RWC15: Five Biggest Group Stage Matches

I can't wait for the World Cup, it's going to be a festival at the end of what is arguably one of the biggest ever years in rugby history. The sport is continuing to grow exponentially across the world, and sevens is seeing an increase in crowds too as it heads towards the Olympic Games.

I will revisit this article nearer to the tournament, after the club season and warm up games have been completed, and give my predictions on who I believe will triumph, but until then, let's all lick our lips at the prospect of five encounters that will define the first round of the tournament.

Wales v England

The opening matches for England, Australia and Wales should see them get their teeth into the competition before the big tests come later on. The first of these is the England v Wales game, which see's these two titans of world rugby go head to head yet again. Losing this game will not rule either team out of making it to the Quarter Finals, but the results they pick up against Australia could determine whether they play South Africa or not in the Quarter Finals.

England v Australia

This is the second of three matches in Pool A that stand out as the big games. If England have beaten Wales before they get to this game, they will have put themselves in a commanding position to top the group and play the Pool B runner up. The loser of this game will know that their result respective result against Wales will mean the difference between staying or going home.

England and Australia are no strangers in the World Cup, having met each other 5 times, the first in 1987 with Australia winning on that occasion, and indeed on the second occasion when they met in the final in 1991. More recently though England have won the last three meetings: 1995, then the famous 2003 meeting in the final, and again in the quarters in 2007. Is momentum on England's side? They have won the last two Autumn Internationals, both at HQ, but this is certainly a big match, if only for bragging rights.

Australia v Wales

If England have lost to both Australia and Wales, this match will be the decider between 1st and 2nd place, and an undoubted meeting with South Africa in the Quarter Finals. It could also be the decider between 2nd and 3rd place if both have lost to England, and neither of these teams will want to go home. Wales reached 3rd in 1987, and nearly matched that achievement in 2011 by coming 4th, but otherwise have an inauspicious record in the World Cup. Australia on the other hand, have yet to fail to get out of the Pool stage - could this be the year...?

France v Ireland

This match brings the two teams expected to fill the top two places of Pool D head to head, with the eventual loser set to play New Zealand who should be expected to top Group C. This game will undoubtedly be the deciding match for their respective campaigns.

It must be hard to follow the French rugby union team; having finished with the wooden spoon in the 2013 Six Nations, it's hard to believe they were in the World Cup Final only 18 months earlier. They have been in three World Cup finals, falling short each time, but this is testament to how inconsistent France are. On their day, they can play absolutely fantastic rugby, but they have to turn up!

Ireland on the other hand are incredibly consistent in the World Cup, having gone out in the Quarter Finals at all but the 2007 World Cup. Their fortunes will be a lot different this time round if they can maintain the intensity they are showing in the Six Nations, but more importantly, they have a master tactician at the top in Joe Schmidt.

Scotland v Samoa

Our final game see's two nations that will be fighting for second place in Pool B. It's unlikely that South Africa are going to drop points against either of these sides, which leaves these two left to face one of Australia, England or Wales in the Quarter Finals. Despite losing to Italy and being at the foot of the Six Nations table at the time of writing this article, Scotland have looked good, and Vern Cotter has got them playing some good rugby.

Scotland have made it to the Quarter Finals in all but the last World Cup, and while Samoa have not made it to the Quarters since 1999, this game will be a close affair.

Filed under: Rugby World Cup
Written by: Edward Kerr
Follow: @edwardrkerr · @therugbymag