Rugby fans left fuming as anticlimactic World Cup draw released

A disappointment to say the least.

First and foremost, fans are not pleased with the opening fixture, which will see Australia take on Hong Kong China in Perth.

With the popularity of the sport in Australia at a relative low point, this was a seen as a massive opportunity to pit the hosts against their group rivals New Zealand, in a mega clash between the two Rugby Championship sides.

2027 will also see the competition increase from 20 teams to 24, with six groups of four instead of four groups of five.

This means that the best teams are more spread out and there will be less high-profile games, while there are no 'big' fixtures scheduled for what the tournament has called 'Super Sunday', on October 17.

The organisers have also decided to stack days with three to four fixtures, with two longer breaks of four days between matches during the group stage.

Given the weaker groups there is also a lack of jeopardy, and a round of 16 with less exciting fixtures.

With the time difference, there are some unfortunate kick-offs for fans at home. Ireland, for example, play Uruguay at 3.45am.

Obviously a lot of these problems were known before the draw, but seeing it spelt out has left a lot of fans unhappy.