uh. This is the longest week ever in British rugby. Fact.
Topic: 2019 Rugby World Cup predictions - page 3. (Read 1111 times)
uh. This is the longest week ever in British rugby. Fact.
That would be a dream final between NZ and SA. Comparing both teams head to head reveals interesting results however NZ does look better based upon previous history.
Wow! In case a final is played between New Zealand and South Africa, then it will be the 100th international match between the two nations! Being a fan of the New Zealand team I want them to win the final, either against South Africa or Wales. Rugby lovers would be overjoyed if there is an upset during the Wales vs South Africa match. I am perfectly OK with a NZ vs Wales final. That would be even more exciting.
This draw happened in July 2019, I mentioned the more recent win by the NZ, that is Sep, 2019
NZ did lost this match but it was against Australia (a much weaker team then SA) but then there are days when underdogs win.
What about recently? Didn't SA beat NZ? Was that a fluke or NZ fielded a weaker side?
Anyway, as with almost any competition, the semi-finals are often much more thrilling than the finals.
Sadly England tend to go very wrong very fast against the All Blacks, while I expect Wales to fight to the bitter end.
Anyway, as with almost any competition, the semi-finals are often much more thrilling than the finals.
Sadly England tend to go very wrong very fast against the All Blacks, while I expect Wales to fight to the bitter end.
When did SA beat NZ ? In the group match in pool b between these two teams NewZealand came out to be the winner by 23 -13.
This happened very early in the tournament.
I don't follow Rugby so don't know which team is stronger but i am cheering for New Zealand and I hope they win so that i can rub this win on my colleague's face. Down to earth bloke but after winning the cricket world cup not so..... 
What about recently? Didn't SA beat NZ? Was that a fluke or NZ fielded a weaker side?
Anyway, as with almost any competition, the semi-finals are often much more thrilling than the finals.
Sadly England tend to go very wrong very fast against the All Blacks, while I expect Wales to fight to the bitter end.
Anyway, as with almost any competition, the semi-finals are often much more thrilling than the finals.
Sadly England tend to go very wrong very fast against the All Blacks, while I expect Wales to fight to the bitter end.
Any result can happen in any competion but right now after watching few matches I am expecting we are going to watch Grand Finale between New Zealand vs South Africa as both are already done good job in matches and now they are going to face real challenge from both good and tough teams I am feeling we have final between these two.
Yes... the chances are more for a New Zealand vs South Africa final, as these two are the top two ranking sides. Even among them, the gap between New Zealand and South Africa have widened over the past few years. One of the reason is the decline in the standards of the South African rugby as a result of political intervention and quota system. In the long term, I expect New Zealand to become even stronger and South Africa to become weak. They may be overtaken by teams such as England as the no.2 side.
That would be a dream final between NZ and SA. Comparing both teams head to head reveals interesting results however NZ does look better based upon previous history.
Any result can happen in any competion but right now after watching few matches I am expecting we are going to watch Grand Finale between New Zealand vs South Africa as both are already done good job in matches and now they are going to face real challenge from both good and tough teams I am feeling we have final between these two.
Yes... the chances are more for a New Zealand vs South Africa final, as these two are the top two ranking sides. Even among them, the gap between New Zealand and South Africa have widened over the past few years. One of the reason is the decline in the standards of the South African rugby as a result of political intervention and quota system. In the long term, I expect New Zealand to become even stronger and South Africa to become weak. They may be overtaken by teams such as England as the no.2 side.
I'm a Wales fan but I think they have very few chances against South Africa. The other match instead is not as foregone as you may think, because England has a good offensive team and Farrell is a great kicker and a charismatic captain.
No one expected Wales to beat France, especially after they trailed by 13-19 with just a few minutes remaining. They won by 20-19, and it was one of the biggest upsets in this edition. Now South Africa is much stronger when compared to France, but they are not invincible. At least they are not New Zealand, who are the no.1 side. IMO, any team other than NZ can be defeated.
I'm a Wales fan but I think they have very few chances against South Africa. The other match instead is not as foregone as you may think, because England has a good offensive team and Farrell is a great kicker and a charismatic captain.
No one expected Wales to beat France, especially after they trailed by 13-19 with just a few minutes remaining. They won by 20-19, and it was one of the biggest upsets in this edition. Now South Africa is much stronger when compared to France, but they are not invincible. At least they are not New Zealand, who are the no.1 side. IMO, any team other than NZ can be defeated.
I'm a Wales fan but I think they have very few chances against South Africa. The other match instead is not as foregone as you may think, because England has a good offensive team and Farrell is a great kicker and a charismatic captain.
New Zealand crush Ireland in quarter final and now we are going to have Semi Final New Zealand vs England and South Africa vs Wales and both matches are going to one sided as New Zealand is in very good form and hot favorite for winning this Cup and South Africa is also good they can manage win against Wales but hard them for facing New Zealand in final.
New Zealand is the best, but that doesn't necessarily mean that England is weak. England is one of the top sides as far as international rugby is considered. I would rate them among the top 4 sides. The match can be one sided, but the chances are more for a close fight. Even for the other match (South Africa vs Wales), I am expecting a very close fight. And I won't be really surprised if it turns out that the final is to be played between Wales and England.
My prediction goes to the team New Zealand, They just crashed Ireland in the semi-final with a huge difference which is 46-14 at Tokyo Stadium, now they are taking preparation to regain their title and they are fully favorite in the final against England, who is the winner over Australia in the first semi-final of this world cup, I thought Australia and New Zealand will both face in the final but very unfortunate that Australia couldn't manage their game at the end, whatever the scenario is, I think New Zealand is going to win this final against England, but there is no way to think that England hasn't any chance to win, but New Zealand is my favorite.
New Zealand crush Ireland in quarter final and now we are going to have Semi Final New Zealand vs England and South Africa vs Wales and both matches are going to one sided as New Zealand is in very good form and hot favorite for winning this Cup and South Africa is also good they can manage win against Wales but hard them for facing New Zealand in final. My prediction goes to the team New Zealand, They just crashed Ireland in the semi-final with a huge difference which is 46-14 at Tokyo Stadium, now they are taking preparation to regain their title and they are fully favorite in the final against England, who is the winner over Australia in the first semi-final of this world cup, I thought Australia and New Zealand will both face in the final but very unfortunate that Australia couldn't manage their game at the end, whatever the scenario is, I think New Zealand is going to win this final against England, but there is no way to think that England hasn't any chance to win, but New Zealand is my favorite.
Well..... New Zealand is miles ahead of the other teams and for the past 1-2 decades they have dominated the sport. South Africa used to be a good opponent for them, but they have suffered many setbacks during the last 10-15 years (in part due to the involvement of politics). I would rate England as the third best team out there, but beating New Zealand is a very tough task even for them. Wales is the surprise entrant in the semifinals, but I would never write them off. They showed a lot of heart during the match against France.
My prediction goes to the team New Zealand, They just crashed Ireland in the semi-final with a huge difference which is 46-14 at Tokyo Stadium, now they are taking preparation to regain their title and they are fully favorite in the final against England, who is the winner over Australia in the first semi-final of this world cup, I thought Australia and New Zealand will both face in the final but very unfortunate that Australia couldn't manage their game at the end, whatever the scenario is, I think New Zealand is going to win this final against England, but there is no way to think that England hasn't any chance to win, but New Zealand is my favorite.
It's also about those big bodies recovering from their exertions. You can't put everything on the line every day.
One thing which make me surprise me is that the Semi finals are on next Sat/Sun. Why they are taking so many days for the semis ?
They want to maximize the TV viewership and in my opinion, it is not a bad thing. The number of viewers will be more during the weekends when compared to the weekdays. So they have the semifinals on Sat/Sun next week and the final on the Saturday the week after that. And it gives the teams enough time to prepare as well. During the 2015 world cup also they had a similar schedule.
I still think it is strange decision. We do not see such schedule in other sports like Fifa World cup etc. Teams do need times to practice but this much time is very uncommon. They could have scheduled the two semifinals on Saturday and the final could be on the Sunday. There was no point to stretch the final to Friday (Now where is that viewership excuse, as friday is not a weekend).
One thing which make me surprise me is that the Semi finals are on next Sat/Sun. Why they are taking so many days for the semis ?
They want to maximize the TV viewership and in my opinion, it is not a bad thing. The number of viewers will be more during the weekends when compared to the weekdays. So they have the semifinals on Sat/Sun next week and the final on the Saturday the week after that. And it gives the teams enough time to prepare as well. During the 2015 world cup also they had a similar schedule.
The first one is Wales vs France, which I expect to be a very close match.
What a drama in this bloody match. This is probably the best world cup match. France was winning by 19-13 but right at the depth Wales come back and won this match by 20-19. Lots of joy and tears at the end of the match. Heart broken for France today.
I should have made a bet on this match. But I was unlucky today and made a bet in favor of Japan. And they lost to South Africa by a very heavy margin. Now I think that I should have chosen Wales instead. Anyway.... may be I'll be lucky with the semi-finals. England will be taking on New Zealand and South Africa will be up against Wales. I'll go for Wales during the 2nd semi finals.
BTW..... todays match between Wales and France was unreal. No other world to describe that one. The red card to Sébastien Vahaamahina changed everything, and France was leading until then. After that they had to play with 14 men and lost the advantage to Wales. Congratulations to the Welsh players including Aaron Wainright and Ross Moriarty. They played like champions today.
Today was an entertaining day as I witness two of the best matches. Wales are really lucky to go through the semi finals. However Japan disappointed a bit as being a host nation , everyone was hoping they could do the impossible and beat the giant South Africa.
One thing which make me surprise me is that the Semi finals are on next Sat/Sun. Why they are taking so many days for the semis ?
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