Stuart Hogg’s winner:
Hogg anticipates that New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Wales will exit the competition in the quarter-final stage, leaving Australia as the lone representative from the Southern Hemisphere. In the semi-finals, Australia will be accompanied by Northern Hemisphere contenders Ireland, France, and England.
Since England’s triumph in 2003, no Northern Hemisphere team has clinched the World Cup title. However, Hogg believes that France, hosting the tournament, has a strong chance of breaking that streak and emerging as the eventual champions.
“I’m going to go with France [to beat Ireland in the final],” he said.
“I think we probably won’t see the best of them leading up to it, but in the quarter-finals and semi-finals [you will], and they’ll save the best until last [for the final].”
