The short side: Rugby World Cup kicks off with a bang

Adam Kyriacou

The short side returns to Planet Rugby as we study the major talking points ahead of this weekend’s opening round of the Rugby World Cup.

Rugby World Cup

Australia v Fiji

This fixture between the Wallabies and Pacific Islanders should be an entertaining affair as both sides employ expansive game-plans and have several brilliant attacking players in their ranks.

Australia will of course start this match in Tokyo as favourites as they have the greater firepower, especially in the forward exchanges, and Michael Cheika’s charges should emerge as victors.

Cheika has paid Fiji the ultimate respect by selecting his strongest possible matchday squad and he hopes to lay down an early marker in their pool as they still have to face Six Nations champions Wales in their following match at the same venue in eight days time.

However, their opening opponents should not be underestimated as they have made significant strides during the past year and will be quietly confident of causing an upset.

Over the years, the Fijians have struggled up front and although this will be an area which the Wallabies will target, their forward play has improved under head coach John McKee’s guidance.

If truth be told, the Wallabies’ forward play has also not been excellent on a consistent basis in recent years, and, in their previous match against Samoa – in Sydney a fortnight ago – they struggled at times to cope with the physicality of their opponents.

If the Fijians can be competitive in that department and provide their exciting backs with quality ball, they will run the Wallabies close.

New Zealand v South Africa

All eyes will be on Yokohama on Saturday as this showdown will in all likelihood decide which team finishes as pool winners.

As defending champions and three-time World Cup winners, there will be plenty of pressure on the All Blacks but they usually thrive when they have their backs to the wall and a win over their arch rivals will be a good confidence booster for head coach Steve Hansen and his troops.

Over the years, most opposing teams have been blown away by the world champions, who usually dominate most facets of play before taking control of matches. Their enterprising style of play has led to great successes in the past and they will be hoping to issue a warning shot to the other teams in the competition by delivering an excellent all-round performance.

That will be easier said than done, however, as the Springboks are one of the in-form teams ahead of the World Cup and they have already shown over the past year that they can compete with the All Blacks.

Since Rassie Erasmus replaced Allister Coetzee as Springboks coach, these sides have faced each other on three occasions with both sides winning a match apiece and their most recent encounter finished as a 16-16 draw in Wellington earlier this year.

Such statistics are difficult to ignore and don’t be surprised if this weekend’s encounter also goes down to the wire.

Player to watch – David Pocock (Australia)

The 31-year-old, who is regarded as one of his country’s best ever loose forwards, will be determined to make his presence felt against Fiji as his inclusion in the Wallabies starting line-up is the only alteration to the run-on side which inflicted a record defeat on the All Blacks in the opening Bledisloe Cup Test in Perth last month.

He will need little motivation to do well as the 2019 season has been a frustrating one for him so far. A niggling calf injury kept him on the sidelines for most of the Brumbies’ Super Rugby campaign although he made a successful return to action during a 60 minute shift for the Wallabies in their 34-15 triumph over Samoa in Sydney.

Pocock’s return means he resumes his back-row partnership with Australia’s captain, Michael Hooper. The duo excelled in the same back-row for the Wallabies at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England and their combination played a big role in helping the two-time champions reach the final at that tournament.

With both players being openside flankers primarily, the Wallabies are expected to dominate the breakdowns and Pocock’s ability to get low over the ball at rucks should provide headaches to the Pacific Islanders.

One-v-one battle to watch – Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) v Finn Russell (Scotland)

As the main playmakers in this encounter, these two are important in the bigger scheme of things and whoever comes out on top in this duel should also end up on the winning side.

Sexton comes into this match having played just one of Ireland’s four Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures – against Wales in Dublin a fortnight ago – after a dislocated thumb kept him on the sidelines during their earlier matches.

He delivered a solid performance during a 65-minute stint and his half-back partnership with scrum-half Conor Murray should have a huge influence in dictating the pace of this game.

In Russell, Sexton faces a tough adversary, however, as he is one of the best number 10s in the game. He is a brilliant attacker whose running game is superb but also varies his play well and kicks strongly out of hand.

He will be hoping to deliver a good showing against the more experienced Sexton, who is the current World Player of the Year and will be looking to enjoy a clean bill of health at this World Cup.

Team to watch – France

Vastly underrated going into this tournament but we feel they have the team to go a long way in Japan. First up is a crucial fixture against Argentina as both nations look to put one foot into the quarter-finals, even at this early stage, with England the other main rival in Pool C.

France have named an impressive XV that sees Romain Ntamack earn the nod at fly-half alongside Antoine Dupont in an exciting half-back pairing. Gregory Alldritt is one of our possible breakthrough stars at the Rugby World Cup and also watch out for wing Damian Penaud.

Jacques Brunel will be under serious pressure if they lose this opener, which only adds to the tension ahead of what should be a captivating clash in Tokyo on Saturday. The big question is which France side turns up as they can blow hot and cold. We fancy the hot version in 2019.

Subplot to watch – Japan rising to occasion

What a moment for the host nation on Friday as they get 2019’s tournament up and running with what should be a comfortable game against Russia.

Jamie Joseph’s outfit will have incredible support behind them and simply must rise to the occasion, not just in the opener but throughout the pool phase. If they can soak up the positive vibes around the country to gain an extra few percent on the field then Ireland and Scotland beware.

One concern is the form of the Sunwolves this past season – they lost 14 out of 16 games in 2019 – so are the masses who back Japan to dump one of the giants out at the pool stage dreaming? We wait to see what unfolds as Michael Leitch looks to lead a charge like he did in 2015.

Best of the rest

Following the Super Saturday that sees Australia face Fiji, France meet Argentina and New Zealand take on South Africa, Sunday also throws up three games. They are Italy v Namibia and Ireland against Scotland before England clash with Tonga to bring down the curtain on a busy two days.

Ireland against Scotland is of course the pick of those matches as Pool A’s picture will look a good deal clearer after the Yokohama meeting.

The opening round’s action isn’t done there though as Monday sees Wales look to put recent off-field distractions to one side as they take on Georgia in Pool D. There’s little time for breath after that as Round Two kicks off on Tuesday with Russia back in pool action against Samoa.