The short side: Big game previews and Irish concern?

Add as a preferred source on Google

The short side returns to Planet Rugby as we study the major talking points ahead of the weekend’s Rugby World Cup warm-up matches.

Rugby World Cup warm-ups

France v Italy

France will close out their Rugby World Cup warm-up campaign with a home fixture against Italy at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday.

Things looked rosy after the demolition of Scotland in Nice a fortnight ago, but they were brought back to earth last week at Murrayfield. Therefore this meeting with the Azzurri is vital for morale and momentum going into the tournament as they look to launch a serious challenge.

They face an Italian side who got just what they needed in their previous fixture, an 85-15 drubbing of Russia which will have given them a huge amount of confidence and a feel-good factor following what was another disappointing Six Nations earlier this year. There’s no price on the lift a win like that can give a side and the manner of that victory stands them in good stead ahead of what will be a tough evening in Paris.

Conor O’Shea names a strong team in their penultimate match as next week they head to England, but right now his focus is solely on France.

“We want to show our true worth and try to take home a positive result which will get us closer to peak form with regards to the World Cup.”

Wales v Ireland

Winners of the past two Grand Slams go head-to-head in Cardiff looking to try out some new combinations ahead of the World Cup. Unsurprisingly, given that both teams played full-strength sides in their previous match, they have selected a number of fringe squad members in their 23s, who will be aiming to get a seat on the plane to Japan.

The Irish are stronger on paper, which is no surprise when you consider the depth of their provinces, but they are under more stress to produce a result following their performance against England last week.

Only Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale, Peter O’Mahony and Bundee Aki remain from the XV that took to the field at Twickenham and Joe Schmidt will be demanding far more from that quartet. Elsewhere, it will be interesting to see how breakdown specialist Tadhg Beirne does in the back-row, while a positive display from Jack Conan will put pressure on the out-of-form CJ Stander.

At fly-half, Johnny Sexton remains on the sidelines with Schmidt still searching for the 34-year-old’s back-up. This time Connacht’s Jack Carty gets his chance, as the head coach attempts to solve that puzzle, and he will be up against an equally inexperienced pivot.

Dan Biggar has been rested by Wales and, as a result, Jarrod Evans has been entrusted with the responsibility this week. The Cardiff Blues playmaker is an exciting talent and he has plenty of dangerous runners outside him in Owen Watkin, Scott Williams, Steff Evans, Hallam Amos and debutant Owen Lane.

It should therefore be an exciting encounter but there is a bit more experience and nous in the visitors’ squad, and we expect the 2018 Six Nations victors to triumph in Cardiff.

Player to watch – Rory Hutchinson (Scotland)

Has been outstanding for his club side Northampton Saints in the English Premiership over the past year and gets his reward for that form with a start in Georgia. In the mould of England’s Henry Slade, having played at age-grade level at fly-half but moved to the 13 channel due to his pace, balance and ability to unlock defences in the wider channels, Hutchinson could be a star at the World Cup.

Huw Jones remains favourite to take that position in the global tournament but the centre wasn’t exactly convincing against France in Nice and the Northampton man may well usurp his rival in Japan. Of course, the 23-year-old can also play at 12 and, with Gregor Townsend still having problems filling that slot, you may see a Hutchinson-Jones combination when the competition starts next month.

Still, the Cambridge-born playmaker has to do the business in Tbilisi, but don’t be surprised if the outside centre shines and lays down a marker ahead of the 31-man squad being named on Tuesday.

One-v-one battle to watch – Aaron Shingler (Wales) v Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)

Two outstanding blindside flankers collide at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. The former Scarlets team-mates know each other’s games very well indeed and that only adds to the individual battle, with both excellent ball carriers and line-out options for their respective nations.

Shingler, who has only recently returned from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for a substantial spell in 2018 and 2019, looks back to the form of two seasons ago when he caused opposition defences numerous issues with his speed, offloading and ability to break the line.

He goes up against an equally lethal flanker in Beirne though and we can’t wait to see this one play out in what could be a crucial clash.

Subplot to watch – Genuine concern for Ireland?

First match rust or is there good reason for Irish fans to worry ahead of the World Cup? That question should be answered when they tackle Wales in Cardiff in what will be another tough examination, particularly as the Welsh, like England, are also ahead in their preparations.

England blew the Irish away at Twickenham as the men in green looked distinctly off the pace in their first game. The set-piece was also concerning and one wonders how much they have been able to fix in one week, with world number one side Wales waiting to pounce on any slips.

https://twitter.com/threeredkings/status/1165292722179235840

Granted, the World Cup is still three weeks away and peaking now is unwise but there has been something missing from this Irish side over the past 12 months. The 2018 Grand Slam joy seems a distant memory and they must find confidence soon or their tournament will be short-lived.

Best of the rest

Georgia and Scotland kick off their back-to-back games on Saturday in Tbilisi with the reverse match taking place on Friday, September 6. Georgia, pooled with Australia, Wales, Fiji and Uruguay, will be desperate to prove a point to the so-called tier one nations in this home fixture at Dinamo Arena and if they can beat the Scots then there is no doubt Pool D is going to be a cracker with four strong teams involved.

Elsewhere, the Fijians take on Tonga at Eden Park and the former has named a mouth-watering team for the match. Levani Botia and Semi Radradra are the centre combination while Josua Tuisova and Vereniki Goneva are the wings, with Peceli Yato and Leone Nakarawa also in the XV. Tonga, who are in Pool C with England, France, Argentina and USA, are skippered by Siale Piutau who is at centre with Cooper Vuna.

On the club scene it’s round two of the Top 14 as Bayonne look to spring another shock when they host Clermont on Saturday. Bordeaux-Begles clash with Toulon while on Sunday there’s Racing 92 against Castres before Lyon take on champions Toulouse in what should be a thrilling contest.

Features