2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D

Main article: 2023 Rugby World Cup

Pool D of the 2023 Rugby World Cup began on 9 September 2023 and concluded on 8 October 2023. The pool included 2003 champions and 2019 runner-ups England, previous hosts Japan, and Argentina. They are joined by Samoa, the winner of the Oceania 1 qualifier, and tournament debutants Chile (Americas 2).^[1] England topped the group and Argentina placed second, thus allowing both teams to progress.

Teams

Pos.	Team	Band	Confederation	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	Apps.	Last	Previous best performance	World Rugby Rankings[2]
									1 January 2020[nb 1]	4 September 2023
D1	England	1	Europe	Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool	5 October 2019	10th	2019	Winners (2003)	3	8
D2	Japan	2	Asia	Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool	5 October 2019	10th	2019	Quarter-finals (2019)	8	14
D3	Argentina	3	South America	Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool	9 October 2019	10th	2019	Third place (2007)	10	6
D4	Samoa	4[nb 2]	Oceania	Oceania 1	17 July 2021	9th	2019	Quarter-finals (1991, 1995)	15[nb 2]	12
D5	Chile	5[nb 3]	South America	Americas 2	16 July 2022	1st	—		29[nb 3]	22

Notes

1. The rankings of 1 January 2020 were used for seeding for the final draw.
2. As the identity of the Oceania 1 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 4.^[3]
3. As the identity of the Americas 2 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 5.^[3]

Overview

In the opening match of Pool D, England defeated Argentina by 27–10. Despite losing Tom Curry to a red card for a dangerous head-to-head with Juan Cruz Mallía, England went over the line courtesy of a player-of-the-match performance from George Ford who scored three drop goals and six penalties, with Argentina's Rodrigo Bruni scoring the only try of the match.^[4] Japan faced debutants Chile the following day, in which Japan came out winners in a score of 42–12 despite the best efforts of Chile in their first World Cup appearance.^[5] After a six day rest, Samoa played their first match of the pool against Chile in which they came out with a 43–10 bonus-point victory in Bordeaux.^[6] The next day, England secured a bonus point victory over Japan in a 34–12 win.^[7]

On 22 September, Argentina defeated Samoa with a scoreline of 19–10, with Emiliano Boffelli securing a converted try and 3 penalties, earning him player of the match. The result left the group finely poised and lifted hopes of progression to the knockout stage for Argentina.^[8] The next day, England moved on to the brink of qualifying for the knockout stage, after defeating Chile with a scoreline of 71–0 with Henry Arundell earning player of the match having scored five tries in the match. Chile were officially eliminated from the tournament following the result.^[9] As Pool D began to near its conclusion, Japan faced Samoa on 28 September in a match of high stakes for both sides. Tries from Lappies Labuschagné, Michael Leitch and Kazuki Himeno secured Japan a 28–22 victory over the Samoans to boost their hopes of progression to the knockout stage, while officially securing England's place who were thus confirmed to top the pool. Samoa, who lost Ben Lam to a red card for an upright tackle, were left requiring a victory in their final match against England to have a chance at progression.^[10] Two days later, on 30 September, Chile played their last match of their first ever Rugby World Cup against Argentina in Nantes in what was the first ever meeting between two South American sides in a World Cup. The Argentinians raced to a 59–5 victory over the Chileans, scoring eight tries along with strong kicking from Nicolás Sánchez and Santiago Carreras to set up a showdown with Japan on the final matchday to decide who would join England in the quarter-finals.

On 7 October, England played their final match of the pool against Samoa in Villeneuve-d'Ascq. Despite a valiant effort from the Samoans, who scored two tries through Nigel Ah Wong, England edged the match 18–17 thanks to a Danny Care try in the 73rd minute. That gave England a clean sweep of wins from Pool D and qualification for the quarter-finals; it also eliminated any hope of Samoa progressing themselves, confirming Argentina and Japan as the other two qualifiers for the 2027 Rugby World Cup before their final match took place.^[11] That final match the following day would decide who would finish second and join England in the knockout stage. The high stakes match took place in Nantes, where Mateo Carreras scored a hat-trick as Argentina came out 39–27 victors in a 66-point thriller to finish second in the pool and send themselves through to the quarter-finals with England; Argentina won the match 39–27, consigning Japan to third place.^[12]

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	B	Pts	Qualification
1	England	4	4	0	0	150	39	+111	17	3	2	18	Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup
2	Argentina	4	3	0	1	127	69	+58	15	5	2	14
3	Japan	4	2	0	2	109	107	+2	12	14	1	9	Qualification to the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup
4	Samoa	4	1	0	3	92	75	+17	11	7	3	7
5	Chile	4	0	0	4	27	215	−188	4	30	0	0

Source: World Rugby
Rules for classification: Pool stage tiebreakers

Matches

England vs Argentina

9 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

England	27–10	Argentina
Pen: Ford (6/6) 10', 46', 54', 59', 66', 75' Drop: Ford (3/3) 27', 31', 37'	Report	Try: Bruni 79' c Con: Boffelli (1/1) 80' Pen: Boffelli (1/2) 5'

Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 63,118 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)[13]

England

Argentina

FB 15 Freddie Steward RW 14 Jonny May OC 13 Joe Marchant IC 12 Manu Tuilagi  69' LW 11 Elliot Daly FH 10 George Ford  76' SH 9 Alex Mitchell  59' N8 8 Ben Earl OF 7 Tom Curry  3' BF 6 Courtney Lawes (c)  65' RL 5 Ollie Chessum  59' LL 4 Maro Itoje TP 3 Dan Cole  50' HK 2 Jamie George  72' LP 1 Ellis Genge  54' Replacements: HK 16 Theo Dan  72' PR 17 Joe Marler  54' PR 18 Will Stuart  50' LK 19 George Martin  59' FL 20 Lewis Ludlam  66' SH 21 Danny Care  59' FH 22 Marcus Smith  76' CE 23 Ollie Lawrence  69' Coach: Steve Borthwick

FB 15 Juan Cruz Mallía 3' to 10' RW 14 Emiliano Boffelli OC 13 Lucio Cinti IC 12 Santiago Chocobares LW 11 Mateo Carreras  63' FH 10 Santiago Carreras  10' SH 9 Gonzalo Bertranou  69' N8 8 Juan Martín González  59' OF 7 Marcos Kremer BF 6 Pablo Matera RL 5 Tomás Lavanini  50' LL 4 Matías Alemanno  40' TP 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela  63' HK 2 Julián Montoya (c)  69' LP 1 Thomas Gallo  50'  69' Replacements: HK 16 Agustín Creevy  69' PR 17 Joel Sclavi  50'  69' PR 18 Eduardo Bello  63' LK 19 Guido Petti  40' LK 20 Pedro Rubiolo  50' FL 21 Rodrigo Bruni  59' SH 22 Lautaro Bazán  69' CE 23 Matías Moroni  3'  10'  63' Coach: Michael Cheika

Player of the Match: George Ford (England)[14] Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)[13] Pierre Brousset (France)[13] Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa)[13]

Notes:

• Tom Curry became the first England player to be sent off at a Rugby World Cup. It was also the fastest red card in a World Cup match, and the first ever to be issued at the tournament via the World Rugby foul play review process (a system introduced in August 2023, during the Summer Nations Series).^[15]

Japan vs Chile

10 September 2023 13:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Japan	42–12	Chile
Try: Fakatava (2) 8' c, 40+1' c Naikabula 30' c Leitch 53' c Nakamura 71' c Dearns 79' c Con: Matsuda (6/6) 10', 31', 40+2', 54', 73', 80+1'	Report	Try: Fernández 6' c A. Escobar 48' m Con: Videla (1/2) 7'

Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 30,187 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)[13]

Japan

Chile

FB 15 Semisi Masirewa  56' RW 14 Kotaro Matsushima OC 13 Dylan Riley  46' IC 12 Ryōto Nakamura LW 11 Jone Naikabula  63' FH 10 Rikiya Matsuda SH 9 Yutaka Nagare (c)  61' N8 8 Jack Cornelsen OF 7 Kanji Shimokawa  50' BF 6 Michael Leitch RL 5 Amato Fakatava  55' LL 4 Amanaki Saumaki TP 3 Koo Ji-won HK 2 Atsushi Sakate  50' LP 1 Keita Inagaki  58' Replacements: HK 16 Shōta Horie  50' PR 17 Craig Millar  58' PR 18 Asaeli Ai Valu LK 19 Warner Dearns  55' FL 20 Shota Fukui  50' SH 21 Naoto Saitō  61' CE 22 Tomoki Osada  63' WG 23 Lomano Lemeki  56' Coach: Jamie Joseph

FB 15 Iñaki Ayarza RW 14 Santiago Videla OC 13 Domingo Saavedra IC 12 Nicolás Garafulic LW 11 Franco Velarde  29'  35'  56' FH 10 Rodrigo Fernández SH 9 Marcelo Torrealba N8 8 Alfonso Escobar OF 7 Raimundo Martínez  58' BF 6 Martín Sigren (c)  37' RL 5 Javier Eissman  56' LL 4 Clemente Saavedra  65' TP 3 Matías Dittus  24'  68' HK 2 Diego Escobar  58' LP 1 Javier Carrasco Replacements: HK 16 Augusto Böhme  58' PR 17 Salvador Lues PR 18 Iñaki Gurruchaga  29'  35'  68' LK 19 Pablo Huete  65' LK 20 Santiago Pedrero  56' FL 21 Ignacio Silva  58' SH 22 Lukas Carvallo CE 23 José Ignacio Larenas  56' Coach: Pablo Lemoine

Player of the Match: Amato Fakatava (Japan)[16] Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England)[13] Andrea Piardi (Italy)[13] Television match official: Tom Foley (England)[13]

Notes:

• This was the first ever meeting between these two nations.
• This was Chile's first game at a Rugby World Cup.^[17]
• Keita Inagaki (Japan) earned his 50th test cap.^[18]
• Kazuki Himeno was originally named in the starting line-up for Japan, but withdrew prior to the match due to a calf injury. He was replaced in the back row by Jack Cornelsen, whose initial position in the second row was taken by Amanaki Saumaki, while the captaincy was handed over to Yutaka Nagare.^[19]

Samoa vs Chile

16 September 2023 15:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Samoa	43–10	Chile
Try: Paia'aua 40+1' c Taumateine 42' m Lee 47' m Malolo (2) 52' c, 80+1' c Con: Leali'ifano (2/4) 40+2', 53' Sopoaga (1/1) 80+2' Pen: Leali'ifano (4/4) 4', 10', 14', 36'	Report	Try: Dittus 6' c Con: Videla (1/1) 7' Pen: Garafulic (1/1) 30'

Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Attendance: 39,291 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)[13]

Samoa

Chile

FB 15 Duncan Paia'aua RW 14 Danny Toala  64' OC 13 Ulupano Seuteni  6' IC 12 Tumua Manu  56' LW 11 Nigel Ah Wong FH 10 Christian Leali'ifano SH 9 Jonathan Taumateine  54' N8 8 Steve Luatua  58' OF 7 Fritz Lee BF 6 Taleni Seu RL 5 Theo McFarland LL 4 Chris Vui  58' TP 3 Michael Alaalatoa (c)  54' HK 2 Seilala Lam  41' LP 1 James Lay  54' Replacements: HK 16 Sama Malolo  41' PR 17 Jordan Lay  54' PR 18 Paul Alo-Emile  54' LK 19 Sam Slade  58' FL 20 Jordan Taufua  58' SH 21 Ere Enari  64'  54' FH 22 Lima Sopoaga  56' WG 23 Ed Fidow  64' Coach: Seilala Mapusua

FB 15 Iñaki Ayarza RW 14 Santiago Videla  22' OC 13 Domingo Saavedra IC 12 Matías Garafulic LW 11 José Larenas FH 10 Rodrigo Fernández SH 9 Marcelo Torrealba  62' N8 8 Raimundo Martínez  41' OF 7 Clemente Saavedra  74' BF 6 Martín Sigren (c) RL 5 Santiago Pedrero  54' LL 4 Pablo Huete  41' TP 3 Matías Dittus  70'  74' HK 2 Tomás Dussaillant  41'  64' LP 1 Javier Carrasco  41' Replacements: HK 16 Diego Escobar  41'  64' PR 17 Salvador Lues  41' PR 18 Esteban Inostroza  71'  70' LK 19 Javier Eissman  41' FL 20 Alfonso Escobar  63'  41' FL 21 Ignacio Silva  54' SH 22 Benjamín Videla  62' CE 23 Pablo Casas  22' Coach: Pablo Lemoine

Player of the Match: Theo McFarland (Samoa)[20] Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia)[13] James Doleman (New Zealand)[13] Television match official: Brett Cronan (Australia)[13]

Notes:

• This was the first ever meeting between these two nations.^[21]
• Benjamín Videla (Chile) made his international debut.^[22]

England vs Japan

17 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) England	34–12	Japan
Try: Ludlam 24' c Lawes 56' c Steward 66' c Marchant 80+1' c Con: Ford (4/4) 26', 56', 67', 80+1' Pen: Ford (2/3) 4', 42'	Report	Pen: Matsuda (4/4) 15', 23', 32', 54'

Allianz Riviera, Nice Attendance: 30,500 Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)[13]

England

Japan

FB 15 Freddie Steward  69' RW 14 Jonny May OC 13 Joe Marchant IC 12 Manu Tuilagi  69' LW 11 Elliot Daly FH 10 George Ford SH 9 Alex Mitchell  60' N8 8 Lewis Ludlam  51' OF 7 Ben Earl BF 6 Courtney Lawes (c) 63' to 73' RL 5 Ollie Chessum  74' LL 4 Maro Itoje TP 3 Kyle Sinckler  51' HK 2 Jamie George  74' LP 1 Joe Marler  60' Replacements: HK 16 Theo Dan  74' PR 17 Ellis Genge  60' PR 18 Will Stuart  51' LK 19 George Martin  63'  73'  74' N8 20 Billy Vunipola  51' SH 21 Ben Youngs  60' FH 22 Marcus Smith  69' CE 23 Ollie Lawrence  69' Coach: Steve Borthwick

FB 15 Semisi Masirewa  7' RW 14 Kotaro Matsushima OC 13 Tomoki Osada IC 12 Ryōto Nakamura LW 11 Jone Naikabula  50' FH 10 Rikiya Matsuda SH 9 Yutaka Nagare  65' N8 8 Kazuki Himeno (c) OF 7 Lappies Labuschagné  74' BF 6 Michael Leitch RL 5 Amato Fakatava  62' LL 4 Jack Cornelsen TP 3 Koo Ji-won  41' HK 2 Shōta Horie  62' LP 1 Keita Inagaki  50' Replacements: HK 16 Atsushi Sakate  62' PR 17 Craig Millar  50' PR 18 Asaeli Ai Valu  41' LK 19 Warner Dearns  62' FL 20 Kanji Shimokawa  74' SH 21 Naoto Saitō  65' CE 22 Dylan Riley  50' WG 23 Lomano Lemeki  7' Coach: Jamie Joseph

Player of the Match: George Ford (England)[23] Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia)[13] Andrea Piardi (Italy)[13] Television match official: Joy Neville (Ireland)[13]

Notes:

• This was the first match between England and Japan at a Rugby World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987, when the two nations met in the pool stages.^[24][25]

Argentina vs Samoa

22 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

Argentina	19–10	Samoa
Try: Boffelli 9' c Con: Boffelli (1/1) 10' Pen: Boffelli (3/4) 25', 34', 54' Sánchez (1/1) 80'	Report	Try: Malolo 75' c Con: Leuila (1/1) 75' Pen: Leali'ifano (1/3) 28'

Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne Attendance: 38,358 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)[13]

Argentina

Samoa

FB 15 Juan Cruz Mallía RW 14 Emiliano Boffelli OC 13 Matías Moroni  71' IC 12 Santiago Chocobares LW 11 Mateo Carreras FH 10 Santiago Carreras  67' SH 9 Gonzalo Bertranou  67' N8 8 Juan Martín González  56' OF 7 Marcos Kremer BF 6 Pablo Matera RL 5 Matías Alemanno  61' LL 4 Guido Petti TP 3 Eduardo Bello  43' HK 2 Julián Montoya (c)  73' LP 1 Thomas Gallo  80' Replacements: HK 16 Agustín Creevy  73' PR 17 Mayco Vivas  80' PR 18 Francisco Gómez Kodela  43' LK 19 Pedro Rubiolo  61' FL 20 Rodrigo Bruni  56' SH 21 Tomás Cubelli  67' FH 22 Nicolás Sánchez  67' CE 23 Lucio Cinti  71' Coach: Michael Cheika

FB 15 Duncan Paia'aua  1'  58' RW 14 Nigel Ah Wong OC 13 Ulupano Seuteni  49' IC 12 Tumua Manu LW 11 Ben Lam FH 10 Christian Leali'ifano SH 9 Jonathan Taumateine N8 8 Steven Luatua  60' OF 7 Fritz Lee BF 6 Theo McFarland RL 5 Chris Vui (c) LL 4 Brian Alainu'uese  55' TP 3 Paul Alo-Emile  55' HK 2 Seilala Lam  56' LP 1 James Lay  55' Replacements: HK 16 Sama Malolo  56' PR 17 Charlie Faumuina  55' PR 18 Michael Alaalatoa  55' LK 19 Taleni Seu  55' FL 20 Jordan Taufua  60' SH 21 Melani Matavao CE 22 D'Angelo Leuila  49' FB 23 Danny Toala  58' Coach: Seilala Mapusua

Player of the Match: Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina)[26] Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)[13] Jordan Way (Australia)[13] Television match official: Brett Cronan (Australia)[13]

Notes:

• Ben Lam (Samoa) made his international debut.^[27]

England vs Chile

23 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) England	71–0	Chile
Try: Arundell (5) 20' m, 30' m, 48' c, 60' c, 69' m Dan (2) 24' c, 45' c Rodd 35' c Smith (2) 40' c, 77' c Willis 80' c Con: Farrell (8/11) 25', 36', 40+2', 46', 49', 62', 78', 80+1'	Report

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 44,315 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)[13]

England

Chile

FB 15 Marcus Smith RW 14 Henry Arundell OC 13 Elliot Daly  50' IC 12 Ollie Lawrence LW 11 Max Malins  71' FH 10 Owen Farrell (c) SH 9 Danny Care  50' N8 8 Billy Vunipola  67' OF 7 Jack Willis BF 6 Lewis Ludlam  55' RL 5 George Martin LL 4 David Ribbans TP 3 Kyle Sinckler  55' HK 2 Theo Dan  55' LP 1 Bevan Rodd  55' Replacements: HK 16 Jack Walker  55' PR 17 Joe Marler  55' PR 18 Will Stuart  55' LK 19 Ollie Chessum  55' FL 20 Ben Earl  67' SH 21 Ben Youngs  50' FH 22 George Ford  50' CE 23 Joe Marchant  71' Coach: Steve Borthwick

FB 15 Francisco Urroz RW 14 Cristobal Game OC 13 Domingo Saavedra IC 12 Matías Garafulic  78' LW 11 Franco Velarde  63' FH 10 Rodrigo Fernández SH 9 Benjamín Videla N8 8 Alfonso Escobar  63' OF 7 Ignacio Silva  41' BF 6 Martín Sigren (c) RL 5 Javier Eissman  62' LL 4 Clemente Saavedra TP 3 Matías Dittus  44'  63'  77' HK 2 Augusto Böhme  56' LP 1 Salvador Lues  56' Replacements: HK 16 Tomás Dussaillant  56' PR 17 Vittorio Lastra  56' PR 18 Iñaki Gurruchaga  63'  77' LK 19 Pablo Huete  62' FL 20 Thomas Orchard  63' FL 21 Raimundo Martínez  41' SH 22 Lukas Carvallo  78' FB 23 Iñaki Ayarza  63' Coach: Pablo Lemoine

Player of the Match: Henry Arundell (England)[28] Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France)[13] Andrea Piardi (Italy)[13] Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa)[13]

Notes:

• This was the first ever meeting between these two nations.
• England recorded their first ever clean sheet in a World Cup match.
• With five tries, Henry Arundell equalled the England record for most tries scored by one player in a test match (shared with Douglas Lambert, Josh Lewsey and Rory Underwood).^[29]

Japan vs Samoa

28 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Japan	28–22	Samoa (1 BP)
Try: Labuschagné 13' c Leitch 32' c Himeno 48' m Con: Matsuda (2/3) 15', 33' Pen: Matsuda (3/3) 28', 56', 75'	Report	Try: S. Lam 38' m Paia'aua 65' c Leali'ifano 78' c Con: Leali'ifano (2/3) 66', 79' Pen: Leuila (1/2) 25'

Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 31,794 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)[13]

Japan

Samoa

FB 15 Lomano Lemeki RW 14 Kotaro Matsushima OC 13 Dylan Riley IC 12 Ryōto Nakamura  75' LW 11 Jone Naikabula  41'  47' FH 10 Rikiya Matsuda  77' SH 9 Naoto Saitō  75' N8 8 Kazuki Himeno (c) OF 7 Lappies Labuschagné 47' to 58' BF 6 Michael Leitch  75' RL 5 Amato Fakatava LL 4 Jack Cornelsen  63' TP 3 Koo Ji-won  47' HK 2 Shōta Horie  37'  58' LP 1 Keita Inagaki  47' Replacements: HK 16 Atsushi Sakate  41'  47'  58' PR 17 Craig Millar  47' PR 18 Asaeli Ai Valu  47' LK 19 Warner Dearns  47'  58'  63' FL 20 Kanji Shimokawa  75' SH 21 Kenta Fukuda  75' FH 22 Lee Seung-sin  77' CE 23 Tomoki Osada  75' Coach: Jamie Joseph

FB 15 Duncan Paia'aua RW 14 Ed Fidow  73' OC 13 Tumua Manu IC 12 D'Angelo Leuila  33' LW 11 Ben Lam  47' FH 10 Christian Leali'ifano SH 9 Jonathan Taumateine  32'  58' N8 8 Jordan Taufua  58' OF 7 Fritz Lee (c) BF 6 Taleni Seu  5' RL 5 Theo McFarland LL 4 Steven Luatua TP 3 Paul Alo-Emile  51' HK 2 Seilala Lam  51' LP 1 James Lay  51' Replacements: HK 16 Sama Malolo  51' PR 17 Jordan Lay  51' PR 18 Michael Alaalatoa  51' LK 19 Brian Alainu'uese  5' FL 20 Alamanda Motuga  58' SH 21 Melani Matavao  58' WG 22 Neria Fomai  73' FB 23 Danny Toala  33' Coach: Seilala Mapusua

Player of the Match: Lomano Lemeki (Japan)[30] Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)[13] Craig Evans (Wales)[13] Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa)[13]

Notes:

• Kenta Fukuda (Japan) made his international debut.^[31]
• Yutaka Nagare was originally named in the starting line-up for Japan, but withdrew prior to the match due to injury. He was replaced by Naoto Saitō, whose place on the bench was taken by Kenta Fukuda.^[32]
• Chris Vui was originally named in the starting line-up for Samoa as captain, but withdrew prior to the match due to injury. He was replaced by Steven Luatua, whose place on the bench was taken by Brian Alainu'uese, while the captaincy was transferred to Fritz Lee.^[32]

Argentina vs Chile

30 September 2023 15:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Argentina	59–5	Chile
Try: Sánchez 9' c González (2) 16' c, 68' c Creevy 23' c Bogado 46' c Isgro 64' c Ruiz 77' c S. Carreras 79' c Con: Sánchez (6/6) 10', 17', 24', 47', 65', 69' S. Carreras (2/2) 78', 80+1' Pen: Sánchez (1/1) 13'	Report	Try: Dussaillant 73' m

Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes Attendance: 33,963 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)[13]

Argentina

Chile

FB 15 Martín Bogado RW 14 Rodrigo Isgro  26' OC 13 Lucio Cinti 12' to 23' IC 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente (c) LW 11 Juan Imhoff  62' FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez  77' SH 9 Tomás Cubelli  47' N8 8 Facundo Isa OF 7 Marcos Kremer  51' BF 6 Juan Martín González RL 5 Pedro Rubiolo LL 4 Guido Petti  62' TP 3 Eduardo Bello  47' HK 2 Agustín Creevy  55' LP 1 Joel Sclavi  62' Replacements: HK 16 Ignacio Ruiz  55' PR 17 Mayco Vivas  62' PR 18 Francisco Gómez Kodela  47' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  51' FL 20 Joaquín Oviedo  62' SH 21 Lautaro Bazán  47' FH 22 Santiago Carreras  77' FB 23 Juan Cruz Mallía  12'  23'  62' Coach: Michael Cheika

FB 15 Iñaki Ayarza  65' RW 14 Santiago Videla OC 13 Domingo Saavedra IC 12 Matías Garafulic LW 11 José Larenas  78' FH 10 Rodrigo Fernández SH 9 Marcelo Torrealba  69' N8 8 Raimundo Martínez OF 7 Clemente Saavedra BF 6 Martín Sigren (c) RL 5 Javier Eissman  69' LL 4 Santiago Pedrero  62' TP 3 Matías Dittus  65' HK 2 Augusto Böhme  55' LP 1 Javier Carrasco  47'  71' Replacements: HK 16 Tomás Dussaillant  55' PR 17 Salvador Lues  47'  71' PR 18 Esteban Inostroza  65' LK 19 Augusto Sarmiento  69' FL 20 Alfonso Escobar  78' FL 21 Ignacio Silva  62' SH 22 Nicolás Herreros  69' FB 23 Francisco Urroz  65' Coach: Pablo Lemoine

Player of the Match: Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina)[33] Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland)[34] Chris Busby (Ireland)[34] Television match official: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)[13]

Notes:

• This was the first ever meeting between these two nations at a Rugby World Cup, and the first meeting between any two South American teams in the competition.^[35]
• Nicolás Sánchez became the second Argentine rugby player to earn 100 test caps.^[36]

England vs Samoa

7 October 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

England	18–17	Samoa (1 BP)
Try: Chessum 9' m Care 73' c Con: Farrell (1/2) 74' Pen: Farrell (2/3) 18', 58'	Report	Try: Ah Wong (2) 22' c, 29' c Con: Sopoaga (2/2) 24', 30' Pen: Sopoaga (1/2) 48'

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 47,891 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)[13]

England

Samoa

FB 15 Freddie Steward RW 14 Joe Marchant OC 13 Manu Tuilagi  58' IC 12 Owen Farrell (c) LW 11 Jonny May FH 10 George Ford  51' SH 9 Alex Mitchell  66' N8 8 Ben Earl OF 7 Tom Curry 45' to 55'  74' BF 6 Courtney Lawes  59' RL 5 Ollie Chessum LL 4 Maro Itoje TP 3 Dan Cole  48' HK 2 Jamie George LP 1 Ellis Genge  55' Replacements: HK 16 Theo Dan PR 17 Joe Marler  55' PR 18 Kyle Sinckler  48' LK 19 George Martin  59' N8 20 Billy Vunipola  45'  55'  74' SH 21 Danny Care  66' FH 22 Marcus Smith  51' CE 23 Ollie Lawrence  58' Coach: Steve Borthwick

FB 15 Duncan Paia'aua RW 14 Nigel Ah Wong OC 13 Tumua Manu  66' IC 12 Danny Toala  65' LW 11 Neria Fomai FH 10 Lima Sopoaga SH 9 Jonathan Taumateine  62' N8 8 Steven Luatua OF 7 Fritz Lee  62' BF 6 Theo McFarland RL 5 Brian Alainu'uese LL 4 Sam Slade  58' TP 3 Michael Alaalatoa (c)  58' HK 2 Sama Malolo  62' LP 1 Jordan Lay  58' Replacements: HK 16 Seilala Lam  62' PR 17 James Lay  58' PR 18 Paul Alo-Emile  58' N8 19 So'otala Fa'aso'o FL 20 Alamanda Motuga  62' SH 21 Melani Matavao  62' FH 22 Christian Leali'ifano  65' FL 23 Miracle Faiʻilagi  58' Coach: Seilala Mapusua

Player of the Match: Lima Sopoaga (Samoa)[37] Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)[13] Chris Busby (Ireland)[13] Television match official: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)[13]

Notes:

• Owen Farrell became England's all-time top points scorer, breaking the previous record of 1,179 points which was held by Jonny Wilkinson.^[38]
• This was the only match at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in which the Player of the Match was selected from the losing team.^[39]

Japan vs Argentina

8 October 2023 13:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Japan	27–39	Argentina (1 BP)
Try: Fakatava 16' c Saitō 38' c Naikabula 65' c Con: Matsuda (3/3) 17', 39', 67' Pen: Matsuda (1/1) 52' Drop: Lemeki (1/1) 56'	Report	Try: Chocobares 2' c M. Carreras (3) 28' m, 46' c, 68' c Boffelli 58' c Con: Boffelli (3/4) 2', 47', 60' Sánchez (1/1) 70' Pen: Boffelli (1/2) 35' Sánchez (1/1) 75'

Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes Attendance: 33,624 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)[13]

Japan

Argentina

FB 15 Lomano Lemeki RW 14 Kotaro Matsushima  60' OC 13 Dylan Riley IC 12 Ryōto Nakamura  70' LW 11 Siosaia Fifita FH 10 Rikiya Matsuda SH 9 Naoto Saitō N8 8 Kazuki Himeno (c) OF 7 Lappies Labuschagné  23'  70' BF 6 Michael Leitch RL 5 Amato Fakatava  51' LL 4 Jack Cornelsen TP 3 Koo Ji-won  43' HK 2 Shōta Horie  48' LP 1 Keita Inagaki  48' Replacements: HK 16 Atsushi Sakate  48' PR 17 Craig Millar  48' PR 18 Asaeli Ai Valu  43' LK 19 Warner Dearns  51' LK 20 Amanaki Saumaki  70' SH 21 Kenta Fukuda CE 22 Ryohei Yamanaka  70' WG 23 Jone Naikabula  60' Coach: Jamie Joseph

FB 15 Juan Cruz Mallía RW 14 Emiliano Boffelli OC 13 Lucio Cinti  70' IC 12 Santiago Chocobares LW 11 Mateo Carreras FH 10 Santiago Carreras  59' SH 9 Gonzalo Bertranou  59' N8 8 Juan Martín González OF 7 Marcos Kremer BF 6 Pablo Matera  24' RL 5 Tomás Lavanini  48' LL 4 Guido Petti TP 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela  43'  70' HK 2 Julián Montoya (c)  78' LP 1 Thomas Gallo  67' Replacements: HK 16 Agustín Creevy  78' PR 17 Joel Sclavi  67' PR 18 Eduardo Bello  43'  70' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  24' LK 20 Pedro Rubiolo  48' SH 21 Lautaro Bazán  59' FH 22 Nicolás Sánchez  59' CE 23 Matías Moroni  70' Coach: Michael Cheika

Player of the Match: Mateo Carreras (Argentina)[40] Assistant referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand)[13] James Doleman (New Zealand)[13] Television match official: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)[13]