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The pools stage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup is done and dusted, and now we move on to the quarter-finals.
Eight teams are still in the running: Australia, Wales, South Africa, Scotland, New Zealand, Argentina, Ireland and France.
This weekend, that will be narrowed down to just four. Here’s a look at the match-ups for the quarter-finals, and how the competing teams have fared in the world cup to date.
South Africa vs Wales
Twickenham Stadium, London
Sunday October 18, 2:00am AEDT
Betting: South Africa $1.28, Wales $3.7
Despite opening the World Cup with a shock loss to Japan, South Africa ultimately recovered well to finish on top of Pool B with comfortable wins over Samoa (46-6), Scotland (34-16), and the USA (64-0). They finished with a 3-1 record, and recorded a bonus point in every match.
Wales also had an impressive time in Pool A, also finishing with a 3-1 record. They dominated Uruguay (54-9) and were too good for Fiji (23-13), but undoubtedly the highlight for them so far of the world cup was their win over England (28-25). A loss to Australia on the weekend saw them finish second in Pool A.
South Africa are definitely the favourites heading into the match, and the fact they’ve had a much longer break going in will give them a bit of an advantage. Still, it’s not beyond Wales to cause an upset.
New Zealand v France
Millenium Stadium, Cardiff
Sunday October 18, 6:00am AEDT
Betting: New Zealand $1.18, France $5
New Zealand have done everything asked of them so far in the world cup. They’ve gone 4-0 to top Pool C, with wins over Argentina (26-16), Namibia (58-14), Georgia (43-10) and Tonga (47-9). They’ve scored the most tries of any nation and have the biggest points advantage of any nation with +125, they’re in good shape to defend their 2011 World Cup victory.
France on the other hand have done well so far in Pool D but a loss to Ireland on the weekend sees them given arguably the toughest fixture of the opening week. They recorded wins over Italy (32-10), Romania (38-11), and Canada (41-18), but couldn’t trump the Irish.
New Zealand are the deserving favourites to take out the entire world cup, and it’s hard to see France upsetting them here.
Ireland v Argentina
Millenium Stadium, Cardiff
Sunday October 18, 11:00pm AEDT
Betting: Ireland $1.48, Argentina $2.65
Ireland closed out an impressive showing in Pool D with a win over France (24-9) on the weekend that sees them going into the quarter-finals undefeated. They’ve also recorded wins over Canada (50-7), Romania (44-10), and Italy (16-9), but have the lowest points advantage of any pool-topping team with +99.
Argentina’s first up loss to New Zealand saw them lose any chance of topping pool C, but they were victorious in their remaining three fixtures with wins over Georgia (54-9), Tonga (45-16) and Namibia (64-19).
Of the teams who didn’t finish on top of a pool, Argentina look the best placed to have an upset quarter-final win, though Ireland will be tough to beat. In terms of the evenness of the sides this looks like most promising quarter-final of the lot.
Australia v Scotland
Twickenham Stadium, London
Monday October 19, 2:00am AEDT
Betting: Australia $1.10, Scotland $7
The Wallabies are heading into the quarter-finals undefeated after wins over Fiji (28-13), Uruguay (65-3), England (33-13), and most recently Wales (15-6). Safe to say they’d be fairly happy with their form going into the quarter-finals.
Scotland recorded big wins over Japan (45-10) and the USA (39-16) early in the world cup, but couldn’t compete with South Africa and were lucky to escape with a win over Samoa (36-33) – had they lost the game, they would’ve missed out on the quarter-finals.
The Wallabies are the shortest-priced favourites of any side going into the quarter-finals, and considering the recent form of both teams, they should be very confident heading into this one.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.