Australia’s 2015 World Cup preparations will be well tested on their end-of-season European tour in November with coach Ewen McKenzie trying to replicate their potential campaign for the Webb Ellis trophy as much as possible.
McKenzie’s side will play five matches on five successive weekends, which includes clashes against World Cup Pool A opponents England and Wales.
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They will also face Six Nations winners Ireland and northern hemisphere heavyweights France on the tour.
In a possible nod to their pool schedule at the 2015 World Cup they open this year’s tour on November 1 against an invitational Barbarians side before embarking on the tests against Wales, France,Ireland and England on successive weekends.
Australia face a qualifier from Oceania, which is likely to be the hard-running Fiji side, in Cardiff in their first match in the 2015 global showpiece.
They play Wales and England in their final two pool matches in 2015 and if they qualify for the quarterfinals will need to win three tense knockout games to become the first side to claim the Webb Ellis trophy for a third time.
“With the rugby World Cup just a year away in England, we have scheduled five games against five teams that will bring a different style to each,” McKenzie said in an Australian Rugby Unionstatement.
“We’ve got England and Wales in our pool for the rugby World Cup and big improvers in Franceand Ireland, who just won the Six Nations. That will be a good challenge for us.
“We’ll also get a chance to play two games at Twickenham the venue where two of our pool games will take place as part of a tour that should help further our preparations ahead of the World Cup.”
AUSTRALIA END OF YEAR TOUR ITINERARY:
- 1 Nov v Barbarians, London
- 8 Nov v Wales, Cardiff
- 15 Nov v France, Paris
- 22 Nov v Ireland, Dublin
- 29 Nov v England, London