2003 Rugby World Cup Pool B Explained

Pool B was one of four pools at the 2003 Rugby World Cup into which the 20 participating teams were divided. The pool included 1999 quarter-finalists France and Scotland, who both qualified automatically having reached the quarter-finals of the 1999 tournament, along with Fiji, the United States and Japan.^[1]

Teams

width=175px	Team	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	data-sort-type="number"			Previous best performance	IRB World Ranking (6 October 2003)
style=white-space:nowrap			16 October 1999	5th		Runners-up (1987, 1999)	5
style=white-space:nowrap			20 October 1999	5th		Fourth place (1991)	9
style=white-space:nowrap			28 June 2002^[2]	4th		Quarter-finals (1987)	11
style=white-space:nowrap			27 April 2003^[3]	4th		Pool stage (1987, 1991, 1999)	14
style=white-space:nowrap			14 July 2002	5th		Pool stage (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999)	18

Standings

In the quarter-finals:

• The winners of Pool B advanced to play the runners-up of Pool A.
• The runners-up of Pool B advanced to play the winners of Pool A.

Matches

France vs Fiji

FB 15 Nicolas Brusque RW 14 Aurélien Rougerie OC 13 Tony Marsh IC 12 Yannick Jauzion LW 11 Christophe Dominici FH 10 Frédéric Michalak SH 9 Fabien Galthié (c) N8 8 Imanol Harinordoquy OF 7 Olivier Magne BF 6 Serge Betsen RL 5 Jérôme Thion LL 4 Fabien Pelous TP 3 Jean-Baptiste Poux HK 2 Raphaël Ibañez LP 1 Jean-Jacques Crenca Replacements: HK 16 Yannick Bru PR 17 Olivier Milloud LK 18 Olivier Brouzet N8 19 Christian Labit FH 20 Gérald Merceron CE 21 Damien Traille WG 22 Pépito Elhorga Coach: Bernard Laporte

FB 15 Norman Ligairi RW 14 Vilimoni Delasau OC 13 Aisea Tuilevu IC 12 Seru Rabeni LW 11 Rupeni Caucaunibuca FH 10 Nicky Little SH 9 Mosese Rauluni N8 8 Alifereti Doviverata (c) OF 7 Kitione Salawa BF 6 Sisa Koyamaibole RL 5 Apenisa Naevo LL 4 Ifereimi Rawaqa TP 3 Joeli Veitayaki HK 2 Greg Smith LP 1 Richard Nyholt Replacements: HK 16 Bill Gadolo PR 17 Nacanieli Seru LK 18 Kele Leawere LK 19 Vula Maimuri SH 20 Samisoni Rabaka FH 21 Waisale Serevi WG 22 Marika Vunibaka Coach: Mac McCallion

----

Scotland vs Japan

FB 15 Ben Hinshelwood RW 14 Chris Paterson OC 13 Andy Craig IC 12 James McLaren LW 11 Kenny Logan FH 10 Gordon Ross SH 9 Bryan Redpath (c) N8 8 Jon Petrie OF 7 Simon Taylor BF 6 Jason White RL 5 Stuart Grimes LL 4 Scott Murray TP 3 Bruce Douglas HK 2 Robbie Russell LP 1 Tom Smith Replacements: HK 16 Gordon Bulloch PR 17 Gavin Kerr FL 18 Ross Beattie FL 19 Martin Leslie SH 20 Mike Blair FH 21 Gregor Townsend WG 22 Simon Danielli Coach: Ian McGeechan

FB 15 Tsutomu Matsuda RW 14 Daisuke Ohata OC 13 Reuben Parkinson IC 12 Yukio Motoki LW 11 Hirotoki Onozawa FH 10 Keiji Hirose SH 9 Takashi Tsuji N8 8 Takeomi Ito OF 7 Takuro Miuchi (c) BF 6 Naoya Okubo RL 5 Adam Parker LL 4 Hajime Kiso TP 3 Masahiko Toyoyama HK 2 Masao Amino LP 1 Shin Hasegawa Replacements: PR 16 Masahito Yamamoto HK 17 Masaaki Sakata LK 18 Hiroyuki Tanuma FL 19 Yasunori Watanabe SH 20 Yuji Sonoda FH 21 Andrew Miller WG 22 Toru Kurihara Coach: Shogo Mukai

----

Fiji vs United States

FB 15 Alfred Uluinayau RW 14 Marika Vunibaka OC 13 Aisea Tuilevu IC 12 Seru Rabeni LW 11 Vilimoni Delasau FH 10 Nicky Little SH 9 Mosese Rauluni N8 8 Alifereti Doviverata (c) OF 7 Koli Sewabu BF 6 Alfie Mocelutu RL 5 Apenisa Naevo LL 4 Ifereimi Rawaqa TP 3 Joeli Veitayaki HK 2 Greg Smith LP 1 Nacanieli Seru Replacements: HK 16 Bill Gadolo PR 17 Richard Nyholt LK 18 Vula Maimuri FL 19 Sisa Koyamaibole FH 20 Waisale Serevi CE 21 Epeli Ruivadra FB 22 Norman Ligairi Coach: Mac McCallion

FB 15 Paul Emerick RW 14 David Fee OC 13 Philip Eloff IC 12 Kain Cross LW 11 Riaan van Zyl FH 10 Mike Hercus SH 9 Kevin Dalzell N8 8 Dan Lyle OF 7 Dave Hodges (c) BF 6 Kort Schubert RL 5 Luke Gross LL 4 Alec Parker TP 3 Dan Dorsey HK 2 Kirk Khasigian LP 1 Mike MacDonald Replacements: HK 16 Matt Wyatt PR 17 John Tarpoff LK 18 Gerhard Klerck FL 19 Jurie Gouws SH 20 Kimball Kjar CE 21 Salesi Sika FB 22 John Buchholz Coach: Tom Billups

----

France vs Japan

FB 15 Clément Poitrenaud RW 14 Aurélien Rougerie OC 13 Tony Marsh IC 12 Damien Traille LW 11 Christophe Dominici FH 10 Frédéric Michalak SH 9 Fabien Galthié (c) N8 8 Christian Labit OF 7 Olivier Magne BF 6 Serge Betsen RL 5 Olivier Brouzet LL 4 Fabien Pelous TP 3 Jean-Baptiste Poux HK 2 Yannick Bru LP 1 Olivier Milloud Replacements: HK 16 Raphaël Ibañez PR 17 Jean-Jacques Crenca LK 18 David Auradou FL 19 Sébastien Chabal FH 20 Gérald Merceron CE 21 Yannick Jauzion WG 22 Pépito Elhorga Coach: Bernard Laporte

FB 15 Toru Kurihara RW 14 Daisuke Ohata OC 13 George Konia IC 12 Hideki Nanba LW 11 Hirotoki Onozawa FH 10 Andrew Miller SH 9 Yuji Sonoda N8 8 Takeomi Ito OF 7 Takuro Miuchi (c) BF 6 Naoya Okubo RL 5 Adam Parker LL 4 Hiroyuki Tanuma TP 3 Ryō Yamamura HK 2 Masaaki Sakata LP 1 Shin Hasegawa Replacements: PR 16 Masahito Yamamoto HK 17 Masao Amino LK 18 Koichi Kubo FL 19 Ryota Asano SH 20 Takashi Tsuji CE 21 Yukio Motoki FB 22 Takashi Yoshida Coach: Shogo Mukai

----

Scotland vs United States

FB 15 Glenn Metcalfe RW 14 Simon Danielli OC 13 Andy Craig IC 12 Andrew Henderson LW 11 Chris Paterson FH 10 Gregor Townsend SH 9 Mike Blair N8 8 Jon Petrie OF 7 Simon Taylor BF 6 Ross Beattie RL 5 Stuart Grimes LL 4 Nathan Hines TP 3 Gavin Kerr HK 2 Gordon Bulloch (c) LP 1 Tom Smith Replacements: HK 16 Robbie Russell PR 17 Bruce Douglas LK 18 Jason White FL 19 Martin Leslie SH 20 Bryan Redpath CE 21 Ben Hinshelwood WG 22 Kenny Logan Coach: Ian McGeechan

FB 15 Paul Emerick RW 14 David Fee OC 13 Philip Eloff IC 12 Kain Cross LW 11 Riaan van Zyl FH 10 Mike Hercus SH 9 Kevin Dalzell N8 8 Dan Lyle OF 7 Dave Hodges (c) BF 6 Kort Schubert RL 5 Luke Gross LL 4 Alec Parker TP 3 Dan Dorsey HK 2 Kirk Khasigian LP 1 Mike MacDonald Replacements: HK 16 Matt Wyatt PR 17 Richard Liddington FL 18 Jurie Gouws FL 19 Oloseti Fifita SH 20 Kimball Kjar WG 21 Jason Keyter FH 22 Link Wilfley Coach: Tom Billups

----

Fiji vs Japan

FB 15 Norman Ligairi RW 14 Aisea Tuilevu OC 13 Epeli Ruivadra IC 12 Seru Rabeni LW 11 Vilimoni Delasau FH 10 Waisale Serevi SH 9 Samisoni Rabaka N8 8 Alfie Mocelutu OF 7 Koli Sewabu BF 6 Alifereti Doviverata RL 5 Emori Katalau LL 4 Kele Leawere TP 3 Isaia Rasila HK 2 Greg Smith LP 1 Nacanieli Seru Replacements: HK 16 Bill Gadolo PR 17 Joeli Veitayaki FL 18 Sisa Koyamaibole LK 19 Vula Maimuri SH 20 Mosese Rauluni FH 21 Nicky Little WG 22 Marika Vunibaka Coach: Mac McCallion

FB 15 Tsutomu Matsuda RW 14 Daisuke Ohata OC 13 Reuben Parkinson IC 12 Yukio Motoki LW 11 Hirotoki Onozawa FH 10 Andrew Miller SH 9 Takashi Tsuji N8 8 Takeomi Ito OF 7 Takuro Miuchi (c) BF 6 Naoya Okubo RL 5 Adam Parker LL 4 Hajime Kiso TP 3 Masahiko Toyoyama HK 2 Masaaki Sakata LP 1 Masahito Yamamoto Replacements: PR 16 Shin Hasegawa HK 17 Masao Amino LK 18 Koichi Kubo FL 19 Ryota Asano SH 20 Yuji Sonoda CE 21 George Konia WG 22 Toru Kurihara Coach: Shogo Mukai

----

France vs Scotland

FB 15 Nicolas Brusque RW 14 Aurélien Rougerie OC 13 Tony Marsh IC 12 Yannick Jauzion LW 11 Christophe Dominici FH 10 Frédéric Michalak SH 9 Fabien Galthié N8 8 Imanol Harinordoquy OF 7 Olivier Magne BF 6 Serge Betsen RL 5 Jérôme Thion LL 4 Fabien Pelous TP 3 Sylvain Marconnet HK 2 Raphaël Ibañez LP 1 Jean-Jacques Crenca Replacements: HK 16 Yannick Bru PR 17 Olivier Milloud LK 18 Olivier Brouzet FL 19 Patrick Tabacco FH 20 Gérald Merceron CE 21 Damien Traille WG 22 Pépito Elhorga Coach: Bernard Laporte

FB 15 Glenn Metcalfe RW 14 Chris Paterson OC 13 Andy Craig IC 12 Andrew Henderson LW 11 Kenny Logan FH 10 Gregor Townsend SH 9 Bryan Redpath N8 8 Cameron Mather OF 7 Simon Taylor BF 6 Jason White RL 5 Stuart Grimes LL 4 Scott Murray TP 3 Gavin Kerr HK 2 Gordon Bulloch LP 1 Tom Smith Replacements: HK 16 Robbie Russell PR 17 Bruce Douglas LK 18 Nathan Hines FL 19 Ross Beattie SH 20 Mike Blair CE 21 James McLaren WG 22 Simon Danielli Coach: Ian McGeechan

----

Japan vs United States

FB 15 Tsutomu Matsuda RW 14 Daisuke Ohata OC 13 George Konia IC 12 Yukio Motoki LW 11 Toru Kurihara FH 10 Andrew Miller SH 9 Yuji Sonoda N8 8 Takeomi Ito OF 7 Takuro Miuchi (c) BF 6 Naoya Okubo RL 5 Hajime Kiso LL 4 Adam Parker TP 3 Masahiko Toyoyama HK 2 Masao Amino LP 1 Shin Hasegawa Replacements: PR 16 Masahito Yamamoto HK 17 Masaaki Sakata LK 18 Koichi Kubo N8 19 Yuya Saito SH 20 Takashi Tsuji CE 21 Hideki Nanba WG 22 Hirotoki Onozawa Coach: Shogo Mukai

FB 15 Paul Emerick RW 14 David Fee OC 13 Philip Eloff IC 12 Salesi Sika LW 11 Riaan van Zyl FH 10 Mike Hercus SH 9 Kevin Dalzell N8 8 Dan Lyle OF 7 Dave Hodges BF 6 Kort Schubert RL 5 Luke Gross LL 4 Gerhard Klerck TP 3 Dan Dorsey HK 2 Kirk Khasigian LP 1 Mike MacDonald Replacements: HK 16 Matt Wyatt PR 17 Jacob Waasdorp LK 18 Jurie Gouws FL 19 Oloseti Fifita SH 20 Kimball Kjar WG 21 Jason Keyter FB 22 John Buchholz Coach: Tom Billups

----

France vs United States

FB 15 Clément Poitrenaud RW 14 Pépito Elhorga OC 13 Brian Liebenberg IC 12 Damien Traille LW 11 David Bory FH 10 Gérald Merceron SH 9 Dimitri Yachvili N8 8 Christian Labit OF 7 Patrick Tabacco BF 6 Sébastien Chabal RL 5 Olivier Brouzet (c) LL 4 David Auradou TP 3 Jean-Baptiste Poux HK 2 Yannick Bru LP 1 Olivier Milloud Replacements: HK 16 Raphaël Ibañez PR 17 Sylvain Marconnet LK 18 Jérôme Thion FL 19 Olivier Magne FH 20 Frédéric Michalak CE 21 Yannick Jauzion WG 22 Aurélien Rougerie Coach: Bernard Laporte

FB 15 John Buchholz RW 14 David Fee OC 13 Philip Eloff IC 12 Salesi Sika LW 11 Riaan van Zyl FH 10 Mike Hercus SH 9 Kevin Dalzell N8 8 Dan Lyle OF 7 Dave Hodges (c) BF 6 Kort Schubert RL 5 Luke Gross LL 4 Alec Parker TP 3 Dan Dorsey HK 2 Kirk Khasigian LP 1 Mike MacDonald Replacements: HK 16 Matt Wyatt PR 17 Jacob Waasdorp LK 18 Gerhard Klerck FL 19 Jurie Gouws FH 20 Matt Sherman WG 21 Jason Keyter SH 22 Mose Timoteo Coach: Tom Billups

----

Scotland vs Fiji

FB 15 Glenn Metcalfe RW 14 Simon Danielli OC 13 Gregor Townsend IC 12 Andrew Henderson LW 11 Kenny Logan FH 10 Chris Paterson SH 9 Bryan Redpath (c) N8 8 Simon Taylor OF 7 Cameron Mather BF 6 Ross Beattie RL 5 Stuart Grimes LL 4 Nathan Hines TP 3 Bruce Douglas HK 2 Gordon Bulloch LP 1 Tom Smith Replacements: HK 16 Robbie Russell PR 17 Gordon McIlwham FL 18 Jason White N8 19 Jon Petrie SH 20 Mike Blair CE 21 James McLaren CE 22 Ben Hinshelwood Coach: Ian McGeechan

FB 15 Norman Ligairi RW 14 Aisea Tuilevu OC 13 Epeli Ruivadra IC 12 Seru Rabeni LW 11 Rupeni Caucaunibuca FH 10 Nicky Little SH 9 Mosese Rauluni N8 8 Vula Maimuri OF 7 Koli Sewabu BF 6 Alifereti Doviverata (c) RL 5 Ifereimi Rawaqa LL 4 Apenisa Naevo TP 3 Isaia Rasila HK 2 Greg Smith LP 1 Joeli Veitayaki Replacements: PR 16 Nacanieli Seru N8 17 Setareki Tawake FL 18 Sisa Koyamaibole FL 19 Kitione Salawa SH 20 Jacob Rauluni CE 21 Isa Nacewa WG 22 Vilimoni Delasau Coach: Mac McCallion

Notes and References

1. News: World Cup schedule . BBC Sport . 28 April 2003 . 2 September 2023 .
2. News: Samoa and Fiji book World Cup places . BBC Sport . 29 June 2002 . 5 October 2023 .
3. News: US reach World Cup . BBC Sport . 28 April 2003 . 5 October 2023 .