3. South Africa vs Ireland – Pool B
Saturday September 23rd, 20:00 KO, Paris
The most hotly anticipated match-up of the weekend, sees two titans of international rugby collide in Pool B. If you watch any match this weekend, make sure it is this one, as Ireland and South Africa are sure to put on an absolute blockbuster to close out Saturday’s action. The number one (Ireland) and two (South Africa) sides in the world, have been brought together due to the lop-sided early draw of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
With just 0.15 points separating the two sides in the World Rugby rankings, this one can truly go either way. The Springboks had a far more testing start to their Rugby World Cup campaign, with a competitive 18-3 win over Scotland getting them up and running. However, they followed suit with Ireland by recording a landslide win over Romania, with both the ‘Boks and Ireland recording a points difference of more than 70 (Ireland 82-8, South Africa 72-0).
An unfortunate injury to Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx, has allowed South Africa to call fly-half Handre Pollard into the squad. However, Springboks Director of Rugby Rassie Erasamus has insisted that Pollard will play no part in the match against Ireland, unless the ‘Boks suffer more injury blows. “He will definitely not be selected for this, apart from if we get two or three injuries.” Erasamus said.
This match truly could be decided on a coin flip, with two sides at the very top of their games set to collide on Saturday night. There is no clear indicator towards an advantage, with Bongi Mbonambi being a more than capable replacement for the injured Marx. Ireland’s strong performance against Tonga has further raised confidence, with a 59-16 win over an ex-All Blacks reinforced Sea Eagles side. With national pride set for an almighty crescendo, we favour Ireland in this one… just.
RUCK Prediction: South Africa 23-25 Ireland
Scotland vs Tonga – Pool B
Sunday September 24th, 16:45 KO, Nice
The overlooked match-up in Pool B this weekend with all eyes on the Springboks vs Ireland, Sunday’s clash between Scotland and Tonga could be nothing short of a firecracker. Scotland do still have it all to play for to progress out of the pool, despite the heavy expectations of South Africa and Ireland reaching the knock-out stages from Pool B.
Gregor Townsend’s men can improve their progression chances through a high-scoring win over Tonga, with an underdog victory against Ireland standing in their way to the play-offs. Tonga put on an entertaining performance against the world number ones last weekend, with the additions of ex-All Blacks Malakai Fekitoa, Charles Piutau, Augustine Pulu and George Moala all having their own explosive moments. Scotland are favourited to come away with the win in Nice, but Towsend’s men will have to fight tooth and nail for the victory.
This match is expected to see Tonga come out of the blocks on fire, but eventually burn themselves out for a Scottish win. Tonga could well take a lead into half-time, yet we believe that the men from North of the border will claim the victory in this Pool B encounter. The sharpshooting of Finn Russell will be utilised, to keep the Scottish points tally ticking over for the win. Regardless of their choice of kit, Scotland will leave the ground black and blue, after an expected hard-hitting battle with the Pacific Islanders.
