England face Tonga first in 2019 World Cup
Thursday 2 November 2017 11:07, UK
England will face Tonga in their first game of Pool C in the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The Pool C encounter will take place in Sapporo on September 22.
Pool A rivals Ireland and Scotland play each other in the first match, also on September 22, in Yokohama, while in Pool D Wales go up against Georgia at the City of Toyota Stadium on September 23.
England then play the United States in Kobe, followed by Argentina on October 5 in Tokyo and then France in their final Pool C fixture seven days later in Yokohama.
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The Sapporo Dome, venue for England's first match, opened ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and has a capacity of just over 40,000.
"Rugby World Cup 2019 will be a brilliant experience for rugby supporters who travel to Japan," said England head coach Eddie Jones.
"Our aim is to win Rugby World Cup 2019, and the support for the team will be an important factor.
"We hope to see as many England fans as possible getting behind us in Japan as we try to achieve our ultimate goal, while also enjoying the atmosphere in what will be a fantastic tournament."
The opening round of pool fixtures also features a heavyweight clash between reigning world champions New Zealand and their Rugby Championship rivals South Africa.
Wales' potentially-pivotal Pool D encounter against Australia, who they face in an autumn Test series opener next week, takes place in Tokyo on September 29.
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Warren Gatland - who steps down as head coach after the tournament - will then prepare his side to face Fiji in Oita on October 9, followed by a qualifier from the Americas group at Kumamoto Stadium four days later.
After tackling Ireland, Scotland meet the yet to be decided play-off winners in Kobe on September 30, then go to Shizuoka to tackle the Europe 1 qualifier before facing Japan on October 13.
Ireland go up against the host nation in Shizuoka on September 28, then they take on a European qualifier in Kobe five days later, followed by the play-off winner at Fukuoka Stadium on October 12.
The tournament's 48 games will be spread across 12 host cities, with each venue hosting a minimum of two matches.
Yokohama's International Stadium stages four pool matches, in addition to both semi-finals, and then the final on November 2, 2019.
Games will kick off no later than 7.45pm local time, while no tier two team will play against a tier one-ranked nation following a short rest period.
