Eddie Jones believes the structure of the Rugby World Cup 2027 could open the door for more surprises. And he should know better than most what an upset can look like. Speaking on Tuesday, the Japan head coach said the schedule for next year’s tournament in Australia gives smaller nations a genuine and fair chance to challenge rugby’s traditional powerhouses.
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World Rugby recently released the full fixture list for the Rugby World Cup 2027. Which will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 24 teams. One of the biggest changes is the spacing between matches. Every team will have roughly six days to recover and prepare between games, a move Jones says levels the playing field in a way previous tournaments did not.
The competition will kick off on Friday, October 1, 2027, with hosts Australia taking on tournament debutants Hong Kong at Perth Stadium. From Jones’ perspective, the schedule reflects lessons learned from past World Cups, including Japan’s famous run in 2015. When he was in charge of the Brave Blossoms.
That year, Japan produced one of the greatest shocks in rugby history by beating South Africa in Brighton. But the celebration was short-lived. Just four days later, they were back on the road, preparing to face Scotland.
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Rugby World Cup: Jones Says Fairer Recovery Time Changes World Cup Equation
Exhausted and undercooked, Japan lost that match, and their campaign ultimately ended in the pool stage despite the historic win. I remember in 2015 we beat South Africa, and we were on the bus the next day getting ready to play Scotland, Jones recalled. That’s hard going. You don’t really get time to recover physically or mentally.
Now in his second stint as Japan coach, Jones feels the 2027 setup is far more reasonable. We’ve got six days between every game, which is a fair preparation period, he said. I think it’s pretty equitable for all teams. From what I can see, they’ve done a good job with it.
Japan has been drawn into a challenging pool alongside France, Samoa, and the United States. It is a mix that offers both danger and opportunity. France will arrive as one of the tournament’s favorites, while Samoa is always capable of upsetting more established sides. The USA, meanwhile, represents a growing rugby nation with increasing physicality and ambition.
Japan will begin its campaign against Samoa before taking on France and then finishing its pool matches against the Americans. Jones knows his team will need to be at their best from the opening whistle. But he believes the schedule allows them to properly build momentum rather than simply survive from game to game.
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Rugby World Cup Final: Japan Chase Consistency After World Cup Swings
Japan’s recent World Cup history shows both how far they have come and how fragile progress can be. As hosts in 2019, they thrilled home crowds by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, beating Ireland and Scotland along the way. It was a landmark achievement that suggested Japan had moved from plucky outsiders to genuine contenders.
However, four years later in France, they were unable to repeat that success and failed to advance beyond the pool stage. Jones is realistic about where his team stands heading into 2027, but he is also characteristically ambitious.
We’ve got to work a little bit harder to get better, he said. That’s the reality. Other teams are improving all the time, so we can’t stand still. When asked about Japan’s goals for the tournament, Jones refused to put a ceiling on expectations. Where do we want to finish? We want to go as high as we can, he said. There’s no limit to where we want to finish.
The only limit is how much hard work we’re prepared to do. For Jones, the combination of a fairer schedule and Japan’s willingness to push themselves creates the possibility of another memorable World Cup moment. Upsets, he argues, are not just about belief or tactics, but also about recovery, preparation, and giving players the chance to perform at their peak.
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