Predictions for the knockout stages.

[valley commando]

QF's
Wales v Japan
Oz V Boks
NZ v France
Ire V Arg

SF's
Wales Argentina
France Oz

Final
Wales France

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I will most probably take some shots for this, BUT.......I think Argentina is TOTALLY overrated. They beat a pretty bad SA side ONCE and suddenly everyone rates them as world beaters? I mean no disrespect. I believe they are punching WAY above their weight class at the moment. Playing good rugby. They still have only one RC win ever, and the only game in THIS WC they've been tested, they lost to the AB's. The loss to the Pumas in Durban was as big a shock as the loss to Japan.

Don't get me wrong. I think they are a good team. I just think they will lose more games against the top 5 teams than win.Could say that about SA also, but SA's not in a good place right now regarding our rugby. I think this is the best coached Pumas team ever, but they must still prove themselves on the big stage. Maybe they will do that in this WC, I will admit I'm wrong then.

Agree completely, they don't have the centres to deal with a really physical side. If Ireland beat France they'll be in the semis unless they choke completely. Argentina are good but if you pressure their 10 and centres they can't bring their back three into the game and without that they can't win.

 

[The80sDogCancer]

If Argentina put in a performance like they did against the All Blacks, then they will beat Ireland. That's if the two play in the QF's.

Sorry mate my stupid phone clicked send before I could actually finish my comment. This is what it was suppose to say....

Calibre of all Ireland's opposition has been poor. Their first real test was Italy and they didn't set the tournament on fire. France will really show what the Irish team is made of

I will most probably take some shots for this, BUT.......I think Argentina is TOTALLY overrated. They beat a pretty bad SA side ONCE and suddenly everyone rates them as world beaters? I mean no disrespect. I believe they are punching WAY above their weight class at the moment. Playing good rugby. They still have only one RC win ever, and the only game in THIS WC they've been tested, they lost to the AB's. The loss to the Pumas in Durban was as big a shock as the loss to Japan.

Don't get me wrong. I think they are a good team. I just think they will lose more games against the top 5 teams than win.Could say that about SA also, but SA's not in a good place right now regarding our rugby. I think this is the best coached Pumas team ever, but they must still prove themselves on the big stage. Maybe they will do that in this WC, I will admit I'm wrong then.

I think that Argentina are sometimes unfairly underrated because of their 'poor' results in the Rugby Championship, but are the pumas results that bad? How would one of the more rated teams from the NH compare to the pumas?

(NOTE: Before someone comments I know that the stats I am using are not 100% 'like for like' but they as close as possible and can still be used to compare fairly)
I have always wondered how teams like wales or Ireland would go if they competed in the RC. Before searching for this comment I thought that both those teams would fair similar to Argentina.

So to find out I am going to use the past two years of welsh and Irish results against RC teams (2013 and 2014 AIs and summer rugby tours) and compare them to argentinas last two years in RC (2015 and 2014). I

If Argentina are over rated the stats should show a noticeable difference in win/loss between the home nations And Argentina.

ARGENTINA
2015:
Loss to NZ away
Loss to AU home
Win to SA away.
Loss to SA home
= 1 win away
2014:
Loss to IRE home
Loss to IRE home
Loss to SA away
Loss to SA home
Loss to NZ away.
Loss to AU away
Loss to NZ home
Won to AU home
= 1 Win home

WALES
2014:
Loss to SA away.
Loss to SA away.
Loss to AU home
Loss to NZ home.
Win to SA home
= 1 win home.
2013:
Loss to SA home
Won to ARG home
Lost to AU home.
= 1 home win (to ARG)

IRELAND
2014:
Won to ARG away
Won to ARG away
Won to AUS home
Won to SA home
Win to SA home
=2 wins away
2 wins home
2013:
Loss to AU home
Loss to NZ home
=0 wins

So looking at those stats it would be fair to assume that both wales and Ireland would expect to see similar results to Argentina in the RC. Only Ireland's 2014 AI home results against the SH are distinguishable from the others.

So from that I would say that no Argentina are not overrated

 

[Chistera]

Betting on a Wallabies/ABs final.
Don't know about France...

 

[Maverick1987]

QFs

Wales vs SA
AUS vs Scotland
NZ vs Ireland
France vs Argentina

SFs

SA vs NZ
France vs Australia

Final

I'm undecided

My head says Aus vs NZ
My heart wants SA vs France

 

[Rugby Jay]

I literally wrote out my prediction about half hour before I noticed this thread it so here it is:

Quarter Finals

South Africa vs Australia

All Blacks vs France

Ireland vs Argentina

Wales vs Japan

Semi Finals

Australia vs All blacks

Ireland vs Wales

Bronze Final

Ireland vs Australia

Final

Wales vs All Blacks

I am only assuming if we beat Australia on Saturday if we don't I see us out by South Africa.

 

[saulan]

I literally wrote out my prediction about half hour before I noticed this thread it so here it is:

Quarter Finals

South Africa vs Australia

All Blacks vs France

Ireland vs Argentina

Wales vs Japan

Semi Finals

Australia vs All blacks

Ireland vs Wales

Bronze Final

Ireland vs Australia

Final

Wales vs All Blacks

I am only assuming if we beat Australia on Saturday if we don't I see us out by South Africa.

Just curious on those assumptions. If you beat Australia you believe Australia will knock SA out, but if you lose to Australia you believe SA will knock you out. Why is that?

 

[Rugby Jay]

Just curious on those assumptions. If you beat Australia you believe Australia will knock SA out, but if you lose to Australia you believe SA will knock you out. Why is that?

I believe if we lose against Oz the momentum will crash and after all the hard games I just cant see us pulling it off against a resurgent SA who after the Japan match wont even give Wales an inch to humiliate them a second time. Australia are better equipped to deal with SA at the moment. It all rest's on Saturday.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

**** it... Here I go.

Australia to beat Scotland
South Africa to beat Wales
Ireland to beat Argentina
New Zealand to beat France

I'm quite confident of that but haven't a clue what'll follow but let's go.

South Africa to beat New Zealand
Ireland to beat Australia

And then I'll be ****ed trying to predict the final but much like the semi I'll go with the heart.

I predicted the last World Cup perfectly apart from Wales beating us iirc but I'm not sure of this one at all. Any of 6 teams could win.

 

[TheOvalBall]

Australia vs South Africa in QF please

 

[Pampas]

Sorry mate my stupid phone clicked send before I could actually finish my comment. This is what it was suppose to say....




I think that Argentina are sometimes unfairly underrated because of their 'poor' results in the Rugby Championship, but are the pumas results that bad? How would one of the more rated teams from the NH compare to the pumas?

(NOTE: Before someone comments I know that the stats I am using are not 100% 'like for like' but they as close as possible and can still be used to compare fairly)
I have always wondered how teams like wales or Ireland would go if they competed in the RC. Before searching for this comment I thought that both those teams would fair similar to Argentina.

So to find out I am going to use the past two years of welsh and Irish results against RC teams (2013 and 2014 AIs and summer rugby tours) and compare them to argentinas last two years in RC (2015 and 2014). I

If Argentina are over rated the stats should show a noticeable difference in win/loss between the home nations And Argentina.

ARGENTINA
2015:
Loss to NZ away
Loss to AU home
Win to SA away.
Loss to SA home
= 1 win away
2014:
Loss to IRE home
Loss to IRE home
Loss to SA away
Loss to SA home
Loss to NZ away.
Loss to AU away
Loss to NZ home
Won to AU home
= 1 Win home

WALES
2014:
Loss to SA away.
Loss to SA away.
Loss to AU home
Loss to NZ home.
Win to SA home
= 1 win home.
2013:
Loss to SA home
Won to ARG home
Lost to AU home.
= 1 home win (to ARG)

IRELAND
2014:
Won to ARG away
Won to ARG away
Won to AUS home
Won to SA home
Win to SA home
=2 wins away
2 wins home
2013:
Loss to AU home
Loss to NZ home
=0 wins

So looking at those stats it would be fair to assume that both wales and Ireland would expect to see similar results to Argentina in the RC. Only Ireland's 2014 AI home results against the SH are distinguishable from the others.

So from that I would say that no Argentina are not overrated

Good analysis, but for a more accurate result i wouldnt consider Arg games among the games IRE and WAL played against SH teams, only SANZAR teams. Thats because ARG is not in the same level of those guys, and moreover, because in many of those tests we used B or even C teams.

I still believe that either FRA or IRE would be favourites against ARG. Nonetheless, i reckon that if we have a solid performance from our pack in breakdown, scrum and line out, it would be a 50-50 game. BUt before the game, without knowing how our pack will do, i would say it is:

ARG 40% - IRE 60%
ARG 45% - FRA 55%

 

[Swansea Osprey]

Head says :-

Wal v SA
NZ v Ire
Arg v Fra
Oz v Sco

SA v NZ
Oz v Ire

NZ v Oz

My gut says:-

Oz v SA
NZ v Ire
Arg v Fra
Wal v Sco

SA v NZ
Fra v Wal

SA v Fra

 

[ncurd]

How in your top bracket did NZ and Ireland make it through the QF but not Argentina or France?

 

[Isengard]

Here's my predictions:

QF's:
Australia vs. Scotland - Referee: Craig Joubert
South African vs. Wales - Referee: Romain Poite
New Zealand vs. France - Referee: Wayne Barnes
Ireland vs. Argentina - Referee: Nigel Owens

Semi Finals:
Australia vs. Ireland - Referee: Jaco Peyper
South Africa vs. France - Referee: Glen Jackson

Finals:
South Africa vs. Ireland - Referee: Nigel Owens

Winner: South Africa

The crazy thing about this is that the choice of referee can make such a huge difference. I mean if Joubert does get Australia v Scotland that would shift the odds in Australia's favour. Likewise Barnes doing NZ v France would likely be helpful to France.

 

[Swansea Osprey]

How in your top bracket did NZ and Ireland make it through the QF but not Argentina or France?

Yep that should of said Oz v Fra

 

[Rugby Jay]

QF's
Wales v Japan
Oz V Boks
NZ v France
Ire V Arg

SF's
Wales Argentina
France Oz

Final
Wales France

Argentina to beat the Irish?? Now that would shock the world.

 

[RJAH777]

Argentina probably would have smashed Italy. I don't think it will be a shock at all if argentina win...if they meet this rwc. I expect Ireland to play nz in 1/4s

 

[Superalexmarket]

If Argentina plays vs Irlanda in QF is : 30% - 70%.
If Argentina plays vs France in QF is : 50% - 50% or maybe 65% - 65%

 

[thy]

I will most probably take some shots for this, BUT.......I think Argentina is TOTALLY overrated. They beat a pretty bad SA side ONCE and suddenly everyone rates them as world beaters? I mean no disrespect. I believe they are punching WAY above their weight class at the moment. Playing good rugby. They still have only one RC win ever, and the only game in THIS WC they've been tested, they lost to the AB's. The loss to the Pumas in Durban was as big a shock as the loss to Japan.

Don't get me wrong. I think they are a good team. I just think they will lose more games against the top 5 teams than win.Could say that about SA also, but SA's not in a good place right now regarding our rugby. I think this is the best coached Pumas team ever, but they must still prove themselves on the big stage. Maybe they will do that in this WC, I will admit I'm wrong then.

most people here think that they stand no chance against Ireland. If anything, they are being vastly underrated ITT

 

[RJAH777]

I would be very surprised if Ireland beat argentina