Glory, heartbreak ahead
Breath-taking yet cut-throat performances are expected this weekend in the quarterfinals of Japan Rugby World Cup.
With the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup moving into the knockout stage this weekend, Namibian Sun looked at the strengths of the last eight teams and predicts the winners of the quarterfinal clashes between Australia and England, Ireland and New Zealand (both tomorrow), France and Wales and finally Japan versus South Africa (both on Sunday).
Australia vs England
Australia spluttered through Pool D. They were victorious against Fiji in their opening match (39-21), were beaten 29-25 by Wales, defeated Uruguay 45-10 and won 27-8 against Georgia. Even though many fans are wondering whether they have ammo to beat their opponents tomorrow, the Wallabies can pull a surprise. They are very clever on attack, but need to keep their discipline. England, on the other hand, have been simmering for most of the tournament thus far. They didn't look troubled in Pool C and may be keeping their trump cards close to the chest. They beat Tonga 35-3, the USA 45-7 and Argentina 39-10, before their final pool match against France was cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis.
Prediction: England will win, but don't write off the two-time champion Wallabies.
Ireland vs New Zealand
Joe Schmidt's team would love to boldly go where no Irish side have gone before in a Rugby World Cup, when they face the back-to-back world champions New Zealand. The Irish will be no pushover for the All Blacks.
They beat the All Blacks 40-29 in 2016 and repeated the feat on 17 November last year when New Zealand succumbed 16-9. Although they go into tomorrow's match as underdogs, Ireland have a wealth of experience and are one of the more settled teams in the tournament. They just haven't rediscovered their mojo. They did lose to Japan in the pool stage and are facing the All Blacks, who are firm favourites to retain the trophy they have won three times - 1987, 2011 and 2015. New Zealand boast massive depth and game-changers who can turn a match on its head. With their lightning transition from defence to attack, the Kiwis will not easily fold on the road to the final.
They defeated South Africa 23- 13, thrashed Tier 2 opponents Canada 63-0 and Namibia 79-9. Their match against Italy was cancelled due to the typhoon that hit the Japanese mainland. Prediction: New Zealand will win, but it will be closer than people expect.
France vs Wales
The French bring that joie de vivre to any World Cup, but have underperformed so far in Japan. After a hard-fought win over Argentina (23-21), a crushing victory over the USA (33-9) and a close win against Tonga 23-21, they advanced to the quarterfinals. Their last Pool C match against England was cancelled. They face a Wales team that are riding a wave of confidence after beating Georgia 43-14, Australia 29-25, Fiji 29-17 and Uruguay 35-13 to top Pool D. Wales, who have never made it past the semi-finals, have been urged to seize their opportunity with the captain, Alun Wyn Jones, reminding his side they are three wins from glory.
Prediction: Wales will win, but watch out for that French flair.
Japan vs South Africa
The two-time champion Springboks will take on the host nation, who have surprised all and sundry with their devastating attacking play. Nobody thought the Brave Blossoms would reach the quarterfinals, but they did, after wins against Ireland and Scotland in the pool stage. The Springbok are hell-bent on erasing the painful memories of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, when they were beaten 34-32 by Japan in Brighton. They have a truly fearsome pack of forwards and lightning fast backs of their own, who will want to remind Japan that lightning does not strike twice. The Springboks lost to New Zealand in the pool stage, before steamrolling Namibia, Italy Canada in Pool B. PREDICTION: South Africa will win and break Japanese hearts.
Australia vs England
Australia spluttered through Pool D. They were victorious against Fiji in their opening match (39-21), were beaten 29-25 by Wales, defeated Uruguay 45-10 and won 27-8 against Georgia. Even though many fans are wondering whether they have ammo to beat their opponents tomorrow, the Wallabies can pull a surprise. They are very clever on attack, but need to keep their discipline. England, on the other hand, have been simmering for most of the tournament thus far. They didn't look troubled in Pool C and may be keeping their trump cards close to the chest. They beat Tonga 35-3, the USA 45-7 and Argentina 39-10, before their final pool match against France was cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis.
Prediction: England will win, but don't write off the two-time champion Wallabies.
Ireland vs New Zealand
Joe Schmidt's team would love to boldly go where no Irish side have gone before in a Rugby World Cup, when they face the back-to-back world champions New Zealand. The Irish will be no pushover for the All Blacks.
They beat the All Blacks 40-29 in 2016 and repeated the feat on 17 November last year when New Zealand succumbed 16-9. Although they go into tomorrow's match as underdogs, Ireland have a wealth of experience and are one of the more settled teams in the tournament. They just haven't rediscovered their mojo. They did lose to Japan in the pool stage and are facing the All Blacks, who are firm favourites to retain the trophy they have won three times - 1987, 2011 and 2015. New Zealand boast massive depth and game-changers who can turn a match on its head. With their lightning transition from defence to attack, the Kiwis will not easily fold on the road to the final.
They defeated South Africa 23- 13, thrashed Tier 2 opponents Canada 63-0 and Namibia 79-9. Their match against Italy was cancelled due to the typhoon that hit the Japanese mainland. Prediction: New Zealand will win, but it will be closer than people expect.
France vs Wales
The French bring that joie de vivre to any World Cup, but have underperformed so far in Japan. After a hard-fought win over Argentina (23-21), a crushing victory over the USA (33-9) and a close win against Tonga 23-21, they advanced to the quarterfinals. Their last Pool C match against England was cancelled. They face a Wales team that are riding a wave of confidence after beating Georgia 43-14, Australia 29-25, Fiji 29-17 and Uruguay 35-13 to top Pool D. Wales, who have never made it past the semi-finals, have been urged to seize their opportunity with the captain, Alun Wyn Jones, reminding his side they are three wins from glory.
Prediction: Wales will win, but watch out for that French flair.
Japan vs South Africa
The two-time champion Springboks will take on the host nation, who have surprised all and sundry with their devastating attacking play. Nobody thought the Brave Blossoms would reach the quarterfinals, but they did, after wins against Ireland and Scotland in the pool stage. The Springbok are hell-bent on erasing the painful memories of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, when they were beaten 34-32 by Japan in Brighton. They have a truly fearsome pack of forwards and lightning fast backs of their own, who will want to remind Japan that lightning does not strike twice. The Springboks lost to New Zealand in the pool stage, before steamrolling Namibia, Italy Canada in Pool B. PREDICTION: South Africa will win and break Japanese hearts.
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