England will face Argentina in the Rugby World Cup bronze medal final.

With the scores separated by three points at the time of writing, there is a chance the game could end in a draw and there is a dramatic sequence of events that would unfold if that were to happen.

And what happens if the score is tied 80 minutes after the final whistle?

Here you will find everything you need to know.

Extra time

If the score is tied at regulation time, there will be a five-minute break before the start of the match, with two halves of 10 minutes each. Whoever is ahead on the scoreboard after 20 minutes wins.

But what happens if the tie remains after extra time?

sudden death

If both teams remain level, there will be another five-minute break before play resumes. This will be a period of rugby that will only last 10 minutes.

Simply put, whoever scores first in those 10 minutes of play, be it a try, a penalty or a goal conceded, wins the game. But what if neither side can break the stalemate after 10 minutes?

shock shot

If we are tied after sudden death, that will decide the kicking contest.

The draw will decide which side will attack first, and only players who are on the field after a sudden death will be eligible to participate. Each team will designate five players to take shots at goal from three different areas of the field, all on the 22 meter line.

  • Position 1: Right in front of the pillars.
  • Position 2: on the 15 m line to the left of the posts (defined as in front of the posts)
  • Position 3: On the 15 meter line to the right of the post (defined as facing the post). The umpire starts the contest by calling the first player from the team that batted first to the first batting position. After a player takes the shot, the referee calls on a player on the opposing team to shoot from the same position.

If both sides receive the same number of kicks after five rounds, there will be more room for sudden death kicks. This will follow the same kick order used for the first five kicks and will continue until one side is victorious.