The spectacle should be there this Sunday, at the end of the second day of the group stage of the Rugby World Cup. It is South Africa which will open the ball with a particularly unbalanced clash against Romania (3 p.m.), before an Australia-Fiji (5:45 p.m.) already decisive for the men of the Pacific, then an England-Japan (9 p.m.) dangerous for the XV of the Rose.
Romania, a bird for the springbok cat?
After a successful first outing against Scotland, with a clear victory (18-3), the South Africans will be able to give their managers a break this Sunday against Romania. Jacques Nienaber, the Springboks coach, has largely rotated his squad, with only Damian Willemse once again being part of the starting XV, this time at fly-half and not at full-back.
But the cast should be more than enough to inflict a severe defeat on the Romanians, the little ones in Pool B, where Scotland, Ireland and Tonga also play a role. With Mbongeni Mbonambi, hooker and captain of this team, Duane Vermeulen or Makazole Mapimpi, the Springboks have the qualities to pile up the tries and achieve the biggest success since the start of this World Cup, surpassing the 82-8 of the Irish, already facing to these Romanians.
For Romanians, the 80 minutes may be very long. Despite their attempt at the very start of the match against the Irish, which allowed them to take the lead to everyone’s surprise, the teammates of Taylor Gontineac, son of Romeo, former player of Grenoble, Pau and Aurillac, finally completely took the lead. water. And that should be the case again this Sunday.
Fiji (almost) no longer has the right to make mistakes
The clash between Australia and Fiji should be much more competitive. While both teams have the ambitions, and the means, to reach the quarter-finals, this match will clearly be a turning point. And it is the Fijians who will start the match with the most pressure, a week after losing to Wales, despite countless chances. Semi Radradra, the Fijian rugby star, then committed a terrible forward a few meters from the goal, which probably cost his team a victory.
This Sunday, the Pacific players no longer have a choice, they must win, otherwise they will let Australia and Wales slip into the quarters. But Australia is a worthy opponent. Despite a very complicated preparation, and no victory in 2023 before arriving in France, the Wallabies were strong and diligent against Georgia, who hoped to play spoilsport. And Eddie Jones, the Australian coach, took the Fijians very seriously, fielding a XV similar to the one which started the competition. A way to drive the point home and reassure oneself definitively.
Second challenge for the XV de la Rose
Like Australia and Fiji, England have a real challenge to face this Sunday. Because Japan, like Argentina and Samoa, is one of the candidates for a place among the last eight of this World Cup. Against the Pumas last Saturday, the English still showed that they were, as often during a World Cup, faithful to the meeting. With a great George Ford, impeccable against the poles and very valuable thanks to his drops, Steve Borthwick’s players perfectly contained the very timid attacks of the Argentinians.
But the Japanese were also full of confidence. Faced with the rookies of this competition, the Chileans, the quarter-finalists of the last World Cup, were able to calmly revise their ranges, scoring six tries, all converted. A successful performance but achieved against a relatively weak team, far from the qualities of the XV de la Rose. No excess confidence therefore, but a great opportunity to take an option on qualification.
