Everything remains to be done in the four groups to complete the quarter-final table of the World Cup in France.
Surprises, a few disappointments and spectacle: the Rugby World Cup lives up to expectations. The last day of the group stage has everything to be in the same vein. Only two teams have already booked their ticket for the quarter-finals (England and Wales), leaving the stakes still open. Between Thursday October 5 and Sunday October 8, three posters even act as informal round of 16 matches, the results of which will decide the two qualified in each group. The full point.
Group A: the Blues in an ideal position, but…
Three matches, three victories, the French XV could hardly hope for better in their start to the World Cup, at least from an accounting point of view since they had to deal with Antoine Dupont’s injury. But Fabien Galthié’s men are not yet safe. Having failed to collect the opening bonus during the historic success against New Zealand, but especially against Uruguay in the second match, the Blues must still provide the essentials against Italy on Friday (9 p.m.).
A victory, as in their last 13 clashes with neighbors de la Botte, and they will be assured of finishing on top. A defeat, however, would require us to take out the calculators. One or even two bonuses could be enough to qualify, depending in particular on a possible number of tries registered by the transalpine team.
The latest Italy-France match should encourage caution and seriousness, after a narrow victory in Rome on February 5 during the Six Nations Tournament (24-29). New Zealand is also on a favorable waiver, before facing Uruguay. In the event of a defeat without bonus against Squadra Azzurra and a New Zealand victory in the other match, the Blues would be completely eliminated.
Group B: Scotland ready to overthrow the Irish favorite?
It would be one of the biggest blows in World Cup history. Scotland must achieve a monumental feat against Ireland to hope to see the rest of the competition. Facing it on Saturday (9:00 p.m.), the XV of Clover has its destiny in its hands. After their victory against the other ogre of the group, South Africa, the Irish look like the main contenders for the world title.
It remains to not waste everything against one of his most recurring adversaries, but also one of his favorite victims in recent years. The Scots have not won this duel since 2017, their only victory in the past decade. They will also have to avoid conceding the defensive bonus to the Irish, which would be fatal to them.
In the event of a victory for the XV du Chardon with a bonus for both teams, Ireland and Scotland would finish on 15 points, like South Africa. In this scenario, it would be the team with the best difference in points scored that would finish first. The second qualifier would be the winner of the direct confrontation between the two remaining teams.
Group C: Fiji are almost there, Australia awaits a miracle
Real disillusionment with the competition, Australia only has a slim hope of qualifying. After their lackluster victory against Portugal, the Wallabies have finished their group stage and will have to feverishly await the result from Fiji on Sunday (9:00 p.m.), at the end of this first phase of the competition. The Islanders only need a small point against Portugal, who have never won a World Cup match, to validate their qualification alongside Wales.
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Group D: Japan – Argentina, woe to the loser
This is the most direct duel possible to secure your place in the quarter-finals. After their first three matches, Japan and Argentina have an almost perfectly identical record: nine points, two victories, one defeat, and an offensive bonus.
The situation is clear: the winner will face Wales in the quarter-finals, since England is already guaranteed to finish first. The Pumas have the provisional benefit of the points difference (+46 to +14), in the event of a possible draw, and will start the match in second place.
