The Rugby World Cup enters the quarter-final stages this weekend in a mouth-watering set of fixtures. With all eight sides having met each other in previous World Cup encounters we look back on these meetings before we look ahead to a massive weekend of knockout rugby.
Australia 10-12 England, Quarter-final
6th October 2007, Stade Velodrome, Marseille
In 2007, defending champions England faced the Wallabies in the first knockout match of the tournament. Both sides were filled with experience, with household names such as George Gregan, Jonny Wilkinson and Stirling Mortlock taking the field.
England were able to go up 6-0 on the board in the early stages through the reliable boot of Jonny Wilkinson. It was however the men in gold who scored the first try of the game with winger Lote Tuqiri forcing his way over in the corner from short range to make the half time score 10-6.
The English dominated the scrum in this encounter with 6’5” prop Andrew Sheridan giving the performance of his career to nullify the Australian set-piece. With the Wallabies repeatedly conceding penalties at the scrum England were able to take a lead in the second half through two Wilkinson penalties to send the defending champions into the semi-finals.
These sides have met six times in the Rugby World Cup, both having won three apiece. England will go into this weekend’s match as slight favourites given their strong showing in the group stages but will be wary of this Australian side that were able to knock them out of their own World Cup back in 2015.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Wales 8-9 France, Semi-final
15th October 2011, Eden Park, Auckland
This was Wales’ first ever showing in a World Cup semi-final. Coming off the back of a win against the Irish, Sam Warburton’s side were confident going into the contest against a French side who had swept aside England in the last-eight.
The men in red dominated the first quarter of the match and led 3-0 through a James Hook penalty with Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts looking threatening in the midfield.
The defining moment of the game came in the 17th minute as Welsh captain Sam Warburton made a tip tackle on French winger Vincent Clerc. Referee Alain Rolland deemed this to be a red card and Wales were down to fourteen men for the remaining hour of the match.
Despite the numerical advantage, France were not able to fully capitalise and a brilliant solo try by scrum half Mike Phillips meant the Welsh trailed by only a point on the hour mark with the score 8-9.
Through dogged defence, Les Bleus were able to see out the game and go through to their third World Cup final – leaving the men in red to rue a match that they will have felt they could have won with their full contingent on the field.
Warren Gatland’s side have beaten France in seven out of their last eight meetings and his side go into this weekends game as the favourites. The French however, will fancy their chances having had a two-week rest since their 23-21 win over Tonga in Pool C.
Ireland 19-48 New Zealand, Pool stage
27th May 1995, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
This has been the only meeting between these two sides in the history of the Webb Ellis Cup. The Irish came into the game as huge underdogs having never beaten the All Blacks in their history.
The men in green started the brighter with tighthead prop Gary Halpin crashing over from a quick-tap free-kick to give Ireland a seven-point lead.
As the game wore on the All Blacks proved too powerful for the Irish with the likes of Glen Osbourne, Frank Bunce and Josh Kronfeld running in scores for the eventual tournament runners up. Twenty-year-old winger Jonah Lomu went on to score a brace of tries, his first of seven in the tournament.
This Saturday, Ireland face an equally daunting task against the back-to-back champions who also go into this game off the back of a two-week rest. Joe Schmidt’s side – now without suspended centre Bundi Aki – will need to pull off one of the great Webb Ellis Cup upsets if they are to progress to their first-ever tournament semi-final.
(Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)
South Africa 32-34 Japan, Pool stage
19th September 2015, Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
The Springboks entered this Pool B game looking for a bonus-point victory against a Japan side who had but one World Cup victory to their name against Zimbabwe back in 1991.
South Africa utilised their powerful pack to good use in the first half with a rolling maul allowing Francois Louw to go over for the Boks opening try. Ten minutes later the Blossoms scored through a rolling maul of their own with skipper Michael Leech making the breakthrough.
The second half proved to be another display of end to end attacking rugby with South African lock Lood De Jager scoring a fantastic solo try from thirty metres out to extend the Springbok lead. Japan refused to be beaten and fought back to level the scores at 22-22 with an hour gone.
With replacement hooker Adriaan Strauss crashing through to score in the final quarter it looked like the Springboks would break away, but Japan continued to counter and managed to level the match again with a sublime try off a set-piece with just ten minutes remaining.
With minutes left on the clock, Japan won a penalty in front of the South African posts that would earn them a famous draw. Captain Michael Leech elected to take the scrum and go for the win.
In the last play of the game, Japan built phase after phase on the Springbok five-metre line before going wide to Karne Hesketh to score in the corner and seal the win for Japan in the greatest upset in rugby history.
This Sunday, the Blossoms will again face South Africa in their first-ever World Cup quarter-final. After group match wins over Ireland and Scotland, many will now believe that the hosts can go on to beat South Africa in yet another Webb Ellis cup upset.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
Nothing. Anymore than what happened last night will tell what will happen next week.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Sure, that’s what the last 8 Irish squads said. And the coach and several players were thrown out of the last World Cup, learning little from it by losing to second tier Japan. They’ve picked an ageing side when they could have players like Larmour starting. Earles and Kearney? Puh lease. Safe does not win world cups.
Kane
Roar Guru
If Ireland lose, will it be a choke?
David
Roar Rookie
nah, it was Ben O'Keeffe for that game and the TMO was Marius Jonker as you said, have to play them out of the game regardless
Old Bugger
Guest
Haha....from the same place the "10mins more to seal a win" came from.....our different perspective of how play eventuated, to seal a win.
Old Bugger
Guest
You hope they will HJ......don't you know they're going for 50+mins of ball in play, statistics. Aerobic fitness will be the key.....not kicking - in fact, I'd suggest the SB's won't be kicking at all unless, it goes over the touch for a line out.....stop/start, line-outs and penalties. Yep, about the only way to stop this Japanese side because trying to run the ball back at them, would be to commit......well, you know what I mean.
Harry Jones
Expert
Japan will need to kick. A lot.
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
Gee whiz...where did that come from mate?? :stoked: :laughing: Correct the Boks couldn’t get in a position to score/kick points at the end of the game and big Vic was out of form and shouldn’t have been there, and signed the death knoll on the Boks hopes at the end of the game. Finished ABs win. The point is, it was still a very very close game..... that could’ve easily gone the other way..... :thumbup:
Old Bugger
Guest
Gees Lara, I just think if the WBs can get their mental approach on target with a physical game plan, then I think this is going to be a real challenge, for the Rosy bunch. It's been missing since Perth but heck, if that's been purposeful well, here's hoping for an upset.
Old Bugger
Guest
Really guys...?? Are the SBs as aerobically fit as you assume?? Goodness me, we all know never to look back on RWC warm-up matches...what's important is what happens now. We have seen the output of this Japanese side against not one, but two teams who prior to RWC kick-off, were ranked a lot higher than they were. Heck, if Jamie Joseph was worth his weight in gold, the one and only match that he and his team would be reviewing, is the opening game between the SB's and ABs. Hold and defend for the first 20mins-30mins or even the first half. Accept that the SBs will challenge the set-piece and defend vigorously because the longer the deficit remains within a try-score, the more encouragement for the Blossoms. Oh and at the same time, keep the ball in play for as long as possible because if there's one thing about rugby, the longer the game, the better the chance.
Old Bugger
Guest
You conveniently forget that the SB's had the last line-out played in this match and their very experienced line-out winner, stuffed it up. Your team had the chance to move down into penalty kicking territory but unfortunately, the pace of the game, the weather and the belief of the ABs to upset that SB line-out, all came to fruition for the ABs to secure the ball and run down, the clock. So please, no more talk about not winning a penalty of being close for a DG - your players were absolutely done for aerobic fitness and awareness just like they were, in the opening match, at this competition. The attempt to secure the ball at your own line-out, didn't meet the expectations of the effort, that was required.
Old Bugger
Guest
A monkey....?? I expect it to be a bloody gorilla because if you think 24yrs between drinks for the ABs deserves to be called a monkey than this current scenario, must definitely be of gorilla proportions, for the Irish and its fanbase.....don't you think???
Lara
Guest
Four past winners, one will be knocked out for sure. Do I see any upsets, probably not, but I do see the French , who always comes to the party at the pointe end of the tournament to come closes to causing an upset. May the games begin.
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
I'm cautiously optimistic too.... My head says the Boks should put 40 points on this Japan team again, like they did only a few weeks ago without showing their hand at all, nothing fancy and no set moves or anything. And only let in 1 or 2 tries. BUT, Japan at a full pumped up Yokohama stadium in their current form with their speed and accuracy they played with last Sunday makes me feel a bit cautious.... that the Boks really need to be on their toes. Because in a one off game, anything can happen.
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
So awful that a penalty or drop goal in the last 10 minutes would’ve sealed their spot in the WC final over NZ, the eventual winners? But yes the Boks are a better side in 2019. it was 2016-2017 when Coetzee was in in charge that the Boks were woeful. In 2015 the Boks went into the Japan game with a B team expecting to put 60+ points on them without doing any preparation or research of the opposition, and that was their downfall.
One Eye
Roar Rookie
Hmmm, plenty of players in both teams have played in the World Cup – difference being one teams players returning have only ever won it and the other teams players have only ever lost in the first knock out match they played in. I would expect that would be quite a monkey on the shoulder…
Wyn
Guest
1995 all over again with Japan replacing Samoa, Wales instead of Ireland, and Ireland instead of Scotland. On the England side of the draw, England wins but no one gets knighted as they expect this win. England then get thumped by New Zealand, but this time without running over the catt. On the Japanese side of the draw, France pull out their one good game of the tournament. South Africa overcome a spirited Japan in a close contest and have a trench battle with the French. In the finals, the All Blacks vs Splingboks
Old Bugger
Guest
Great commentary Ric. My take on the front rows is Healy will have his work cut out to nullify Laulala while Joe will have nothing special against Furlong except get right under his barrel chest, to keep him honest. Oh and btw, I also think the ABs will ease away in the final stanza......
Old Bugger
Guest
I think the final score made him forget about '87.....
Tycoch22
Roar Rookie
"This was Wales’ first ever showing in a World Cup semi-final" What about 1987?