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The 2008 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, the Pacific Islanders and Canada tour the northern hemisphere. The tour ended with the traditional 'final challenge' Barbarians match, against Australia, which was the first rugby union Test at the new Wembley Stadium. New Zealand and Australia also contested a Bledisloe Cup match outside of either country for the first time; the match was played in Hong Kong with the hope of raising rugby's profile in China.
The test matches took on added significance, with seedings for the 2011 Rugby World Cup draw to take place on 1 December at stake. For the first time in the history of the Rugby World Cup, the International Rugby Board used the IRB World Rankings to seed teams in the World Cup draw. Teams will be assigned to four-strong seeding pots based on their rankings; each team within a pot will be drawn into a different pool for the World Cup finals.
New Zealand recorded a second straight grand slam tour.
| Team/Tour | Opponents |
|---|---|
| Argentina in Europe |  France (lost) –  Italy (won) –  Ireland (lost) |
| Australia in Hong Kong and Europe |  New Zealand (lost) – Italy (won) –  England (won) – France (won) –  Wales (lost) |
| New Zealand in Hong Kong and Europe |  Australia (won) –  Scotland (won) – Ireland (won) – Wales (won) – England (won) |
| South Africa in Great Britain | Wales (won) – Scotland (won) – England (won) |
| Pacific Islands in Europe | England (lost) – France (lost) – Italy (won) |
| United States in Japan |  Japan (2 matches lost) |
| Canada in Europe |  Portugal (won) – Ireland (lost) – Wales (lost) – Scotland (lost) |
| Georgia in Scotland | Scotland A (lost) |
| 1 November 2008 16:30 HKT (UTC+08) |
| Australia | 14–19 | New Zealand |
| Try: Mitchell (2) 7' c, 27' c Con: Giteau (2) | (Report) | Try: Sivivatu 42' m McCaw 63' m Pen: Carter (3) 14', 24', 32' |
| Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong Attendance: 39,000 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland) |
| 8 November 2008 15:00 CET/GMT+01 (UTC+01) |
| Italy | 20–30 | Australia |
| Try: Mi. Bergamasco 30' m Pen: Marcato (2) 7', 12' Orquera (2) 53', 60' Drop: Marcato 26' | (Report) | Try: Turner 9' m Cooper 73' c Con: Giteau Pen: Mortlock 3' Giteau (5) 18', 39', 48', 51', 78' |
| Stadio Euganeo, Padua Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) |
| 8 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| England | 39–13 | Pacific Islanders |
| Try: Sackey (2) 14' c, 75' m Cipriani 37' c Kennedy 44' c Mears 68' c Con: Cipriani (4) Pen: Cipriani (2) 10', 32' | (Report) | Try: Rabeni 15' c Con: Hola Pen: Hola 40' Bai 56' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 55,427 Referee: Matt Goddard (Australia) |
| 8 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Wales | 15–20 |  South Africa |
| Pen: Halfpenny 29' Hook (4) 57', 59', 63', 73' | (Report) | Try: Jacobs 6' c De Villiers 52' c Con: Pienaar (2) Pen: Pienaar (2) 9', 37' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,119 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
| 8 November 2008 17:15 IST/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Ireland | 55–0 |  Canada |
| Try: Earls 3' c Kearney (2) 13' c, 35' c Heaslip 30' c Bowe (2) 40' c, 80' m D. Wallace 68' c Quinlan 80' m Con: O'Gara (5) P. Wallace Pen: O'Gara 7' | (Report) |
| Thomond Park, Limerick Attendance: 21,500 Referee: Christophe Berdos (France) |
| 8 November 2008 17:15 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Scotland | 6–32 | New Zealand |
| Pen: Paterson (2) 2', 22' | (Report) | Try: Tuitavake 8' c Weepu 26' m Kahui 41' c Boric 73' c Con: Donald (2) Carter Pen: Donald (2) 5', 19' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 51,511 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
| 8 November 2008 21:00 CET/GMT+01 (UTC+01) |
| France | 12–6 |  Argentina |
| Pen: Skrela (2) 29', 79' Baby 32' Drop: Skrela 11' | (Report) | Pen: Contepomi (2) 27', 36' |
| Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 57,300 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) |
- Kaplan, who went into the match sharing the record for most Tests as referee (46) with Paul Honiss of New Zealand, took sole possession of the record. He replaced the injured Steve Walsh as referee for this match.
| 14 November 2008 |
| Scotland A | 69–3 |  Georgia |
| Try: Vernon (2) Evans McMillan Brown Dewey Webster Walker Henderson (2) Newlands Con: Ross (5) Gregor (2) | ESPN Report Daily Record | Pen: Barkalaia |
| Firhill Stadium, Glasgow Attendance: 1,100 Referee: James Jones (Wales) |
| 14 November 2008 19:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Wales | 34–13 | Canada |
| Try: Stoddart 24' m Halfpenny (2) 39' m, 80' c Penalty try (2) 58' c, 70' c Con: Biggar (3) Pen: Biggar 46' | (Report) | Try: Smith 74' c Con: Van Camp Pen: Pritchard (2) 10', 31' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 59,326 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia) |
| 15 November 2008 15:00 CET/GMT+01 (UTC+01) |
| France | 42–17 | Pacific Islanders |
| Try: Tillous-Borde 24' c Szarzewski 27' c Heymans 46' m Picamoles 70' c Médard 75' c Con: Skrela (4) Pen: Skrela (3) 7', 50', 60' | (Report) | Try: Taione 77' m Pen: Bai (4) 2', 9', 34', 40' |
| Stade Auguste Bonal, Montbéliard Attendance: 19,645 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| 15 November 2008 15:00 CET/GMT+01 (UTC+01) |
| Italy | 14–22 | Argentina |
| Try: Masi 80' Pen: Marcato (2) 31', 53' Drop: Marcato 44' | (Report) | Try: Carballo 49' c Con: Contepomi Pen: Contepomi (5) 26', 38', 40+1', 43', 74' |
| Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Turin Attendance: 27,000 Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa) |
| 15 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| England | 14–28 | Australia |
| Try: Easter 36' m Pen: Cipriani (2) 40', 52' Drop: Armitage 22' | (Report) | Try: Ashley-Cooper 69' c Con: Giteau Pen: Giteau (6) 3', 6', 28', 32', 54', 58' Mortlock 64' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,688 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand) |
| 15 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Scotland | 10–14 | South Africa |
| Try: Hines 39' c Con: Godman Pen: Godman 28' | (Report) | Try: Fourie 57' m Pen: Pienaar (3) 46', 55', 66' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 36,037 Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
| 15 November 2008 17:15 IST/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Ireland | 3–22 | New Zealand |
| Pen: O'Gara 38' | (Report) | Try: Penalty try 40+2' c Nonu 47' c Thorn 53' m Con: Carter (2) Pen: Carter 26' |
| Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 77,500 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa) |
Going into Week 4, the main storyline was the battle for fourth place in the IRB World Rankings. New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia were entrenched in the top three. The team that stood in fourth place on 1 December would avoid being drawn into the same pool as one of the Tri Nations powers in 2011. Four teams could have ended the week in fourth place: Argentina, England, France, and Wales.[1]
| 22 November 2008 19:13 JST (UTC+09) |
| Japan | 32–17 |  United States |
| Try: Hatakeyama 7' m Tomioka 28' c Webb 31' c Kikutani 63' c Con: Nicholas (3) Pen: Nicholas (2) 48', 68' | Try: Wyles 1' m Ngwenya 40+1' m Van der Giessen 50' c Con: Hercus |
| Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo Attendance: 11,836 Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland) |
| 22 November 2008 15:00 CET/GMT+01 (UTC+01) |
| Italy | 17–25 | Pacific Islanders |
| Try: Ghiraldini 16' c Ma. Bergamasco 65' c Con: Marcato (2) Pen: Marcato 6' | Try: Delasau 3' c, 29' m Ratuvou 40' c Con: Bai (2) Pen: Bai 18', 42' |
| Stadio Giglio, Reggio Emilia Attendance: 13,595 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
- The Pacific Islanders defeated a Test team for the first time in nine attempts.
| 22 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| England | 6–42 | South Africa |
| Pen: Cipriani (2) 2', 29' | (Report) | Try: Rossouw 15' c Pienaar 19' c Jacobs 51' c Fourie 77' c Habana 80' m Con: Pienaar (3) F. Steyn Pen: Pienaar (3) 6', 25', 63' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,113 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| 22 November 2008 14:45 IST/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Ireland | 17–3 | Argentina |
| Try: Bowe 77' m Pen: O'Gara (3) 39', 50' 75' Drop: O'Gara 69' | (Report) | Pen: Fernández 36' |
| Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 68,352[2] Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) |
The missed conversion by Ronan O'Gara on Ireland's only try of the match proved decisive for Argentina. With the other results on the day, the Pumas would have dropped to fifth place, behind England, if O'Gara had converted, as it would have given Ireland a win by more than 15 points. As it turned out, Argentina retained fourth by a narrow margin.[3]
| 22 November 2008 14:45 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Scotland | 41–0 | Canada |
| Try: Walker 2' m, 70' c Cairns 37' c Barclay 42' c Strokosch 56' c Lamont 73' m Con: Godman (3) Parks Pen: Godman 34' | (Report) |
| Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen Attendance: 17,651 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) |
| 22 November 2008 17:15 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Wales | 9–29 | New Zealand |
| Pen: S. Jones (3) 2', 14', 23' | (Report) | Try: Nonu 55' c Kaino 80+1' c Con: Carter (2) Pen: Carter (5) 17', 40', 42', 64', 74' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,076[4] Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) |
| 22 November 2008 21:00 WET/GMT+01 (UTC+01) |
| France | 13–18 | Australia |
| Try: Penalty try 39' c Con: Skrela Pen: Skrela 48' Drop: Medard 51' | (Report) | Try: Moore 31' c Hynes 57' m Con: Giteau Pen: Giteau (2) 28', 74' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,231 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
The battle for fourth place in the IRB World Rankings finished this weekend, with Argentina remaining in fourth place without playing as England lost and Wales failed to achieve the 15-point winning margin required. Argentina therefore took top seeding for the following month's 2011 Rugby World Cup draw along with the three Tri-Nations teams.
The other major news of the week was New Zealand's win over England, completing a successful Grand Slam tour for the All Blacks. This was the All Blacks' third such successful tour, with the previous ones being in 1978 and 2005.
| 29 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| England | 6–32 | New Zealand |
| Pen: Flood 17' Armitage 49' | (Report) | Try: Muliaina 58' m, 66' m Nonu 72' c Con: Carter Pen: Carter (5) 15', 27', 36', 39', 62' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,180 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
| 29 November 2008 14:30 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Wales | 21–18 | Australia |
| Try: Sh. Williams 4' m Byrne 32' c Con: S. Jones Pen: S. Jones (2) 28', 78' Drop: S. Jones 68' | (Report) | Try: Chisholm 14' c Ioane 79' m Con: Giteau Pen: Giteau 46' Drop: Giteau 25' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,314 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland) |
| 3 December 2008 19:45 BT/GMT+0 (UTC+0) |
| Barbarians | 11–18 | Australia |
| Try: Collins c Pen: Montgomery (2) | (Report) | Try: Tuqiri m Turner c Con: O' Connor Pen: O'Connor (2) |
| Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 43,600 Referee: Chris White (England) |
Following the 29 November tests, the 12 teams that qualified automatically for the 2011 Rugby World Cup were seeded thus:
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