In the ongoing Rugby World Cup, all 20 teams have now had their shot on the field, shedding light on potential contenders for the coveted trophy in October. Here’s a comprehensive summary of the recent action, divided by pools:
Pool A: The tournament started with Uruguay facing off against the formidable hosts, France. Despite the 27-12 scoreline, the match was a much closer affair than it might suggest. Uruguay held their own until the 73rd minute, trailing by just eight points, showing resilience against one of the tournament favorites.
Meanwhile, Friday night featured a showdown between New Zealand and Namibia, both hunting for their first group stage victory. The All Blacks, stung by an earlier loss to France, came roaring back with an impressive 71-3 triumph, positioning themselves second in Pool A, trailing France by three points.
Pool B: Ireland, after a convincing win over Romania, continued to assert their dominance, steamrolling Tonga 59-16. With just two games played, Ireland boasts an astounding points difference of +117, establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
In another Pool B match, South Africa handed Romania a crushing 76-0 defeat, marking only the 15th instance in Rugby World Cup history that a team failed to score in an 80-minute match.
Pool C: Portugal, making only their second-ever World Cup appearance, faced a formidable Wales side and fell short with a scoreline of 28-8. Wales, joining Ireland, remains one of the two teams to secure maximum points in the group stage. Portugal, however, continues to search for their first World Cup win.
The weekend witnessed an astonishing upset as Fiji stunned Australia with a 22-15 victory. This win propelled Fiji to second place in Pool C, with Georgia and Portugal remaining on their schedule. If Fiji can secure wins and score four or more tries in each upcoming game, they could secure a spot in the quarter-finals.
Pool D: Samoa has positioned themselves as potential quarter-final contenders after defeating Chile 43-10, leapfrogging Japan for second place in the group, despite playing one game less. Samoa hasn’t reached the quarter-finals since 1995, and they aim to go even further this time.
England secured a 34-12 victory over Japan, maintaining their lead in Pool D. Although not the most convincing performance, England accumulated five points, establishing a four-point lead at the top of the group. Key tries from Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward, and Joe Marchant helped secure the win.
