Rugby World Cup down to eight teams, 4 to be named Thursday

Published Oct. 16, 2019 9:48 p.m. ET

TOKYO (AP) — And then there were eight. The Rugby World Cup gets down the quarterfinals on the weekend, and four of those teams are expected to name their 23-man squads on Thursday.

One of the most anticipated matches is the first on Saturday when England plays Australia at Oita, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) west of Tokyo. Australia has lost its last six matches to England.

New Zealand plays Ireland in the other Saturday quarterfinal at Tokyo. On Sunday, Wales plays France at Oita and Japan takes on South Africa at Tokyo.

Japan has delighted the host country with a 4-0 record in pool play, including a win over an Irish team that was ranked No. 1 before the tournament and a 28-21 win over Scotland.

The semifinals are scheduled for Yokohama on Oct. 26 and 27, with the final at the same stadium on Nov. 2.