OK, we are halfway through the pool stages, with only 2 teams not having played 2 games, so time to sum up where everyone is.
Pool A
(1st, 9pts +77 F/A) Australia have trotted out 2 totally different sides and despite having room for improvement, look to have more choice and depth than either Wales or England. If they can curtail their error rate and start Foley over Cooper, England will be in real trouble on Saturday. This is especially true if the Australian pack plays like it did against the All Blacks in Sydney 2 months ago.
(2nd, 9pts +48 F/A) Wales are riding high but have suffered a heavy injury toll. They have to face the hardnosed Fijian side before facing Australia and may cop even more damage there. If they can hold off Fiji (no easy feat) and Australia beat England, they will progress.
(3rd, 6pts) England are in a nasty spot right now and as a young side feeling the pressure are vulnerable. They have a strong pack, but lack the speed and attacking weapons of Australia. Playing at home will help, but if Australia build pressure and keep racking up points, the English may suffer their darkest rugby hour. I am not writing them off just yet, even if they do lose to Australia, a Welsh loss to Fiji would keep them in the hunt.
(4th, 0pts, -39 F/A) Sucks to be Fiji, facing three of the top 5 sides in the world. They have played well and vastly improved their set piece, however, a young Fly Half is costing them, as his decision making has been poor and as a team they have not been ruthless enough.
(5th, 0pts, -107 F/A) Uruguay have no hope of a win, let alone points, even though everyone nods towards Japan when such sentiments are uttered. Their main chance is against Fiji, but that will only come after being battered by Wales, Australia and England.
Pool B
(1st, 10pts) Scotland are traveling OK at the moment, having knocked off Japan on the rebound and the USA. Their main tests are to come though, against South Africa and Samoa. Both games are winnable, but it will be interesting to see what the young Scottish side does in what will be far more physical and pressurised environments.
(2nd, 7pts) South Africa may have smacked Samoa around in a blood rage, but you don’t win World Cups with a team that gives away wins to minnows. Barring catastrophe against Scotland, which probably won’t happen, they will make the Quarter Finals and probably exit the scene there. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch…
(3rd, 4pts, -31 F/A) Samoa have been a bit of a disappointment, scrapping out a win over the USA and getting a right kicking from the Boks. This is sad, considering the scare they gave New Zealand a few months ago. The game against Scotland will be the big one for them, but I think the Scot’s will go through over Samoa.
(4th, 4pts, -33 F/A) Japan won’t have to buy its players a drink for the rest of the tournament, as every fan there will cover that for them. They need to defeat the USA to make it worthwhile and probably will, and if they top off Samoa, will finish with huge respect.
(5th, 0pts) The United States have let themselves down, playing bad rugby and not learning from rookie errors. They are heading for the pool wooden spoon if they do not start thinking on their feet in games.
Pool C
(1st, 9pts) New Zealand have yet to properly fire and their attitude against Namibia seems to point to a side that thinks it has this cup in the bag already, a bad omen for New Zealand sides of the past. What is worse for New Zealand, is that they do not meet a real challenge until the finals, which may lead to false complacency. That is not to say they are not a fearsome side, they are, they just aren’t acting like it right now.
(2nd, 5pts) Argentina have played relatively well, pushing the New Zealand and containing a Georgian team on a high. Apart from Tonga, they won’t be pushed again, but are building well. They may be a dark hose for a semi-final.
(3rd, 4pts) Georgia have improved over the last few years and could take home 2 wins from a World Cup for the first time. Should their backs continue to develop, they could do some real damage to other teams in 2019.
(4th, 1pts) Tonga are in the doldrums after their first loss and if they go to sea again, Namibia will have a real crack at them. Their only outside chance is to beat Argentina and hope for a points decision to make the quarters, which is unlikely at this point.
(5th, 0pts) Namibia showed what a bit of passion can do, even against the best. They may well fancy themselves against both Tonga and Georgia, but will find it hard to back up against Tonga after facing the All Blacks.
Pool D
(1st, 10pts) Ireland have settled into the cup better than any other high ranked team and are building very well. With each game progressively harder, they could not have wished for a better lead into their game with France. On current form, they should beat France and top the table.
(2nd, 9pts) France are travelling quietly, but lack the flair of past French teams and though they will be hard to beat, they will conversely find it hard to win against top sides. Their inability to put Romania away completely was evidence that they are good, but not world beaters just yet.
(3rd, 4pts) Italy have disappointed in their opening matches and this underlies their continued campaign to keep the 6 Nations an non-relegation/promotion competition. They never fired against France and Canada were within a break of winning a major upset. The Azzuri seem disjointed and unsure of themselves.
(4th, 1pts) Canada may have gotten spanked by Ireland, but they came at the Italians in a major way, with a few momentary lapses costing them the game. They probably fancy themselves for at least one win now, but they will find a different beast in Romania.
(5th, 0pts) Romania won’t finish bottom of this pool, should get up over Canada and after keeping France to three tries, could well beat Italy and relegate the Italians to the long qualification for the 2019 World Cup. These guys will be interesting to watch in their next couple of encounters.
