Wales counting down the year until World Cup

It might be hard to believe how quickly it comes around, but Thursday marks a year to go until the men's Rugby World Cup begins in Australia.

The 2027 competition starts on 1 October in Perth with a match between Australia and Hong Kong China, with the tournament finale on 13 November in Sydney.

Wales are to feature in the second game when they open their campaign against Zimbabwe in Adelaide on 2 October.

Steve Tandy's side sit 11th in the world rankings, currently topped by reigning World Cup champions South Africa.

The tournament has expanded from 20 to 24 teams, with the number of pools rising from four to six.

All 12 teams who finished inside the top three of their pools at the 2023 World Cup - France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan - qualified automatically.

Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Tonga, Canada, United States of America, Uruguay, Chile, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong China and Samoa all earned their places through qualifying tournaments.

Wales have 12 or 13 potential matches across three blocks before they travel to Australia.

本文の著作権はBBCにあります。