Ireland miss out on top seeding for 2023 Rugby World Cup draw

The decision was made by the game’s governing body to base the pool draw on the world rankings as of January 1, 2020

The Ireland team ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup clash with Japan. A quarter-final defeat by New Zealand has meant Ireland will be in band 2 when the draw is made for the 2023 tournament. Picture: INPHO/Jayne Russell

Ireland’s hopes of earning a top-tier seeding for December’s World Cup 2023 pool draw were dashed on Friday as World Rugby issued its rankings for the Paris ceremony.

The decision by the game’s governing body to based the pool draw on the world rankings as of January 1, 2020, rather than post this November’s international Test window means Ireland will continue to pay the price for World Cup 2019 failure at the next tournament.