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RWC 2019 Schedule: Winners and Losers

It may seem like a small thing, but the scheduling of fixtures at the Rugby World Cup can be the difference between qualifying for the knockout phases or facing a humbling group stage exit.

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The fixtures for the 2019 RWC in Japan were announced on Thursday morning, with teams finding out the order of their games, how much turnaround they will get between those games and which cities they will be playing in.

We take a look at the early winners and losers from that announcement and what effect those decisions might have on their chances of emerging from their pools.

Winners

Japan

Unsurprisingly, the hosts did well.

They kick-off the tournament against Europe 1 which, if we use the world rankings as a guide, would mean Romania. It is an eminently winnable game and a good opportunity for Japan to get off to a fast start. Let’s just hope there are no empty seats in Tokyo’s 49,970-seater Ajinomoto Stadium.

They have also profited with their turnarounds between matches, with the six free days between matchdays against Ireland and Playoff Winner their shortest turnaround. Their other two turnarounds both consist of seven free days between matchdays.

No other team has as balanced rest periods between games as Japan.

It won’t be easy to qualify from a group also consisting of Ireland and Scotland, but the schedule has certainly helped Japan, as has their travel itinerary, which sees them visit Toyota, Yokohama and Fukuroi after their Tokyo opener. These are relatively small distances to traverse for the Cherry Blossoms.

England

Eddie Jones has very little to complain about in his return to the country that he coached at the last RWC.

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England do have a four-day turnaround between their opening fixture with Tonga and their match with the USA, but that has freed them up to have a full eight days prep before taking on Argentina and a very manageable six-day turnaround before taking on France in what could be the crunch fixture of the group.

Given the relative strength of Tonga and the USA, that’s a situation England can not only live with, but are also likely very thankful for.

Italy

The tournament starts thick and fast for the Azzurri, with Conor O’Shea’s men taking on Africa 1 and Repechage winner with just a three-day turnaround, but they then get a seven-day turnaround to take on South Africa, a fixture which they will realistically need to win if they are to have any chance of qualifying.

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The Boks have only a four-day turnaround to prepare for the fixture and if Italy can escape those first two games unscathed, this match with South Africa will be particularly salivating, not least so because of the Azzurri’s win over the Boks in 2016.

Again, being realistic, Italy have little-to-no chance against the All Blacks in their last fixture of the group – unless New Zealand choose to rest players for the quarter-finals – meaning everything is set up for them to target this game with the Boks.

 

Losers

Fiji

Fiji have just three full days between their opener with Australia in Sapporo to their match with Americas 2 – likely Canada – in Kamaishi, with over 250 miles of travelling required, too.

They do then have a seven-day turnaround before playing Georgia, but that is followed by a five-day turnaround to play Wales – incorporating another 250-mile trip, this time from Higashiosaka to Oita – with their opponents enjoying a nine-day turnaround before the fixture.

In a group as tight as Pool D looks to be, Fiji vs Wales could be the decisive fixture and it certainly looks as if Wales will have a big preparation advantage heading into it.

Scotland

Of all the Tier 1 nations, Scotland may have been given the toughest task.

They open with Ireland, arguably the most challenging fixture in the group, but do get a full seven days before taking on Playoff winner.

If Ireland win that opening fixture, it puts Scotland’s final game of the pool stage against Japan under the spotlight. Playing the hosts is hard enough, but they will be doing it coming off a three-day turnaround following their game with Europe 1, whilst Japan will have had seven full days since their last match against Playoff winner.

The slight silver lining to that final fixture is that Scotland move from Shizuoka to Yokohama, a relatively short and easy trip.

Georgia

Another Tier 2 nation picking up the slack of midweek games, Georgia play three fixtures in 11 days to start the tournament. They take on Wales, Americas 2 and Fiji, arguably the three fixtures they would need to take results from to have any outside chance of qualifying. They finish up against Australia eight days later in a fixture that could mean very little by that point.

Their 500 miles of travel during that 11-day period, from Toyota to Kumagaya to Higashiosaka, is not going to make the challenge any easier for them, either.

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J
Jfp123 39 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

It will be great if Jalibert improves in defence, but unless and until he improves substantially, I think he should be out of the running for the national team. If you look at the French A side, attack is not usually so much of a problem - they scored 200 points in the last 6 nations without MJ on the pitch. Defence however can be an issue, Penaud isn’t the greatest in that area for a start. So a 10 who is solid in defence is badly needed. And given his poor defence record, MJ would be bound to be targeted by shrewd coaches like Rassi and Razor, so he needs to be able to withstand that.

Also, given sufficient improvement in defence, there are still factors which tell against MJ. I think the 7/1 bench has been a very successful experiment, and for that you need flexible backs who can play in more than one position in case of injury. Then there’s how well the 10 plays with France’s best 9, Dupont. And even if you think MJ is better when there’s no Dupont or 7/1 split, stability in a test team is important, so it’s better not to go chopping and changing the 10 needlessly. There’s also the question of temperament - MJ doesn’t shine at his brightest when it really matters, eg WC quarters and Top14 finals, and look at his test record over the past 2 years.

I see Ntamack as by far the best option at 10. Rugby is a team game, and apart from his excellent defence, there’s his partnership with Dupont, his versatility, and all the other skills that go to making a great team player and a great 10. He’s excellent under the high ball, an area where France tend to have a weakness, and has fine strategic and team management skills, great handling skills and so on.

While having star quality is important, it’s not the be all and end all, as illustrated by UBB this season. Imo, though undoubtedly very good, they underperformed. With best wings, best 9, as Dupont barely played in the Top14, with Jalibert and leading centres and 15, plus a strengthened forward pack, they couldn’t match ST in points scored, despite the latter’s huge injury list which left some positions seriously weakened, at least on paper.

For next season, I hope ST are back to their scintillating best with injuries healed, that LBB is back to rude health for UBB, that the exciting promise of La Rochelle’s and Toulon’s new recruits bears fruit, Bayonne continue to defy their budget and we have a cracking, highly competitive Top14 and Les Bleus triumphant in the autumn internationals and six nations!

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