The Rugby World Cup, the premier event in women’s union 15s, is underway in New Zealand. The tournament began on October 8 and continues through November 12, 2022. Host New Zealand is the defending World Cup champion. Originally scheduled for 2021, the quadrennial competition was pushed back a year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year marks the first time the women’s tournament will be held under a gender-neutral name. In 2019, World Rugby announced that it would remove the word “women’s” from the World Cup name in order to match the non-gender-marked (men’s) World Cup.
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See below for a brief overview of the tournament format, a schedule of upcoming matches, and info on how to watch every Rugby World Cup game. This guide will continue to be updated with results and scores throughout the tournament.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup -- Full streaming/TV schedule
Fans in the United States can stream every game live on Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Some games will also air on CNBC. Here is the complete TV and streaming schedule for all upcoming matches.
Rugby World Cup Semifinal Schedule:
Friday night, November 4 into Saturday morning, October 5:
- Semifinal 1: Canada (3) vs. England (1) – 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Peacock)
- Semifinal 2: New Zealand (2) vs. France (4) – 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Peacock)
Saturday, November 5:
- Encore: Semifinal 1 – 9-11 a.m. (CNBC*)
Medal Game Schedule:
Friday night, November 11 into Saturday morning, October 12:
Saturday, November 12:
- Encore: Third Place – 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (CNBC*)
- Encore: Championship – 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (CNBC*)
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Highlights of the U.S. women’s rugby team at the World Cup
USA vs. Italy Video:
USA vs. Japan Video:
USA vs. Canada Quarterfinal Video:
Rugby World Cup Pool Results
After pool play finished, the top two teams in each group -- along with the two best third-place teams -- qualified for the quarterfinals.
Pool A:
- New Zealand (advance) - 15 points
- Australia (advance) - 8 points
- Wales (advance) - 5 points
- Scotland - 2 points
Pool B:
- Canada (advance) - 15 points
- Italy (advance) - 9 points
- United States (advance) - 5 points
- Japan - 0 points
Pool C:
- England (advance) - 14 points
- France (advance) - 11 points
- Fiji - 4 points
- South Africa - 1 point
Rugby World Cup -- Scores and Results
Friday night, October 7 into Saturday morning, October 8:
- South Africa vs. France – 9:15-11:15 p.m. (Peacock)
- France won, 40-5
- Fiji vs. England – 11:45 p.m.-1:45 a.m. (Peacock)
- England won, 84-19
- Australia vs. New Zealand – 2:15-4:15 a.m. (Peacock)
- New Zealand won, 41-17
Saturday night, October 8 into Sunday morning, October 9:
- United States vs. Italy – 7:45-9:45 p.m. (Peacock)
- Italy won, 22-10
- Japan vs. Canada – 10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m. (Peacock)
- Canada won, 41-5
- Wales vs. Scotland – 12:45-2:45 a.m. (Peacock)
- Wales won, 18-15
Friday night, October 14 into Saturday morning, October 15:
- Scotland vs. Australia – 10 p.m.-12 a.m. (Peacock)
- Australia won, 14-12
- United States vs. Japan –12:30-2:30 a.m. (Peacock)
- USA won, 30-17
- France vs. England – 3-5 a.m. (Peacock)
- England won, 13-7
Saturday, October 15 into Sunday morning, October 16:
- Italy vs. Canada – 7:45-9:45 p.m. (Peacock)
- Canada won, 22-12
- Wales vs. New Zealand – 10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m. (Peacock)
- New Zealand won, 56-12
- Fiji vs. South Africa – 12:45-2:45 a.m. (Peacock)
- Fiji won, 21-17
Friday night, October 21 into Saturday morning, October 22:
- Australia vs. Wales – 9:15-11:15 p.m. (Peacock)
- Australia won, 13-7
- New Zealand vs. Scotland – 11:45 p.m.-1:45 a.m. (Peacock)
- New Zealand won, 57-0
- France vs. Fiji – 2:15-4:15 a.m. (Peacock)
- France won, 44-0
Saturday night, October 22 into Sunday morning, October 23:
- Japan vs. Italy – 7:45-9:45 p.m. (Peacock)
- Italy won, 21-8
- Canada vs. United States – 10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m. (Peacock)
- Canada won, 29-14
- England vs. South Africa – 12:45-2:45 a.m. (Peacock)
- England won, 75-0
Quarterfinal Results:
Friday night, October 28 into Saturday morning, October 29:
- Quarterfinal: France vs. Italy – 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Peacock)
- France won, 39-3
- Quarterfinal: New Zealand vs. Wales – 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Peacock)
- New Zealand won, 55-3
Saturday night, October 29 into Sunday morning, October 30:
- Quarterfinal: England vs. Australia – 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Peacock)
- England won, 41-5
- Quarterfinal: Canada vs. United States – 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Peacock)
- Canada won, 32-11
Rugby World Cup - Tournament Format
The 12-team tournament begins with round-robin pool play. The three pools are as follows:
- Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Wales, Scotland
- Pool B: Canada, United States, Italy, Japan
- Pool C: England, France, South Africa, Fifi
After pool play, the top two teams in each group -- along with the two best third-place teams -- will advance to the quarterfinals. The tournament progresses using a single-elimination bracket format.
