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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Jack Rathborn

When is England's first Rugby World Cup match and what time does it start?

Eddie Jones leads England at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan with high expectations.

But Elliot Daly maintains the focus is on the opening match against Tonga. 

“Everyone wants to win the World Cup, but for us it’s just important to get out of the pool well,” Daly said.

“We’ve got USA and Tonga to start and then Argentina and France, so they’re our main focus. We need to perform well in that opening game to get off to a good start and then we can see what happens after that.

Here’s when England will begin their quest for glory in Japan. 

When will England begin their pursuit of the Webb Ellis trophy?

England kick off their Pool C fixtures against Tonga. 

The game will take place on September 22 at 11:15 BST.

When does the tournament start? 

The opening match is on Friday, September 20 when Japan open the tournament against Russia. The match will start at 11:45 BST. 

Eddie Jones takes his England team through their final training session in Miyazaki (Getty)

Where can I watch in the UK?

You can watch each game on ITV, while Independent Sport will have you covered with live blogs if you’re on the move or at your desk. Who is playing and what are the pools? 

There are 20 teams competing in Japan and they are divided into four pools, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals. 

Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa

Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Namibia, Canada

Pool C: England, France, Argentina, United States, Tonga

Pool D: Australia, Wales, Georgia, Fiji, Uruguay

The favourites

New Zealand 5/4

South Africa 4/1

England 4/1

Ireland 9/1

Wales 9/1

Australia 12/1

France 33/1 

Argentina 40/1

Scotland 50/1 

Japan 150/1

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