With the World Cup under a year away, this autumn series is the last time a lot of teams will get a look at each other before they face off in the biggest event on the rugby calendar. With that in mind, here are five battles this weekend that could be repeated at next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Ben Youngs vs Kahn Fotuali’i
Potential RWC battleground: knockout stages

Despite their dire performance recently, England still have a good chance of winning their World Cup pool and if they do so, they could well come up against Samoa, if the Pacific Islanders finish second in a pool that also features South Africa and Scotland. The battle at scrum-half will be vital this weekend as it would be next year. Youngs and Fotuali’i know each other well from Midlands derbies in the past couple of years, which will no doubt add a bit of extra spice to proceedings. Both are pretty quick and if Fotuali’i is potentially more dangerous with ball in hand, Youngs has a more solid kicking game. With the conditions looking likely to be bad again at Twickenham this weekend, that could be key.

Nicolas Mas vs Marcos Ayerza
Potential RWC battleground: knockout stages

Should France win their group and Argentina finish second (the more likely scenario given New Zealand’s presence in the Pumas’ pool) then these two will meet in the quarter-finals. Both countries pride themselves on their front fives and scrummaging prowess, and if France’s hasn’t always been up to the level they’d like it to be in the last few years, Mas is a stalwart whose standards have never slipped. Benefitting from a low centre of gravity and an immensely powerful stature, he is incredibly hard to shift. Ayerza is amongst the game’s best looseheads, however, and if one man can do it, it’s him. He also offers more around the park, although given the effort he’s going to have to expend against Mas in the scrums, don’t be surprised if that part of his game isn’t to the fore.

Robbie Henshaw vs Tevita Kuridrani
Potential RWC battleground: knockout stages

The earliest these two could meet at the World Cup is the semi-finals, but it’s far from beyond the realms of possibility that that should happen. Ireland basically have a season to find a replacement for O’Driscoll and Henshaw, who started at 12 against South Africa, is given the responsibility in Jared Payne’s injury-enforced absence. He is strong, quick and can distribute, which means he really ticks all the boxes for an international centre. What will be tested most this weekend, however, is his defence, given the form of the man opposite him. Kuridrani has been the standout centre in world rugby this season and has already proved on this tour how much of a handful he can be when on the rampage.

Taulupe Faletau vs Kieran Read
Potential RWC battleground: knockout stages

Again, these two can’t meet until the semi-finals but again, if they don’t make it that far at least both will consider their campaigns a disappointment. Read’s credentials as one of the best players in the world need no further airing, given his winning of the player of the year award for 2013 – although by his lofty standards he has been a little quiet this year. In that regard, Faletau matches him. The Dragons’ number eight had a storming Lions tour in 2013, but hasn’t really recreated that form since then. Faletau is a hard worker and while he is certainly capable of moments of brilliance, Read is a true genius when he gets it right. In a game littered with fascinating head-to-heads, this is one that really stands out.

Wesley Fofana vs Juan Martin Hernandez
Potential RWC battleground: knockout stages

As this looks the most likely of the hypothetical RWC match-ups this weekend to actually come to fruition next year, I’ve picked another battle from the game in Paris to focus on. The sight of Wesley Fofana in full flow is one of the most glorious available to the rugby fan these days – he manages to make everything look just so elegant. His opposite man this weekend will be no stranger to this, though. Hernandez has faced off against the Clermont man in the recent past during his time at Racing Metro, and the two will pick up their rivalry again when ‘El Mago’ joins Toulon. Hernandez may lack a yard of the pace that helped him make his name, but his one of the most intelligent players around. Both can make the most difficult things on a rugby pitch look frighteningly easy, and their battle this weekend should truly be one to savour.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images