England v Argentina
Eddie Jones surprised everybody when he axed Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell form the matchday lineup to play Argentina. He said earlier this year that he would rest his Lions stars for the Autumn Internationals, but then kind of went back on his word by including them all in his initial squad, only to surprise everyone again by the shock exclusion of two of his main stars.
It’s not thought to be a tactical decision, however, and both players are expected to return next week against Australia, but Jones just wants to test the depth of his squad in what should be a highly entertaining match. And with the World Cup next year, Jones has noted his two star men have played as much rugby as anyone in world rugby and need a rest. And Jones has clearly got the RWC in his thoughts as he assembles a squad who is full of both youth and experience.
Henry Slade will start against Argentian later today
In place of Farrell is Exeter Chiefs’ Henry Slade, who impressed in Argentina on the summer tour. The 24 year old’s international career seemed to have stagnated after he broke his leg in 2015. But the inside-centre has been instrumental in Exeter’s monumental rise and Jones thinks it’s a good opportunity to give him some more game time.
Not surprisingly Jones opted for captain Dylan Hartley to start before Jamie George at hooker. George may have started all three Test matches for the Lions against New Zealand, but he still only gets a place on the bench, or should I say as a finisher, for England. He will probably enter the fray around the 50-minute mark and help power England to victory.
A dilema any coach would love to have. Who to choose?
Argentina travel to London on the back of some indifferent performances in the Rugby Championships and the home series defeat to England in June. And since the formation of Super Rugby team Jaguares, the Pumas no longer select European based players. Many of their stars play in France and England, and so Argentina headcoach Daniel Hourcade has to reassemble their team.
A similar rule is used by England and New Zealand, but the Pumas don’t have the strength in depth of the teams ranked 1st and 2nd in the world. Hourcade is an advocate of the new rule, but he admitted the loss of Juan Figallo and Juan Imhoff was hard to take. And since implementing the rule the Pumas have slipped from 5th to 10th in the world rankings. It should be a good long-term improvement strategy for Argentina, but they need to start improving quickly.
Argentina stalwart Augustin Creevy will captain an inexperienced Pumas today
Both teams will be eager to entertain, and it should be a fluid Test. However England will be too strong, especially with Argentina’s selection policy showing no signs of paying off at the moment, and travelling to fortress Twickenham, where they have never won and England rarely lose, I can see a comfortable win for England 45-17.
Ireland v South Africa
The Springboks travel to Dublin to face Ireland on the back of an improving performance in the Rugby Championships where they ran the All Blacks very close in Cape Town. While Ireland, who have beaten All Blacks and stopped England’s world record winning run during this year’s Six Nations are an ever improving force in world rugby.
With two evenly matched sides, the Test promises to be an epic encounter at the Aviva. Rory Best will captain the Irish again and with some recent classics this match needs no extra spice, but with the furore about the 2023 RWC debate heating up that’s exactly what we are getting.
Springboks are improving and will be a solid test for Ireland
The game will be won and lost in the back row. This is where both sides are so evenly matched. Ireland trio Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and CJ Stander have 111 Test appearances combined, while South Africa's Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Francois Louw have 108 international caps in total.
South Africa have named a big pack, and with du Toit at number 8 it signals they are going to put emphasis on the line out, where Ireland are arguably most susceptible. They will be as formidable as ever and will look to manipulate the Irish in the driving maul in hope of powering their way to victory. With Rory Best at hooker, Ireland have got a very dependable guy when needed. His scrimmaging is second to none, but his line out throwing can go astray at times. Although, the Springboks won’t have it all their way, it will be the main area they have an advantage.
Sexton and Jantjies will be central to the outcome of the match
While the middle might be evenly matched, Ireland have the advantage at 9 and 10 with Connor Murray and Johnny Sexton. Both players would walk into most International sides and with Elton Jantjies and Ross Cronje play together with Lions, but are relatively inexperienced at international level, and so the Irish should have the advantage there.
The backs of both sides are relatively inexperienced and we can expect Sexton and Jantjies to pepper the backs with some high balls in a battle of territory, and if this dictates the outcome I would expect Sexton to be superior and an Irish win will ensue.
Rob Kearney will play a big part in the Irish attack
It’s an enthralling encounter and it could go either way. South Africa will be as powerful as ever, and are improving greatly. Ireland at the Aviva are a different fish, however. I expect a tight game with not many tries, but ultimately Ireland to win 18-10.
Wales v Australia
Another intriguing game at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff awaits. Wales are, on their day, world beaters and have relative success against northern hemisphere teams. However, when they come up against the big guns from the southern hemisphere, they seem to choke.
It’s almost 10 years since Wales beat the Wallabies and have lost 12 matches since. However, 7 of those 12 defeats have been by less than 5 points. So, Wales can match the likes of Australia, but just need that winning mentality to carry them over the line.
Dan Biggar will need to be on his game if Wales are to beat the Wallabies today
To make life more difficult for the Welsh, they have a few injuries. Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb and George North and Samson Lee are all missing, and so Warren Gatland has named three uncapped players on the replacement’s bench. This won’t be an advantage for Wales but surely, with the RWC less than 2 years away, it’s a great chance for Gatland to blood some new potential.
Gatland has fielded two playmakers in the midfield, which was successful for him during the Lions tour this summer. Although he doesn’t have Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell at his disposal for Wales, Dan Biggar and Owen Williams should give Wales a bit more zest in the middle. Australia will match them all the way in the middle, however. Samu Kerevi at 12 and the returning Bernard Foley at 10 and Will Genia at 9 should provide the Wallabies with as much creativity as the Welsh.
Michael Hooper would walk into any international side
Australia will be as strong as ever in the breakdown with Michael Hooper continuously performing to the highest standard. And with Warburton and Tipuric missing it’s hard to see anything other than Australia getting the advantage in the all-important breakdown.
Warren Gatland will be hoping its 13th time lucky for Wales today
Australia are supposed to be going through a crisis, and we can definitely say they aren’t the force they once were. However, they are good enough to have just beaten the All Blacks, and one can never write off the Wallabies. Added to this, Wales will be fielding such an inexperienced team without their captain Sam Warburton, I expect a win for Australia. It will be close until the last 20 minutes but in the end Australia will win 30-18.
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