The Rugby World Cup has reached the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, it’s Wales vs. Argentina and top-ranked Ireland vs. three-time champion New Zealand.
On Sunday, it’s England vs. underdog Fiji and host France vs. defending champion South Africa.
Here are the large issues to know:
POWER SHIFT
The southern hemisphere has dominated the Rugby World Cup, successful eight out of 9 tournaments and the final 4 in a row.
PHOTOS: What to know in regards to the Rugby World Cup forward of 4 north vs south quarterfinals
There have been three titles for New Zealand, three for South Africa and two for Australia. England is the odd one out with a 2003 triumph for the northern hemisphere that could be a distant reminiscence.
But there’s a powerful likelihood there may not be a single nation from the south within the semifinals this time and that may be an enormous second for rugby.
It’s north vs. south in every of the quarterfinals and the workforce from the northern hemisphere is the favourite in every.
No. 1 Ireland is on its finest successful run of 17 matches, got here again to clinch an historic collection victory in New Zealand final 12 months and is favored towards the All Blacks this weekend. France is No. 2 and has dwelling benefit – and the perfect participant on the earth – towards South Africa.
England and Wales are higher-ranked and unbeaten on this World Cup heading into quarterfinals towards Fiji and Argentina, respectively.
This weekend may then sign a serious energy shift within the ongoing north vs. south battle.
IRELAND‘S RUN
No workforce has embodied the rise of the north greater than Ireland, which has been No. 1 for greater than a 12 months.
It’s crunch time for the Irish, who’ve by no means made it previous the quarterfinals and face what are clearly the 2 greatest weeks of their rugby historical past, beginning with the All Blacks.
As Ireland reaches for brand spanking new heights, New Zealand – rugby’s most celebrated workforce – may report its worst ever efficiency at a World Cup if it loses. Australia has already been knocked out within the pool stage for the primary time.
FRANCE‘S MAIN MAN
France shouldn’t be full with out captain Antoine Dupont, a brilliantly proficient attacking participant who’s considered the perfect on the earth.
His match was unsure – and host nation France was in a panic – when he broke his cheekbone in a recreation towards Namibia three weeks in the past. He underwent surgical procedure the day after, has come by a frenzied interval of restoration, and has been cleared to play towards South Africa within the final quarterfinal on Sunday.
If there’s one participant value watching, it’s Dupont. He’ll be barely disguised, although, after his surgeon ordered him to put on a protecting scrum cap as an additional precaution towards the Springboks.
SHOT AT HISTORY
With their joie de vivre and spirit, the Fijians are the darlings of this World Cup. They may be history-makers.
No Pacific Island nation has ever reached the semifinals of rugby’s greatest match, with Fiji and Samoa attending to the final eight and no additional.
This is Fiji‘s third look within the quarterfinals. It misplaced to France at that stage in 1987 and South Africa in 2007.
Samoa misplaced within the quarterfinals in 1991 (to Scotland) and 1995 (to host South Africa). The workforce was Western Samoa in these days.
It’s a giant second for tier two international locations like Fiji, who’re preventing for extra alternatives to play towards rugby’s main powers within the World Cup cycle. Since the sport went skilled after the 1995 World Cup, solely twice have tier two groups reached the quarters: Fiji in 2007 and Japan in 2019.
FROM LEFTFIELD
Just about everybody expects this 12 months’s champion to come back from the Ireland vs. New Zealand or France vs. South Africa quarterfinals, the conferences of the present finest from the north and south and the world’s prime 4 groups.
That means hardly any strain on England and Wales, who face a lot lighter-weight opponents in Fiji and Argentina.
England has been particularly enigmatic this 12 months, coming to the Rugby World Cup off one in every of its worst runs of kind ever and immediately discovering itself unbeaten and with a powerful likelihood of creating the semifinals.
“These opportunities don’t come around too often,” England captain Owen Farrell stated.
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