21 SWE Frederiksberg, Denmark 3 November 2001 DEN 19–26 POL Copenhagen, Denmark 10 November 2001 GER 34–24 DEN Heidelberg, Germany 24 November 2001 GER 44–0 LAT Hanover, Germany 6 April 2002 POL 20–12 GER Gdynia, Poland 6 April 2002 LAT 8–32 DEN Riga, Latvia Pool B Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1CZE4400+95122UKR4301+46103CRO4202−1484SUI4103−4065BEL4004−874 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 22 September 2001 CZE 46–3 BEL Prague, Czech Republic 6 October 2001 SUI 6–32 CZE Lausanne, Switzerland 13 October 2001 CRO 5–13 CZE Makarska, Croatia 13 October 2001 UKR 21–10 BEL Kyiv, Ukraine 20 October 2001 UKR 41–7 CRO Kyiv, Ukraine 27 October 2001 BEL 15–22 SUI Brussels, Belgium 3 November 2001 CZE 26–8 UKR Prague, Czech Republic 10 November 2001 CRO 18–16 SUI Makarska, Croatia 24 November 2001 BEL 0–26 CRO Brussels, Belgium 24 November 2001 SUI 11–30 UKR Hermance, Switzerland Round 3 (May–June 2002) The two teams that advanced from Round 2 were joined by the four lowest-ranked teams from the 2000–01 European Nations Cup First Division. The six teams were divided into two pools of three teams each, again played as a single round-robin, with the winners of each pool advancing to Round 4. Pool A Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1ESP2101+142POR2101043POL2101−14 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 4 May 2002 POL 27–15 ESP Warsaw, Poland 18 May 2002 POR 39–26 POL Jamor, Portugal 2 June 2002 ESP 34–21 POR Madrid, Spain Pool B Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1RUS2200+8162CZE2101+2343NED2002−1042 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 5 May 2002 CZE 18–37 RUS Prague, Czech Republic 21 May 2002 NED 12–54 CZE Amsterdam, Netherlands 1 June 2002 RUS 65–3 NED Monino, Russia Round 4 (September–October 2002) In Round 4, the two teams that advanced from Round 3 were joined by the two remaining teams from the 2000–01 European Nations Cup First Division, as well as Ireland and Italy. The six teams were divided into two pools of three teams each, which were again played as a single round-robin. The top two teams from each pool qualified directly for the Rugby World Cup, while the bottom team from each pool advanced to Round 5. Pool A Italy qualified for the Rugby World Cup as Europe 2 and were placed in Pool D, while Romania qualified as Europe 3 and were placed in Pool A. Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1ITA2200+5562ROM2101+5343ESP2002−1082 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 22 September 2002 ESP 3–50 ITA Valladolid, Spain 28 September 2002 ITA 25–17 ROM Parma, Italy 5 October 2002 ROM 67–6 ESP Iași, Romania Pool B Ireland qualified for the Rugby World Cup as Europe 1 and were placed in Pool A, while Georgia qualified as Europe 4 and were placed in Pool C. Pos Team Pld W D L +/− Pts1IRE2200+8162GEO 19902101−4543RUS2002−362 Date Home team Score Away team Venue 21 September 2002 RUS 3–35 IRE Krasnoyarsk, Russia 28 September 2002 IRE 63–14 GEO 1990 Dublin, Ireland 13 October 2002 GEO 1990 17–13 RUS Tbilisi, Georgia Round 5 (October–November 2002) The two teams that advanced from Round 4 played a two-legged tie. The winners advanced to the repechage. Date Home team Score Away team Venue 27 October 2002 ESP 3–36 RUS Madrid, Spain 24 November 2002 RUS 22–38 ESP Krasnodar, Russia Russia won 58–41 on aggregate. However, after it was determined they used ineligible South African players, they were ejected from the competition and Spain advanced to Repechage.Russia frozen out of World Cup over illegal South Africans AAP Sports News 23 January 2003 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-71224045.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110516184003/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-71224045.html 16 May 2011 HighBeam Research subscription Australia usurped Bibliography 21 December 2014 Rugby Europe Championship; European Nations Cup – Third Division / 2003 Rugby World Cup – European qualification http://www.rugbyarchive.net/compseasons/149?Stagione=2000%2F01 The Rugby Archive 28 February 2022 live https://web.archive.org/web/20220228145750/http://www.rugbyarchive.net/compseasons/149?Stagione=2000%2F01 28 February 2022 References 2003 European Category:2000–01 in European rugby union Category:2001–02 in European rugby union