It took until the very last of 40 pool stage games for the quarterfinalist to be confirmed in a match that had two winners and one loser.

Portugal heroically won their first game in a Rugby World Cup, defeating Fiji 24 to 23 in Toulouse. But Fiji gained a vital bonus point for losing by seven or fewer, thus advancing to a quarter-final against England. For the Wallabies, there would be no lottery win-style escape. After a week of waiting, they were put out of their misery, crashing out of the Rugby Union World Cup before the quarter-finals for the first time.