2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches - Uruguay vs Argentina XV - 07

The 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches were a series of

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

test matches that took place in August and September 2015, as the 20 competing teams prepared for the

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

. For most teams, their preparation kicked off in August after various training camps before the squad announcement deadline date of 31 August. Uruguay were the first to begin their warm-up campaign at the start of August, playing three tests: first against an Argentina XV, and then a two-test series against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, before playing an uncapped match against a Basque Selection team.

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and reigning Six Nations champions

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

followed suit a week later, with the first game of a home and away series, after which Wales played

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, just days after they announced their final World Cup team. Hosts

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

played a home and away test series against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

before they played Ireland in London. Both Ireland and France played

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

at home, while Scotland played a home and away test series against the

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

. With a reduced

2015 Rugby Championship The 2015 Rugby Championship was the fourth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The 2015 Championship was a shorter competition than normal, with ...

, participants

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

hosted

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, while reigning World Cup champions

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

hosted

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

for the second

Bledisloe Cup The Bledisloe Cup is an annual rugby union competition originally staged between the national teams of Australia's Wallabies and New Zealand's All Blacks that has been contested since the 1930s. The frequency that the competition is held has va ...

match of 2015. En route to the World Cup, the Wallabies stopped off in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to play their national team for the first time on American soil since 1976. The

also hosted English club side Harlequins, while they also faced

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in Ottawa. Canada additionally hosted

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

champions

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

, before they faced

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

at a neutral venue in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, which also hosted Georgia's encounter with

. Glasgow's Scottish counterparts

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, faced

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, who also took on

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

for just their second time in their history. Aside from Harlequins, other English clubs faced international opposition, when

Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...

faced Georgia,

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

faced Argentina,

Yorkshire Carnegie Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 1. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when it j ...

played Romania and

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. T ...

hosted

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. Samoa were the first international rugby union team to play at the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

in London, when they faced the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

, with most of that team haven played for a

World XV A World XV is a rugby union team organised on an unofficial, ''ad hoc'' basis and typically composed of invited players from various countries. Several World XVs have been arranged by various bodies, often to take part in celebration and testimoni ...

side against Japan a week earlier.

Fixtures

Week 1

Notes: * Uruguay awarded caps for this match. * This was Uruguay's first ever victory over Argentina, despite it not being a full test match.

Week 2

Notes: *

Gareth Anscombe Gareth Anscombe is a rugby union player who plays for the Wales national rugby union team. He primarily plays at fly-half but can also play as a fullback. Anscombe, who currently plays for the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship, is the s ...

, Kristian Dacey,

Dominic Day Dominic Day (born 22 August 1985) is a Welsh rugby union player. Early life Born in Haverfordwest, Day grew up in Lamphey, two miles east of Pembroke. He attended Pembroke School, where he participated in track and field, competing for Wales S ...

Ross Moriarty Ross Moriarty (born 18 April 1994) is an international rugby union player, who currently plays for Dragons RFC and Wales as a flanker. Personal life Moriarty was born in St Helens, Merseyside while his father, former Wales international Paul ...

Tyler Morgan Tyler Morgan (born 11 September 1995) is a Welsh rugby union player for Biarritz Olympique in the Pro D2. Morgan's primary position is Outside Centre. On 26 December 2014, Morgan signed a National Dual Contract with the WRU and the Dragons. On ...

and

Eli Walker Eli Walker (born 28 March 1992) is a Welsh retired international rugby union player who played for the Ospreys as a winger. He previously played for Swansea. Career Walker first broke into the Ospreys team during the 2011–12 Pro12 season, st ...

(all Wales) made their international debuts. * Mike Ross (Ireland) earned his 50th test cap. * No replacement was issued when Tommy O'Donnell was taken off injured in the 75th minute.

Week 3

---- Notes: *

Richie McCaw Richard Hugh McCaw (born 31 December 1980) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captained the national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 test matches, and won two Rugby World Cups. He has won the World Rugby ...

surpassed Ireland's

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

world record as the most capped rugby player, with 142 caps. *

David Pocock David Willmer Pocock (born 23 April 1988) is an Australian politician and former professional rugby union player. Raised in Gweru, Zimbabwe, Pocock moved to Australia as a teenager and played for the Australia national rugby team. He played p ...

(Australia) earned his 50th test cap. * New Zealand retained the

. ---- ---- Notes: * Jack Conan, Nathan White (both Ireland), Hugh Blake and Michael Cusack (both Scotland) made their international debuts. ---- Notes: *

Sam Burgess Samuel Burgess (born 14 December 1988) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or forward in the 2000s and 2010s. He played in England for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League and in Australia for the Sout ...

Calum Clark Calum Clark (born 10 June 1989 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham) is a former professional rugby union player who played for Saracens. His primary position was Openside Flanker. Early life and education Clark is the only son of Jane Clar ...

Luke Cowan-Dickie Luke Anthony Cowan-Dickie (born 20 June 1993) is an English professional rugby union player for Exeter Chiefs in the English Premiership. He plays primarily as a hooker but can also play prop. Club career Cowan-Dickie has previously been dual- ...

and

Henry Slade Henry Slade (1835–1905) was a famous fraudulent medium who lived and practiced in both Europe and North America. Biography Slade was most well known as a slate-writing medium. During his séances he would place a small slate with a piece ...

(England) made their international debuts. *

François Trinh-Duc François Trinh-Duc (; born 11 November 1986) is a French rugby union player for Union Bordeaux Bègles in France's top division of rugby union, the Top 14. Trinh-Duc's regular position is at fly-half or inside centre. Biography Trinh-Duc was b ...

(France) earned his 50th test cap. * This was the 100th match contested between England and France. ---- Notes: * Santiago García Botta (Argentina) made his international debut.

Week 4

---- Notes: * This was Japan's first ever win over Uruguay. ---- Notes: * Carlo Canna,

Marcello Violi Marcello Violi (born 11 October 1993) is an Italian rugby union player. His usual position is as a Scrum-half, and he currently plays for Valorugby Emilia. Under contract with Calvisano, for 2014–15 Pro12 season, he named like ''Permit Player' ...

(both Italy), John Hardie,

Damien Hoyland Damien Hoyland (born 11 January 1994) is a Scottish rugby union player who is signed to Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby. Age grade rugby The James Gillespie's HS former pupil represented Scotland under-17 as well as Edinburgh at under-1 ...

Rory Hughes Rory Hughes (born 4 March 1993) is a Scottish people, Scottish rugby union player who recently played for Glasgow Warriors at the Rugby union positions#14. & 11. Wing, Wing or Rugby union positions#15. Full-back, Full-back positions. Rugby union ...

Stuart McInally and

WP Nel Willem Petrus Nel (born 30 April 1986) is a Scottish rugby union player. He plays as a prop for Edinburgh Rugby in the United Rugby Championship and represents Scotland in international rugby. He previously played for Free State Cheetahs, Western ...

(all Scotland) made their international debuts; Nel was the first

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...

project player to be capped. * Grant Gilchrist was due to captain Scotland, but pulled out of the game prior to kick off due to illness. Jim Hamilton took his place in the starting XV, with hooker Kevin Bryce filling the vacated bench place. * This Scottish win ended their six-match losing streak. ---- Notes: *

Jamie George Jamie Edward George (born 20 October 1990) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Saracens and the England national team. Early life George played for local team Hertford Rugby Foo ...

(England) made his international debut. *

Frédéric Michalak Frédéric Michalak (born 16 October 1982) is a former French rugby union footballer. His early career was spent playing for his hometown team, Toulouse, in the Top 14 and in the Heineken Cup. He moved to South Africa to play for the Sharks in ...

became France's top point scorer with 394 points, surpassing Christophe Lamaison's record of 380. ---- Notes: * Niku Kruger (United States) made his international debut. * This win saw the United States claim their third consecutive win over Canada, setting a new record for their longest winning streak against Canada. * 41 points was the most points the United States had ever scored against Canada.

Week 5

---- ---- ---- Notes: *

Tadhg Furlong Tadhg Furlong (born 14 November 1992) is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster in the Pro14 and European Rugby Champions Cup. His preferred position is tighthead prop. Internationally, Furlong has represented Ireland and, in 2017 and 2021, t ...

(Ireland) and Tomas Francis (Wales) made their international debuts. *

George North George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays for the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship and the Wales national team. He has also represented the British & Irish Lions and currently has th ...

(Wales) earned his 50th test cap, the youngest player to do so for any nation. * This was Ireland's first loss at home since their 24–22 loss to New Zealand during the 2013 end of year tests. ---- ---- Notes: * This was Scotland's largest winning margin over Italy of 41 points, surpassing the previous 38 point margin in 2003. * The 48 points was also the most points scored by Scotland over Italy. ---- ----

Week 6

Notes: *

Giorgi Nemsadze Giorgi Nemsadze is a Georgian rugby union player who plays as a lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between d ...

(Georgia) earned his 50th test cap. ---- ---- ---- ---- Notes: *

Davit Zirakashvili Davit Zirakashvili ( ka, დავით ზირაქაშვილი, born 20 September 1983) is a former Georgian rugby union player. He played most of his career for Clermont in the top French professional rugby league, the Top 14. He pla ...

(Georgia) earned his 50th test caps. ---- ---- Notes: * Florin Surugiu (Romania) earned his 50th test cap. * Paula Kinikinilau and Johan van Heerden (Romania) made their international debuts. * This was Tonga's first ever win over Romania. ---- ---- Notes: *

Chris Wyles Chris Wyles (born 13 September 1983) was an American-English rugby union player. Until his retirement from international rugby in January 2016, Wyles had represented the United States in three World Cups (2007, 2011 and 2015). He was the USA E ...

(United States) earned his 50th test cap. * Taqele Naiyaravoro and

Toby Smith Toby Grafftey-Smith (29 October 1970 – 11 April 2017), known professionally as Toby Smith, was an English musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 until his departure in 2002. Background and p ...

(both Australia) made their international debuts. ---- ----

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Cup

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Warm-up Matches 2015–16 in European rugby union 2015–16 in Japanese rugby union 2015 in Oceanian rugby union 2015 in South American rugby union 2015 in North American rugby union 2015 in South African rugby union

Fixtures

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

See also

References