Pool B will Begin with a bang as heavyweights New Zealand and South Africa clash 21, on Saturday September in Yokohama.
It’s a pool that includes Canada, Namibia and Italy and the question is whether any of them is able to pull off a shock and stone the Springboks or even the All Blacks? It appears impossible, but remember Japan?
Here we take a peek at each country’s 31-man squad, choose a key player to focus upon, go through present form and bring you all the pool fittings…
Head coach: Steve Hansen
Captain: Kieran Read (121 caps)
Past Rugby World Cup best: Rugby World Cup winners (1987, 2011, 2015)
Key player: Beauden Barrett. The man pulling the strings for the reigning champions. Especially when it moves to the latter stages of this championship, the spotlight is going to be on his goal-kicking, but around the playground he’s expected to excel and then take his game into the degree that is world-class it often reaches.
Form: maybe not perfect from an All Black view. Since winning the championship New Zealand have failed to triumph in eight Exams – an extremely strange figure in their opinion. They finished second in the decreased 2019 Rugby Championship, with attracted with South Africa and dropped to Australia, although they have also dropped to Ireland (twice), the Lions (and attracted another Evaluation ), Australia (twice) and South Africa since the last World Cup. However, who would not bet on them to lift some third consecutive crown?
31-man World Cup squad:
Forwards (17): Dane Coles, Liam Coltman, Codie Taylor, Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Atu Moli, Angus Ta’avao, Ofa Tuungafasi, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samuel Whitelock, Sam Cane, Luke Jacobson, Kieran Read (c), Ardie Savea, Matt Todd.
Backs (14): TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith, Brad Weber, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Ryan Crotty, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams, Jordie Barrett, George Bridge, Rieko Ioane, Sevu Reece, Ben Smith.
Fixtures:
Head trainer: Rassie Erasmus
Captain: Siya Kolisi (42 caps)
Previous Rugby World Cup best: Rugby World Cup winners (1995, 2007)
Key player: Faf de Klerk. The pocket who places their tempo and induces opposition defences all manner of issues to consider. The 27-year-old has skyrocketed over the past couple of seasons and combines a solid fighting game with vision and the confidence to’move’ when it’s on.
Current form the Boks are the favourites. In their form under Allister Coetzee at 2016 and 2017, 2018 and 2019 has shown a period for South Africa, since they’ve defeated England, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, France, Scotland and Japan. A potential path to top avoiding New Zealand and the pool before the closing, and their opening game against the All Blacks puts them.
31-man World Cup squad:
Forwards (17): Schalk Brits, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (c), Francois Louw, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen.
Backs (14): Damian de Allende, Lukhanyo Am, Warrick Gelant, Elton Jantjies, Herschel Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Makazole Mapimpi, Sbu Nkosi, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Willie le Roux, Frans Steyn.
Fixtures:
Head trainer: Conor O’Shea
Captain: Sergio Parisse (140 caps)
Past Rugby World Cup best: Pool point (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015)
Key participant: Sergio Parisse. Italy talisman would soon be taking into the area in a fifth Rugby World Cup in Japan and he personifies the term’conclusion’. The No 8 has an engine to combine it and will work himself into the floor in what is highly likely to be his final World Cup competition for the Azzurri.
Form: The lasting conundrum of northern hemisphere rugby. Though the performances of Zebre and club sides Benetton has improved because Conor O’Shea arrived, results for its national team have mostly stayed the same. The Azzurri’s only victories over the past two years have come from Russia, Japan (who they dropped in a different Test) and also Georgia. One has to go back to November 2016 for its previous time Italy beat at a Tier 1 country.
31-man World Cup group:
Forwards (18): Luca Bigi, Dean Budd, Oliviero Fabiani, Simone Ferrari, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Andrea Lovotti, Maxime Mbanda, Sebastian Negri, Sergio Parisse (c), Tiziano Pasquali, Jake Polledri, Nicola Quaglio, Marco Riccioni, Federico Ruzza, David Sisi, Abraham Steyn, Federico Zani, Alessandro Zanni.
Backs (13): Tommaso Allan, Mattia Bellini, Tommaso Benvenuti, Giulio Bisegni, Callum Braley, Michele Campagnaro, Carlo Canna, Jayden Hayward, Matteo Minozzi, Luca Morisi, Edoardo Padovani, Guglielmo Palazzani, Tito Tebaldi.
Fixtures:
Head coach: Phil Davies
Captain: Johan Deysel (24 caps)
Previous Rugby World Cup best: Pool point (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015)
Key participant: Eugene Jantjies. The veteran scrum-half is the sole member from that championship and first looked in a World Cup back. Four players stay Rohan Kitshoff who featured at the 2011 World Cup: Darryl de la Harpe and PJ van Lill. This back of their squad will be crucial in trying to reach a win in a Rugby World Cup contest.
Current form: Still looking for their Rugby World Cup success, Namibia will find it tough going to pick up a W within this pool. They did beat against Uruguay in the build-up into the World Cup, but also lost to Russia – whose own results have been poor.
31-man World Cup group:
Forwards (18): Andre Rademeyer, Nelius Theron, Desiderius Sethie, AJ de Klerk, Johannes Coetzee, Obert Nortje, Louis van der Westhuizen, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Tjiuee Uanivi, Johan Retief, Thomasau Forbes, Rohan Kitshoff, Max Katjijeko, Prince Gaoseb, Wian Conradie, PJ van Lill, Adriaan Booysen, Janco Venter.
Backs (13): Cliven Loubser, Helarius Kisting, Damian Stevens, Eugene Jantjies, Darryl de la Harpe, Johan Deysel (c), Justin Newman, JC Greyling, Johann Tromp, Chad Plato, Lesley Klim, Janry du Toit, PJ Walters.
Fixtures:
Head coach: Kingsley Jones
Captain: Tyler Ardron (33 caps)
Past Rugby World Cup best: Quarter-finals (1991)
Key player: DTH van der Merwe. Keep an eye out for the hot-stepping winger who is making his fourth appearance. Then he’ll take a mile with his footwork Should you offer him an inch and that he has the speed to fit. Van der Merwe includes a hit-rate of 38 tries in 57 Tests.
Form: Pretty poor. Indeed, their build-up for the World Cup has seen a run of beats which will have caused the squad distress. The summer has seen them drop to the USA (double ), Fiji and Tonga, although additional defeats came from Uruguay and Brazil earlier in the year. They have won seven World Cup matches but might just add one more to this total in this pool.
31-man World Cup squad:
Forwards (17): Tyler Ardron (c), Kyle Baillie, Justin Blanchet, Hubert Buydens, Luke Campbell, Matt Heaton, Eric Howard, Jake Ilnicki, Cole Keith, Conor Keys, Evan Olmstead, Benoit Piffero, Andrew Quattrin, Lucas Rumball, Djustice Sears-Duru, Mike Sheppard, Matthew Tierney
Backs (14): Nick Blevins, Andrew Coe, Jeff Hassler, Ciaran Hearn, Ben LeSage, Phil Mack, Jamie Mackenzie, Gordon McRorie, Peter Nelson, Shane O’Leary, Patrick Parfrey, Taylor Paris, Conor Trainor, DTH van der Merwe.
Fixtures:
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