England’s flanker Mark Wilson runs at France’s wing Gael Fickou (R) during the Six Nations international rugby union match between England and France at Twickenham stadium in south-west London on February 10, 2019. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
Rugby World Cup preview: Analysing the prospects of Pool C
Who will come out on top and secure a place in the quarterfinals?
England’s flanker Mark Wilson runs at France’s wing Gael Fickou (R) during the Six Nations international rugby union match between England and France at Twickenham stadium in south-west London on February 10, 2019. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
Pool C is a very tricky pool to call in this year’s World Cup, England are joined by the inconsistent French and Argentine sides.
Rugby World Cup 2019: Pool C
The ever-improving USA team is the fourth team while Tonga rounds up the rest of this intriguing pool.
Tonga
Only a week to go til our first clash, the work continues.
— Tonga Rugby Union (@officialTongaRU) September 13, 2019
Some photos of our boys putting in the hard yards today. #teamtonga pic.twitter.com/foDOxFzFTL
Tonga go into the Rugby World Cup having suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the All Blacks going down 92-7 in their final warm-up game. Their troubles are compounded by the fact that they are placed in a pool with three extremely strong top tier nations. The plight of the pacific islands sadly does not allow them to fully develop their rugby arsenal.
Their game against the USA will be the bet for a win, it will be difficult against a USA team that is well coached. England, France and Argentina will be far too strong for the Tongans. Veteran winger Cooper Vuna could provide some spark out wide, the Newcastle Falcons man is a handy player offensively. Eigth-man Nasi Manu should also make a big impact.
France
Cérémonie officielle des remises des capes et des médailles ?⚪️? @francerugby @rugbyworldcup 2019 ?? #rwc2019 #fujiyoshida #capes pic.twitter.com/xBqeb9pHpK
— Guilhem Guirado (@guilhem_guirado) September 15, 2019
France are quite possibly the unluckiest side in Rugby World Cup history, three finals in 1987, 1999 and 2011, they still have no William Webb Ellis trophy to show for it. Also their tendency to only make the final every 12 years means they may have to wait till they host it again in 2023. It is hard to predict which French team shows up in any Test and recently they have not done much to dispel the notion that they are frustratingly inconsistent.
Their inconsistent nature makes it hard to tell if they can get out of the group stages particularly in a group as tough as this one. Their game against Argentina will be the most important, a win over Los Pumas is vital for the French. Young talent Romain Ntamack is supremely gifted player and could be an important cog for the French.
USA
A capping ceremony we'll never forget. #RWC2019 | #EaglesUnited ?? pic.twitter.com/DvDLFjJLv4
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) September 18, 2019
USA are coached by the vastly experienced South African, Gary Gold. Gold’s strength has always been his structure and well drilled teams. The Eagles will benefit from his coaching. The strong Sevens rugby culture is also helping with the growth of the game in the US.
This tournament will be a good opportunity to gauge where they are in terms of progress as they continue to grow in the game. They should provide stiff completion for their opposition and maybe even sneak a win against the Tongans. Sale Sharks flyhalf AJ McGinty is a crafty player with an excellent kicking game, he should do well for the Eagles.
England
Final training session in Miyazaki ?
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) September 18, 2019
Thanks for having us ?
Next stop ✈ Sapporo#CarryThemHome? #RWC2019 #ENGvTGA pic.twitter.com/H3yufdIOQe
Eddie Jones’ team comes into this tournament in really good nick after enduring a tough 2018. The team has had to cut out some veterans and bring in younger talent and it seems to have done the trick. Of all the Northern Hemisphere teams, Jones’ charges look the strongest and in this pool, they are expected to go top and put their 2015 nightmare behind them.
In the form they are in, they should romp past Tonga and the USA while edging past France and Argentina in their group games. There is a lot of quality in the England squad and it is hard to single out one player as a standout, but in terms of importance, Owen Farrell is top of the list. The flyhalf and captain of England will be crucial to executing Jones’ plan.
Argentina
¡En la recta final! Destrezas, pase, defensa y otros ejercicios en el último día de entrenamiento en J Village Camp. pic.twitter.com/erezN6jIAw
— Los Pumas (@lospumas) September 17, 2019
Los Pumas had a very disappointing Rugby Championship, after a strong showing in Super Rugby by the Jaguares, those players failed to replicate that form for Argentina. A lot is still expected of the Argentines at this World Cup and Mario Ladesma will be hoping they tap into that Super Rugby form they enjoyed earlier this year.
As previously mentioned, the game against France will in all likelihood decide who finishes second in this pool. That game is of vital importance for Los Pumas. In a team looking to assert its physical dominance against, two players will be crucial for the Argentina, out-going leader and hooker Agustin Creevy to lead the physical charge, while it’ll fall on incoming leader and loose forward Pablo Matera to bring the physicality along with the energy and work rate.
