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Post comments on thoughts on the how you think the draw will pan out.
Wales getting properly written off, with both Fiji and now Gerogia preferred by some.
Anythings possibleI'd laugh so hard if England come 3rd in pool D and get knocked out. Yeh that means losing to the Pumas and The Brave Blossoms.
Tbf 2015 pretty much trumps any WC low imaginable.I'd laugh so hard if England come 3rd in pool D and get knocked out. Yeh that means losing to the Pumas and The Brave Blossoms.
Maybe. Context is important here. 2015 was most disappointing because it was at home. Had it been overseas, an average England team coming third to two good sides who ended up as finalists and semi finalists wouldn't have been anywhere near as embarrassing.Tbf 2015 pretty much trumps any WC low imaginable.
Very much depends on your perspective, Wales fans will constantly remind us of being heavy contributors to making England the only nation to not make it out of the knockout stages in their own WC.Maybe. Context is important here. 2015 was most disappointing because it was at home. Had it been overseas, an average England team coming third to two good sides who ended up as finalists and semi finalists wouldn't have been anywhere near as embarrassing.
Losing to Argentina and Japan and going out in the group stage would be considerably worse IMO.
The sequence of the games could be a blessing or a curse for England. Having the hardest games (on paper) means there's no chance to build momentum going in to them, but winning them would be an immediate momentum creator that also allows for rotation in the later group games.
Rankings aside, Argentina are probably a better side and definitely a more settled side than Borthwick's England and I think there's every chance they could win that first game. OTOH, no-one really knows what to expect from England right now. If Borthwick gets the camp and the squad selection right, we could surprise Argentina. I think Japan are a bit overrated based upon a home performance in 2019. A lot of their better players than are no longer available or past their best. I wouldn't dismiss them as a threat, but I think England should beat them.
The optimist in me says we win the group. The realist says we qualify in second. It's definitely possible we crash out but I don't think it will happen.
You're probably right but what would be your thoughts on a England V Fiji qtr final?I expect England to win our group and face Wales in the quarters. If so, we make the semis. If we play Australia then we're going home, but I think the semifinalists from our side of the draw will be England and Australia.
The other side of the draw is harder to call. NZ might just take advantage of first night French nerves and end up winning that group. In Pool B I'm not sure that Ireland will wear a favourite's tag brilliantly, whereas the Springboks have proven World Cup pedigree, so on neutral territory the Boks might just edge that group.
So I'm going:
QFs:
3 England to beat Wales
1 Australia to beat Argentina
4 New Zealand against Ireland will be a tough call. The head and heart both insist Ireland, yet I have a sneaky feeling that the All Blacks might just pull something out of the bag. And there's also the whole QF thing for Ire to put out of their heads.
2 I am backing France to have found their stride by the time they face the Boks. But you can never discount the Boks and a win for them wouldn't be a total shock.
SF:
1 France to beat Australia easily enough.
2 ABs to exact 2019 revenge on England, also with a bit to spare.
Final:
Another 2011 nervy job. I'd like to think France but if the ABs don't let them get out of sight, nerves will kick in. I really didn't think I'd be saying this, but NZ to win, probably courtesy of a Wayne Barnes decision that sees him afraid to set foot in France ever again, while giving him the freedom of Rotorua.
You heard it here first!
Being totally written off is about the best thing we have going for us at this WC. They'll be a bit of an unknown quantity about us as well. I'm really torn between facing the reality of being way off where we need to be and therefore not thinking we'll get out the group and also believing in a lot of the payers we still have and also recognising we're on the easy side of the draw. The potential of facing Argentina and a way below par England in a qtr final is mouth watering really and we should be looking to get to a semi regardless of recent form.Wales getting properly written off, with both Fiji and now Gerogia preferred by some. I think that's fair enough given recent results and retirements/injuries though.
Puts us in a great position though. We'll be going in with a very young/inexperienced pack (Faletau aside), but one which could shock many. Feels a little 2011 again, but that might be wishful thinking!
To be fair, I think with Borthwick being new and Gatland yet to play a game in his second stint, both teams are fairly unknown quantities. What we've seen recently hopefully won't be what we see come the RWC.You're probably right but what would be your thoughts on a England V Fiji qtr final?
To be honest, as **** as we are England aren't much better so if we do face you in the qtr final I think it's far from certain that you win that game. I'd have you as favourites but I'd imagine it would be a relatively close game.
I agree, but I think the same pretty much applies to England. The only reason we're even being looked at as a dark horse is the relative ease of our pool.Being totally written off is about the best thing we have going for us at this WC. They'll be a bit of an unknown quantity about us as well. I'm really torn between facing the reality of being way off where we need to be and therefore not thinking we'll get out the group and also believing in a lot of the payers we still have and also recognising we're on the easy side of the draw. The potential of facing Argentina and a way below par England in a qtr final is mouth watering really and we should be looking to get to a semi regardless of recent form.