RWC 2007 Quarterfinals Sun 7 Oct
Match Previews Featuring Fiji, South Africa, Argentina and Scotland
The stage is set for the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. Previewed here are Fiji v South Africa & Argentina v Scotland.
The second day of quarterfinal action kicks off with the power of South Africa taking on the flair of the underdog Fijians. The second match features the surprising Argentineans matched up with Scotland in what should be a tough encounter.
South Africa v Fiji, 1400, Marseilles, France
Fiji won the hearts of many rugby fans (probably not Welsh fans) over the weekend with their thrilling win against Wales. The match was one of the most entertaining games in recent memory and they thoroughly deserved their place in the quarterfinals having only lost one game to the Australians (and performing solidly in that one no less). However to imagine them progressing beyond the knockout stage is akin to believing Mike Catt was going to stop Jonah Lomu from scoring that famous try in the 1995 World Cup – it simply is not going to happen. They are missing their playmaker and kicker Nicky Little and they put so much effort into beating Wales that they may have played their final already. It has been truly a memorable few weeks for the islanders but facing the might of the South Africans will simply be too much for them to counter.
South Africa are a real enigma on the world rugby stage. They combine raw power in the forwards (props are worshipped in SA like in no other country) and sometimes brilliant, if erratic play in the backs. On their day, the Springboks are capable of taking apart to best defences easily. Conversely, as shown against Tonga in the pool stages, they are also often found guilty of taking the foot off the throttle and making a right mess of games they should win at a canter. The forwards are headed up by the likes of captain John Smit and giant lock Victor Matfield amongst other powerful brutes, while the backs look to all-time Springbok leader for caps and points Percy Montgomery for veteran leadership and Bryan Habana for his freakish pace and finishing ability. They should easily account for Fiji and set themselves a date for a semifinal in Paris.
Prediction: South Africa by 28
Argentina v Scotland, 2000, Paris, France
Argentina has steadily become a team that can compete with the traditional ‘big boys’ of world rugby. Geographically isolated from the major rugby nations, they are constantly overlooked for inclusion in top class tournaments (bar the World Cup of course). Perhaps that is all about to change as they have shown themselves to be a threat to the balance of power at the top.
The Pumas, led by feisty veteran scrum half Agustin Pichot, have displayed an extremely stingy defence which formed the foundation for their Pool D topping performances. They accounted for hosts France on opening night and then were impressive through the rest of the pool stage, culminating in a superb win over Ireland. Their tactical game is simple but very effective – kicking to good field position, aggressive defence and good ball control allows them to steadily rack up points either through the boot of slick flyhalf Juan Martín Hernández or through well deserved tries. A win against the Scots will be a huge boost for them and they will be riding a big wave of confidence should they make the semifinals. The Pumas feature no genuine superstars but they play a nearly flawless team game.
The Scots will be hoping to improve on their play from the pool stage. They have looked fairly decent and definitely one of the better teams from the home countries but have not shown enough to warrant calling them favourites against the Argentines. Scotland will be led by the dashing play and deadly kicking of Chris Paterson and Scott Murray is a top class flanker who will lead the navy blue army head on into the fray. It will take a mighty effort for the lads from the Highlands to put one over the South Americans and they will need everything to go right on the day to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
Prediction: Argentina by 14
Further information regarding the Rugby World Cup including lineups, results and stats can be found at the official site for the tournament.
RWC 2007 Quarterfinals Saturday 6 Oct.
