The Incredibly Premature RWC2019 Prediction Thread

[J Dory]

Useful little tool on the world rugby website:

https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/bracket

My predictions:

Ireland, NZ, England and Wales win their pools, France missing out in the pool of death.

Aus upset England in the quarter, NZ beat Scotland, Wales beat Argentina, South Africa roll Ireland.

NZ beat Aus in the semi, Wales beat SA.

NZ to beat Wales in the final.

[paddy no 11]

Saffers or engerland, i may do a proper write up some day

[Lizard]

Roll up, roll up. Show us your rugby knowledge by predicting the results of every match 2.5 years ahead of time.

You will also need to have a bit of a crystal ball gaze to figure out the qualifiers. As a good working assumption, I think we can say the following:

Africa 1 = Namibia
Americas 1 = USA
Americas 2 = Canada
Europe 1 = Romania
Oceania 1 = Fiji
Oceania 2 = Samoa
Play-off winner = Tonga
Repechage = Uruguay

Let's also assume:
QFs are Winner Pool A plays Runner-Up Pool B (QF1), and vice versa (QF2), and ditto for Pools C&D (QF3/4)
SFs are Winner QF1 v Winner QF4, Winners QF2 v QF3

If not, you can take a Mulligan.

Right - money where the mouth is:

Pool A
Ireland will go through undefeated. The rest is tricky. Japan's final will be the match v Scotland, and I'm picking the upset (Jap 4 try BP, Sco losing BP). Scotland will beat Tonga (no BPs) and Romania (4 try BP Sco) who won't win a game. However, Tonga will physically dominate and shame the hosts, plus beating Romania. That will leave three teams on 2 wins, but Scotland will squeak through in 2nd place on BPs.

Pool B
NZ will look very shaky against SA, but prevail and retain their record of 0 pool games lost. SA will win all their other games. Italy will get stomped by NZ and SA, but pass that favour on to Namibia and Uruguay. The only match, other than NZ v SA, of any interest will be Nam v Uru. I really want Uruguay to win that.

Pool C
Now this is interesting. I am not convinced that England's current competence will last until 2019. However, France's incompetence is structural and will endure. Argentina always step up for World Cups and are building some spine. So both England and Argentina will beat France, who will drop out of the Always-Makes-The-Playoffs Club. I can't see the Pumas beating England. Samoa will come close to at least one upset but will lost to all three higher-ranked teams, while beating USA who will not win a match.

Pool D
I don't care how shit, or how numerous, Aussie Super Rugby teams get, Wales is not going to beat the Wallabies at a World Cup any time soon. Nor will Georgia, Fiji or Canada for that matter. I think the days of Wales being turned over by Pacific teams have gone, not least because Fiji will supplying wingers to a quarter of the teams competing. Georgia will throw the kitchen sink at Wales to try to prove a point, but to no avail. I expect they will have enough in the tank to see off Fiji and Canada. Fiji will consign Canada to the wooden spoon.

Quarter-Finals
Ireland will break their QF duck and beat a declining Springboks team. (I am not at all certain of this but Ireland is on the way up, and SA appears to be in decline)

NZ will fairly easily account for Scotland

I would love Wales to beat England, but I cannot see anyway that Gatland will out-coach Jones.

Argentina will be tired from a tough pool and go down to the Wallabies.

Semi-finals
All Blacks to smack the Aussie.

Ireland over England, purely on passion and pent-up lack of RWC playoffs.

Bronze final
Through the haze of pointlessness and stench of failure, we will see the Aussies fail to care enough and lose to England still smarting from being shown up.

Final
Ireland will have played two finals already. NZ to run away in the 4th quarter.

Can I just point out that I predicted Japan to beat Scotland a full 2 and a half years ago?

Feckin' Nostradamus, me (apart from getting nearly everything else wrong...)

[Lizard]

I also had Wales to win its Pool nearly a year ago.

[Buggaluggs]

I also had Wales to win its Pool nearly a year ago.

Well then, you were wrong. They only just did it yesterday.

[Mellsblue]

I also had Wales to win its Pool nearly a year ago.

Well then, you were wrong. They only just did it yesterday.