21 August 2019, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

RUGBY WORLD CUP WARM UP PREDICTIONS

A titanic clash between England and Ireland at Twickenham headlines this weekend’s Rugby World Cup warm-up games.

The much-anticipated meeting between the two Northern Hemisphere powerhouses is one of four international fixtures on Saturday.

The other big game of the weekend is the return tie between Scotland and France at Murrayfield. Meanwhile, minnows Tonga and Uruguay step up their preparations against the Western Force and Argentina XV.

This rare modern era country versus club clash highlights just how problematic World Cup preparation is for the likes of 15th-ranked Tonga. It’s an equally rare home game for the Ikale Tahi, one of only a handful in the past decade. To make matters worse, the leading Pacific Island players are being pressured by their clubs to skip the World Cup in a club versus country row of a different kind.

Despite these issues, you would think – and hope for Tonga’s part – that they’ll be too strong for the former Super Rugby side, who are using the invitational match as a warm-up game for the National Rugby Championship, which kicks off next week.

Prediction: Tonga by 12.

Scotland will be seeking redemption in this return fixture after being thrashed 32-3 last weekend. They endured an 80-minute nightmare in Nice, a worrying walloping that would’ve served as a major World Cup wake-up call. It didn’t help that Gregor Townsend rested star halfback pairing Craig Laidlaw and Finn Russell, but the main concern was their flimsy defence, which saw them leak a try after just 90 seconds and four more after that. I expect a drastic change in attitude from them on defence, and some key personnel changes.

France, for their part, looked fantastic. Most notably, 65-year-old coach Jacques Brunel’s increased focus on fitness reaped immediate rewards as the hosts looked fitter and faster than they have in quite some time. Les Bleus would’ve taken a lot of confidence from the result as it was only their sixth win in 17 Tests under Brunel and the first time they kept the opposition tryless since they shutout Wales in 2017.

It can’t get any worse for Scotland than last weekend’s massacre. They would’ve worked hard on righting wrongs during the week and come game day, they’ll be mentally switched on this time and will receive a major boost from the Murrayfield crowd. Those factors will change the margin, but not the outcome.

Prediction: France by 10.

A vital game for both teams as they look to fine-tune their tactics and aim to build winning momentum to take into the World Cup, this should be a humdinger. England are at their absolute best at their fabled fortress, as was evident when an experimental side smashed a full-strength Wales outfit 33-19 a fortnight ago. With the Welsh having turned the tables in Cardiff at the weekend, the English will be happy to be back at Twickenham and will be determined to bounce back.

The back-to-back battles against the Six Nations Grand Slam winners – and newly anointed world no.1 side – would’ve taken a toll on England and could mitigate the Twickenham factor. Ireland will certainly be the fresher of the sides. In fact, they head into Saturday’s showdown fresh off a training camp in Portugal, where they familiarised themselves with scorching conditions similar to what can be expected in Japan during the World Cup.

Adding fuel to the fire in the latest chapter of this long-standing rivalry is the fact that it was England who halted Ireland’s incredible run of form, which included a third Six Nations Grand Slam and a historic win over the All Blacks in 2018, when they claimed a 32-20 victory in the opening round of this year’s Six Nations in Dublin. A loss to Wales followed a few weeks later and with that, they were dethroned as the kings of the North.

Both teams are stacked with world-class players and coaches Eddie Jones and Joe Schmidt are two of the sharpest minds in the business, setting the stage for a calculating and physically intense game of human chess. As added motivation, a win will see Ireland shoot to the summit of the world rankings for the first time ever.

England have a decided edge in this rivalry, having won 77 of the 134 Tests since their first meeting in 1875 to Ireland’s 49, and they should extend their superiority with a hard-fought win at home.

Prediction: England by 5.

These two teams have quite a rivalry, albeit one that generally flies under the radar. The two top teams in the Americas Rugby Championship, Argentina XV – not to be confused with the Rugby Championship and newly-announced World Cup team – beat Uruguay 35-10 in what was a virtual decider to secure the silverware back in March.

In June, however, Uruguay responded with a 28-15 win that saw them clinch the Nations Cup for a third consecutive year on home soil. At home again and gearing up for the World Cup, 19th-ranked Uruguay should have the upper hand again.

Prediction: Uruguay by 9.

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