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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Lucky 13 Rugby World Cup Matches To Watch 2 views
03 September 2011 by The Swede Eaters
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There are some brilliant clashes in pool play at the Rugby World Cup. Here are the must see matches.
There will be plenty of mouth-watering clashes not to be missed during the Rugby World Cup 2011. My favourite pool is Pool D with South Africa the favourites and you would think Wales should qualify but both Samoa and Fiji are in this pool too. The thing that makes the Pacific Islands more dangerous at Rugby World Cups is that they get some quality players who miss selection for top level teams and so are usually at their strongest at this tournament. Samoa is a bogey team for Wales at previous Rugby World Cups and who will forget that 1991 victory? Fiji will also be playing on their backdoor step and could be dangerous too. There are four teams going for three spots. Pool B featuring England, Scotland and Argentina going for two spots will also be intriguing.
13 Pool Play Matches Worth Watching
Pool A
New Zealand vs France - This match will decide Pool A and winning this match will avoid a quarter final clash with England, so France should think twice before resting players for this one. It is at Eden Park and given the Rugby World Cup history between these two teams this is probably the biggest match of the World Cup pool play.
France vs Tonga - Tonga probably has the best chance of ruining the All Blacks and France domination of Pool A. They are playing near their home and have plenty of professional players who have played in New Zealand or in Europe. Their strong physical style could cause problems for the flamboyant French. I will be at this match and there could be fireworks!
Pool B
England vs Argentina - England finished second at the last tournament while Argentina finished third. These two teams meet in the opening Pool B fixture in the flash new indoor stadium in Dunedin. It will be a great match between two strong forward packs. The winner of this match should avoid a quarter final against the All Blacks, while the loser will most likely battle Scotland for that dubious honour.
Scotland vs Argentina - This match has been moved from Christchurch to Wellington and will probably decide who faces the All Blacks in the quarter finals. These two teams are probably in the middle rung of teams in the tournament with the quarter finals representing a good effort for both teams.
England vs Scotland - The England team will be playing their neighbours Scotland with a place in the quarter finals up for grabs potentially, while the winner will most likely avoid playing the All Blacks in the quarter finals. This is a grudge match.
Georgia vs Romania - Get to Palmerston North for this match between two of the minnows of the tournament. Both of these sides pride themselves on their forward packs with some of their big men playing for good European clubs. It is a pity that the Romanian winger who suffered a fear of flying won't make this match which is the final for these two teams.
Pool C
Australia vs Ireland - The Irish have been touted as dark horses for this tournament while the Wallabies are in top form so this match could be a very intriguing match.
USA vs Russia - These two countries have history, although rugby is probably as far as you can get from the bitter basketball and ice hockey battles these two countries have had in the past. New Plymouth hosts this grudge match which is a good chance for both of these teams to win.
Ireland vs Italy - This match should decide who qualifies second from this pool. These teams always play each other in the Six Nations, but it could be argued that there is more riding on this match.
Pool D
South Africa vs Wales - The current champions versus the exciting Wales side. One thing is for sure, most New Zealanders will be going for Wales next Sunday night (me included). There are only a handful of meaningful matches between genuine top eight contenders and this is one of them.
Wales vs Samoa - This is a repeat of that 1991 classic match where Samoa won. This Samoa team is full of quality professional players with big club experience and will pose an excellent challenge for the Red Dragons. There is a three horse race for that second spot in this pool.
Fiji vs Samoa - This is the battle for Pacific Island supremacy. The winner of this match has a good chance of making the quarter finals. Things could get interesting if these two teams and Wales end up on the same points. It makes things great given that it is practically a local game given the Pacific Islanders in Auckland.
Wales vs Fiji - This is the final match from this pool, but depending on previous results this match will probably be crucial in deciding who advances to the second round. Fiji will be tough to beat.
Once these brilliant matches are over then you have the knockout stages to look forward to with the quarters, semis and final.
Which matches are you looking forward to the most?
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Tags:
All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies
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