After kicking-off their campaign in France the Welsh team will return to the Millennium Stadium on 15 September to face the 1999 World Cup winners Australia. The top Asian qualifiers, probably Japan, will be Wales’ next opponents five days later, also in Cardiff, before another trip to Nantes to face the runners-up from the Oceania group, featuring Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, on 29 September.
The Millennium Stadium will also host the Pool B qualifier between the Oceanic and the American qualifiers on 16 September and a quarter-final on 6 October. Although Wales will stage a quarter-final, the Welsh side will not feature in it. The match will be between the winners of Pool C and runners-up in Pool D.
New Zealand are the favourites to win Pool C, which could mean a return to Wales and the Millennium Stadium for both Graham Henry and Steve Hansen, while host nation France will have to beat both Argentina and Ireland to take top spot in Pool D.
If Wales qualify for the quarter-finals from Pool B then they will play in Marseille. If they top the Pool they will play the runners-up of Pool A – probably England or South Africa – and if they end up in second place they will play at the same venue the following day against the Pool A winners.
“We are very happy with the draw, two big home games and two away matches in Nantes, which is not a million miles away,” said Wales team manager Alan Phillips. “The home matches will help the public to feel a part of the tournament and hopefully ensure that they get behind us like only the Welsh fans can.
“For the last World Cup we went over to Canberra twice well in advance of the team, to get to know the local people and to get in early nominating our training venues and sorting out travel and boarding arrangements, and we will be doing that again once the RBS Six Nations Championship is over.
“If we keep playing the way we are, the public will get right behind us and that will be good for everybody and to the benefit of Welsh Rugby. As much as we can do at this early stage, we are very much looking forward to the competition, although it’s very difficult for anyone to think past Scotland at the moment.”
WRU chairman David Pickering was in Paris for the launch of the 2007 RWC fixture schedule on Monday and is delighted with the outcome.
“When Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup we signed contracts with our co-hosts that committed them to giving us a slice of the action when they staged the tournament in the future,” said Pickering. “The deal we have fashioned with the French is a great one for Wales and Welsh rugby. Despite the change in the way the IRB is going to distribute the profits from the tournament in 2007 compared to 1999, the WRU is guaranteed considerably more than the £4m we gave the FFR in 1999 and maybe up to as much as £10m if we progress in the tournament and fill the Millennium Stadium.
“As part of the deal with the FFR, we will be playing a home friendly against France in the build-up to the 2007 tournament. A capacity crowd for that great occasion will guarantee us a net return of £2m+, while the IRB is guaranteeing £3m to each of the eight founder members for participating.
“We also have a profit share scheme on gate receipts for the matches we stage at the Millennium Stadium which could add considerably to that figure.
“It all adds up to a great deal for our national game and one which will enable us to enhance our spot at all levels.
“We have a great opportunity through the deal we have put in place with the FFR to ensure that Welsh rugby benefits hugely from the 2007 Rugby World Cup. That has to be a major objective for the WRU.”
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007 SCHEDULE
07 September: France v Americas 1, Stade de France (Pool D)
08 September: England v Americas 3, Lens (Pool A)
Australia v Asia, Lyon (Pool B)
New Zealand v Europe 1, Marseille (Pool C)
09 September: Ireland v Africa, Bordeaux (Pool D)
Wales v Americas 2, Nantes (Pool B)
South Africa v Oceania 1, Parc des Princes (Pool A)
Scotland v Repechage 1, St Etienne (Pool C)
11 September: Americas 1 v Europe 3, Lyon (Pool D)
12 September: Europe 1 v Europe 2, Marseille (Pool C)
America 3 v Repechage 2, Montpellier (Pool A)
Asia v Oceania 2, Toulouse (Pool B)
14 September: England v South Africa, Stade de France (Pool A)
15 September: Ireland v Europe 3, Bordeaux (Pool D)
Wales v Australia, Cardiff (Pool B)
New Zealand v Repechage 1, Lyon (Pool C)
16 September: Oceania 2 v Americas 2, Cardiff (Pool B)
Oceania 1 v Repechage 2, Montpellier (Pool A)
France v Africa, Toulouse (Pool D)
18 September: Scotland v Europe 2, Edinburgh (Pool C)
19 September: Europe 1 v Repechage 1, Parc des Princes (Pool C)
20 September: Wales v Asia, Cardiff (Pool B)
21 September: France v Ireland, Stade de France (Pool D)
22 September: South Africa v Repechage 2, Lens (Pool A)
Americas 1 v Africa, Marseille (Pool D)
England v Oceania 1, Nantes (Pool A)
23 September: Scotland v New Zealand, Edinburgh (Pool C)
Australia v Oceania 2, Montpellier (Pool B)
25 September: Americas 2 v Asia, Bordeaux (Pool B)
Europe 2 v Repechage 1, Toulouse (Pool C)
26 September: Europe 3 v Africa, Lens (Pool D)
Oceania 1 v Americas, 3 St Etienne (Pool A)
28 September: England v Repechage 2, Parc des Princes (Pool A)
29 September: Australia v Americas 2, Bordeaux (Pool B)
Wales v Oceania 2, Nantes (Pool B)
Scotland v Europe 1, St Etienne (Pool C)
New Zealand v Europe 2, Toulouse (Pool C)
30 September: France v Europe 3, Marseille (Pool D)
South Africa v Americas 3, Montpellier (Pool A)
Ireland v Americas 1, Parc des Princes (Pool D)
06 October: QF1: W Pool B v RU Pool A, Marseille
QF2: W Pool C v RU Pool D, Cardiff
07 October: QF3: W Pool A v RU Pool B, Marseille
QF4: W Pool D v RU Pool C, Stade de France
13 October: SF1: W QF1 v W QF2, Stade de France
14 October: SF2: W QF3 v W QF4, Stade de France
19 October: 3rd place play-off, Parc des Princes
20 October: Final, Stade de France
*Fixtures, dates and times are subject to late change
