23 September 2019, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

Rugby World Cup Predictions – Round 2

Title contenders Australia and Wales go head-to-head in the pick of this week’s Rugby World Cup clashes, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The highest stakes showdown of the global showpiece’s first full week of action, the virtual Pool D decider takes place in Tokyo on Sunday.

Overall, top teams’ mental strength and structure will be put to the test this week. The majority of the fixtures appear relatively straight-forward, but as past World Cups have proved, one can never rule out upsets and favourites will have to be switched or run the risk of slipping up.

As the official betting partner of Superbru.com, we look at the 10 encounters that make up the second round.

Russia really got the short end of the stick in this one. They’ve hardly had time to recover from Friday’s 30-10 defeat to hosts Japan in the tournament opener and will come up against a fresh Samoa starting their campaign. As the lowest-ranked qualifiers, this first-ever encounter was always going to be an uphill battle for Russia, and the quick turnaround will make the challenge that much more daunting.

Prediction: Samoa by 25.

After their 39-21 loss to Australia on Saturday, Fiji will be looking to bounce back and they should have little trouble doing so, having eased to a 47-15 win over Uruguay at the 2015 World Cup and having thumped Los Teros 68-7 in their last meeting last November.

The effects of the Wallaby clash and the slippery ball will probably hamper Fiji, but they should still have too much flair for the Uruguayan defence to handle.

Prediction: Fiji by 24.

While Italy are the much better team on paper and have the benefit of playing against the top teams in the world as opposed to Canada largely coming up against tier-two teams, matches between the two have been surprisingly close.

The Azzurri won 25-16 in 2012, 23-18 at the 2015 World Cup and 20-18 in their last clash in 2016. Expect a focused Italy to buck that trend and claim a convincing victory.

Prediction: Italy by 28.

USA rugby is on the rise, but they’re still a long way off from competing with the likes of England. They made a good fist of it in the teams’ last World Cup clash 12 years ago, losing by just 18 points (28-10), however, the depth of Eddie Jones’ side will see England run away with it this time around.

Prediction: England by 30.

The Pumas can expect a physical confrontation with a bit of razzmatazz sprinkled in between. Even though Argentina have struggled in the scrums this season, they went tit-for-tat with France and their set-piece play is superior to that of Tonga.

It’s here, in addition to their well-structured driving maul, where they’ll punish the Pacific Islanders. After the heart-breaking 23-21 loss to Les Bleus, this is a vital game for Argentina to keep their outside chances of making the play-offs alive, added motivation that’ll see them tame Tonga convincingly.

Prediction: Argentina by 19.

How far will the hosts’ passion, momentum from the tournament-opening triumph over Russia and home crowd support get them in this tough test against well-oiled Ireland who easily saw off Scotland in the virtual Pool A decider at the weekend?

Unfortunately for them, not very far. As one would expect, Japan have been outmatched in this rivalry over the years and a strong Irish outfit with enviable depth will breeze past the Brave Blossoms.

Prediction: Ireland by 31.

The global spotlight will shine on African rugby once again at the City of Toyota Stadium. An important game for the Springboks to get in the win column after the 23-13 loss to the two-time defending All Blacks at the weekend.

The standard of defence worldwide has vastly improved since the sides’ last World Cup clash in 2011, and even though Namibia is nowhere near South Africa’s level, they should fare better than the 87-0 thumping they endured eight years ago.

They’ll still be thrashed, though, as the professionalism and depth of the Springboks won’t allow them to underestimate their fellow Africans. No rain forecast either at the time of writing (Sunday).

Prediction: Springboks by 42.

Another case of the draw being unkind to the underdogs, with Uruguay set to wear the wounds of their midweek match against Fiji, while favourites Georgia would’ve had extra time to recuperate from their meeting with Wales on Monday.

Georgia are the rising force of European rugby; many of the Uruguay players, in turn, were still amateurs until earlier this year, so the Lelos should be a lock.

Prediction: Georgia by 20.

The Wallabies were unimpressive in the 39-21 win over Fiji on Saturday, trailing 14-12 at half-time. They stayed composed, though, and once they played with more structure they got reward on the scoreboard and frustrated the Fijians into conceding a yellow card.

From there, it was academic. Australia won’t be able to rely on their forwards to get them out of trouble against Wales, however. The citing and likely suspension of Reece Hodge for his dangerous hit on Peceli Yato, which ended the Fijian flanker’s day, would also force Michael Cheika to change the composition of the back three, an added headache the Wallaby coach could’ve done without.

Warren Gatland, in turn, should be able to field a full-strength side if things go according to plan against Georgia on Monday – the team that took Wales to the Six Nations crown and the summit of the world rankings earlier this year.

Wales have historically struggled against Australia; their 9-6 win in the most recent meeting in Cardiff last November snapped a 13-match losing streak against the Wallabies. They have the better cohesion whereas the Wallabies have more big-name stars, which I believe will get Wales over the line. No rain forecast either at the time of writing.

Prediction: Wales by 3.

With Samoa expected to get passed Russia with relative ease (as mentioned above), they’ll fancy their chances of upsetting a Scotland side who were steamrolled 27-3 by Ireland. A win here would likely see them snatch a quarterfinal berth at the Scots’ expense, so they’ll throw everything at them.

As embarrassing as Scotland’s defeat was, it was mostly due to being overpowered, as well as being outclassed tactically and in the set-pieces. Samoa don’t have those strengths, and with pride and desperation fuelling Scotland, they should come out on top in this vital Pool A clash.

Prediction: Scotland by 10.

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