New Zealand vs Australia
Eden Park, Auckland
Sat 15 Aug 19.35 (local), 08.35 (BST)
On the menu this weekend for New Zealand is revenge, a dish they’ve not had the displeasure of ordering too often in the last few seasons, cold or otherwise. That they have the chance to immediately set the record straight and snatch back the Bledisloe Cup just a week after surrendering it to Australia for the first time since 2011 is a boon.
There’s no doubt the All Blacks were off the pace last weekend, beaten at the breakdown by the Hooper/Pockock axis and unable to exert any dominance in the front five, for so long a weakness of the Wallabies. Mario Ledesma’s imprint has been immediately obvious in that regard, and they now have a solid foundation for their immensely talented backs to play from.
This weekend will be different. Steve Hansen has made only three changes, naming what looks as close to a full strength side as we’ve seen so far. The Wallabies, by contrast, have rotated, although the playmaking trio of Nic White, Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua is a mouthwatering midfield prospect.
Australia have not won at Eden Park since 1986. It is the All Black’s greatest fortress, one that is rarely penetrated. Back on home soil, in front of their home fans, they will be keen to send a message that last weekend was nothing more than a blip. It would be a fitting way to mark Richie McCaw becoming the most capped test player ever, too. New Zealand by 12.
Ireland vs Scotland
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sat 15 Aug 17.00 (local, BST)
Ireland’s World Cup journey got off to the smoothest possible start last weekend after a second string side routinely dispatched a Wales side that was admittedly even less like the real thing. Still, it was a resounding victory for Joe Schmidt’s method, with his squad players clearly buying into the structures he has put in place to make Ireland back to back Six Nations champions.
This weekend they recall a handful of the more familiar faces that have played a prominent role in Joe Schmidt’s A Team recently. Sean O’Brien is at number eight alongside Chris Henry, while Devin Toner comes into the row. Jared Payne partners Gordon D’Arcy at centre and in the back three Simon Zebo, after a devastating cameo last weekend, starts at fullback.
For Scotland, Vern Cotter is (dangerously) using this game in the same way Schmidt used last week’s – a test run for his fringe players. There are next to none of his first choice team involved, the most familiar faces coming on the flanks in Tim Visser and Sean Lamont, and at lock where Jim Hamilton starts. Richie Vernon, a former back-row player turned centre, is named at 13 after just one season in his new position.
All of this means it is unlikely to be a happy ending at the Aviva on Saturday, and one wonders what real value there is for Cotter in seeing a second string side being obliterated by Ireland. Because in all honesty, it’s impossible to foresee anything other than a sizeable win for the hosts. Ireland by 21.
England vs France
Twickenham, London
Sat 15 Aug 20.00 (local, BST)
England’s World Cup campaign begins with a repeat of their most recent triumph, that epic win over Les Bleus that broke all sorts of records and had 84,000 people scarcely believing what they were experiencing, way back at the end of the Six Nations. Since then there has been plenty of graft in their training camp; now is when we see how much of it has paid off.
There is a danger that they will go the way of Wales last weekend; with so much focus clearly having been on fitness, will their basic rugby skills be rusty? The debutants cannot afford to be – Calum Clark, Sam Burgess, Henry Slade and Luke Cowan-Dickie (on the bench) all have a fine chance at making the final squad, but this will likely be their first and last audition.
France are, bizarrely, yet to name their team for tomorrow’s game, but have announced their 25 man squad. There is no Thierry Dusautoir, ruled out through injury, meaning neither of the captains at the helm for that helter-skelter affair in April will feature. As ever they have flair aplenty in the likes of Fickou, Dulin and Guitone, and there is a welcome return from the wilderness for François Trinh-Duc, a man you always felt must have run over Philippe Saint-André’s cat, so often has he been shunned in one of France’s great problem positions.
Neither side has played a match since the Six Nations, so expect plenty of rustiness in the opening exchanges. Given there is much less experience in the England line-up, too, it would not be a surprise to see France open up an early lead. At Twickenham, however, there is enough quality in this side to see them past France once again. England by 7.
Argentina vs South Africa
Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
Sat 15 Aug 16.40 (local), 20.40 (BST)
One of the most shocking elements of Argentina’s smash-and-grab win in Durban last weekend was that they did it without a host of their bigger names. Clearly, they had targeted this return fixture as one they were more likely to win, as several of them return this weekend. Those names now find themselves needing to produce another win if they are to remain first choice.
Nicolas Sanchez is most in need of a big performance, the fly-half having produced relative stinkers against New Zealand and Australia, before Juan Martín Hernández was handed the reigns last weekend and so spectacularly conjured up a win. Hernandez shifts to 12 while there are also recalls for two stalwarts of the back row, Juan Manuel Leguizamón and Juan Martín Fernandez Lobbe.
And what of the Springboks? They are in dire need of a win after failing to get one at all in the Rugby Championship, despite two home fixtures. With the worst timing possible, they have been embroiled in a race row this week too. Meyer has chopped and changed ahead of the weekend, handing starts to Kirchner, Mvovo, Lambie, Alberts, Matfield and Strauss.
The Springboks were unhappy with the interpretations of referee Romain Poite last weekend, but whether he was right or not, the style of Northern Hemisphere referees is something they are going to have to get used to with the World Cup looming. This weekend Glen Jackson takes the whistle, and that, along with the backlash they have no doubt been facing both behind closed doors and in the media, should be enough to see them stop this losing streak. South Africa by 5.
| Hosie | Hutch | |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand vs Australia | NZ by 12 | NZ by 16 |
| Ireland vs Scotland | Ireland by 21 | Ireland by 23 |
| England vs France | England by 7 | England by 13 |
| Argentina vs South Africa | SA by 5 | SA by 10 |
How do you see the weekend going?
By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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My views
NZ vs AUS
I personally think with all the comments flying around saying New Zealand aren’t the unstoppable force we think they are NZ will want to put all that to bed and prove that they sort of are :)
Prediction : NZ by 2 scores and probably more
IRE vs SCO
The most clear cut result of the weekend, I honestly think if Ireland don’t win by at least 30 they should be disappointed. No disrespect to Scotland but with so much experimenting and a team that lacks leaders ( Hamilton being the only one I can think of) against a much more experience Irish side and with such a powerful bench to come on I really struggle to see anything other then a 30 point Ireland win, Scotlands only chance is if they come racing out of the blocks and stun the Irish.
Predictions : Ireland by 30+
ENG vs FRA
Both teams have had hard training camps plus its the first time that PSA has got his France squad together for a significant amount of time meaning for the first time in his rain we could see what he can really do, However I still think England should have to much for France
Predictions : England by 8
Argentina vs South Africa
As an Irishman I remember back to the November when we double scored South Africa with a squad lacking many internationals and we where told by fans and our own pundits etc not to get carried away and not to hype the performance….GOOD GOD! Argentina’s win over SA last week has been hyped to the moon and back and then to the moon and back again all because of a win over a lacklustre SA and lets not forget who was the ref… Anyway I expected a backlash from SA and I expect them to bring Argentina right back down to earth.
Prediction : SA by 10
Would agree with all predictions however I think Scotland will
Lose by at least 25 points
as a frenchman,
with full respect to this England side and to all the people that will stand at Twickenham,
I think France should take this one (even if I don’t really care, knowing the few lessons we’ll learn from that game).
Both teams lack unity and time spent together on the field, but PSA clearly chose an attacking team, and believe me, some “new” players are clearly under-rated (especially in the center, which should be a key zone tomorrow with all these new players each side).
My only concern is about the battle at the breakdown, because we have a light an running 3rd row: we used to have good results in that zone, but we could lack tomorrow Dusautoir, Leroux, and Bastareaud to counter the british monsters.
May France be able to secure and stole some balls there, then we should see some good french movements in the backs.
At least, that’s what I hope.
France by 10.