The pool draw for the 2015 World Cup in England will take place in London on Tuesday (NZT):
* The 20-team competition will comprise four pools, each containing five countries
* Seedings are based on International Rugby Board world rankings, with teams divided into five tiers of four
* Tier one is New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and France
* Tier two is England, Ireland, Samoa and Argentina
* Tier three is Wales, Italy, Tonga and Scotland
* Tier four is Oceania 1, Europe 1, Asia 1 and Americas 1
* Tier five is Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Repechage winner
* The identity of tier four and five countries will be confirmed after World Cup qualifying games
* A tier one country will be drawn into each of the four pools, followed by one from tier two, tier three, etc
* The trademark 'pool of death' is likely to be the one that includes Wales, who were World Cup semi-finalists in New Zealand last year
* The top two teams in each pool will progress to the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals
* The top three teams in each pool will secure automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in Japan
* The competition will run from September 18 to October 31, 2015, with Twickenham hosting the final.
NZN