No more second chances, no opportunity to rectify defeat, just good, hard fought knock-out rugby. This is all that awaits us.
The 2011 Rugby World Cup has been thrilling and we’re only just half way through. We’ve had upsets, shocks and plenty of near misses. But taking this into account, the teams that were expected to make their way out of the group stages all managed to do so, but not without the odd fright.
England secured their quarter final place with a hard fought win over a homebound Scotland. Andy Robinson’s men once again failed to score a try against tier one opposition, which has ultimately been their downfall at this years’ competition. A late Chris Ashton try was enough to see England to a 16-12 win against the old enemy. England will face a France side who are edging ever closer to self-destruct mode. A shock defeat to Tonga together with an unhappy camp have put the French in a less than ideal position heading into the business end of the tournament.
Ireland’s crushing of Italy has set up a mouth-watering battle of Britain quarter-final against an ever improving Wales. The Irish look to be re-discovering their best form, kick-started by their historical win against Australia which saw them top the group. But Wales are not to be written off, even though they go into the knockout stages as slight underdogs, they are certainly capable of competing with the very best in the world.
Ireland’s surprise victory over Australia sent the much fancied Aussies into the tougher side of the draw. They will now face a South Africa side in sublime form, looking to defend their world champion status. But Australia, possessing an array of talent in all positions will certainly fancy their chances of knocking the ‘Boks off of their perch.
A Dan Carter-less All Blacks will face Argentina as they search for a first World Cup win in over a decade. A lot of responsibility will fall on to the inexperienced shoulders of Colin Slade as he looks to step into the shoes of one of New Zealand’s greatest ever players.
With plenty of rugby left to play, the competition is wide open. The favourites are likely to come from the Southern hemisphere but who would bet against a European side stealing the limelight once again. Not me.
Tournament Talk Semi-Final predictions:
Ireland v England
South Africa v New Zealand
No comments:
Post a Comment