Rugby World Cups can be tricky to predict, but this competition has been fairly consistent in terms of which sides are there at the end. This year, however, things could look a little bit different in this expanded, 16-team format. With that being said, I've had a go at predicting exactly how things will go.
Format
A 16-team format means that the top two teams in each pool will progress through to the quarter-finals whilst the bottom two will go out in the pool stage. In the qaurter-finals, the winner of pool A will play the runner-up of Pool B and vice versa. The same applies to Pools C and D.
Pool A
Australia - England - Samoa - USA
England should open the tournament with a big win against the USA which will then be followed by a dominant Australia win on Saturday. The next round will see England dismiss Samoa comfortably but the big game is between the USA and Australia. Australia have gotten the better of the States in recent times and I expect that trend to continue in this game as well. In the final round, the USA will beat Samoa and the Red Roses will play their trickiest game but will still beat Australia fairly comfortably.
Final Standings
1.England
2.Australia
3.USA
4.Samoa
Pool B
Canada - Fiji - Scotland - Wales
The first round of fixtures in this group looks likely to be decisive. Canada should win all three games and top the group. Both Scotland and Wales will expect to beat Fiji. This all means that the first round game between Scotland and Wales will decide who goes through. I expect Scotland to win that game and ultimately take second place.
Final Standings:
1.Canada
2.Scotland
3.Wales
4.Fiji
Pool C
Ireland - Japan - New Zealand - Spain
The first two rounds of fixtures in this group should be quite routine - I expect New Zealand and Ireland to win both of their games against Spain and Japan. The final round will be the most interesting as Spain and Japan play for third in a fixture that has produced some close matches recently. Japan have come out on top but I am backing Spain to buck that trend and secure third place at this World Cup. The other game will be between the two already-qualified teams and will decide who progresses as pool winners. This could be an excellent game, and Ireland have shown that they can beat New Zealand, but I'm not brave enough to go against the Black Ferns this early on.
Final Standings:
1.New Zealand
2.Ireland
3.Spain
4.Japan
Pool D
Brazil - France - Italy - South Africa
The first game of this group is an interesting one as Italy will be looking to catch France cold and take a big scalp to kick things off. That, however, is very unlikely and Italy are more likely to progress via wins over South Africa and Brazil. The biggest game in this group is the aforementioned game between Italy and South Africa which will take place in the second round of fixtures. I expect Italy to emerge victorious from a tight contest. This is a group that could be blown wide open in the first game if Italy can do something possible, but historic, and beat France but I don't foresee that outcome.
Final Standings:
1.France
2.Italy
3.South Africa
4.Brazil
Quarter-finals
(1st Pool C) New Zealand vs Italy (2nd Pool D) - New Zealand win
(1st Pool B) Canada vs Australia (2nd Pool A) - Canada win
(1st Pool D) France vs Ireland (2nd Pool C) - France win
(1st Pool A) England vs Scotland (2nd Pool B) - England win
I've gone with the expected results once again here but I expect Ireland, in particular, to give the neutral a good game to watch. The real story of this tournament is what happens between the top four teams in the World.
Semi-finals
(winner QF1) New Zealand vs Canada (Winner QF2) - Canada win
(Winner QF3) France vs England (Winner QF4) - England win
Given how the warm-up game went, I back England to beat France by a couple of scores in what I'm sure will be a tense encounter. The other semi-final, between Canada and New Zealand, to be the game of the tournament. The last two games between these teams have ended in a 22-19 win for Canada and a 27-27 draw. New Zealand are the defending champions but I think this is the moment when Canada truly announce themselves on the global stage.
3rd place match
New Zealand vs France
New Zealand have a strong record over France but will have had a tougher loss and may find it harder to bounce back than the French. However, New Zealand will want to go out on a high and someone like Portia Woodman-Wickliffe won't go quietly in her final game.
Final
Canada vs England
This should be another excellent game and it's one that I expect England to win. Canada are an excellent side but England have been so dominant since the last World Cup that I can't bring myself to even entertain the possibility that the Red Roses don't win on home soil at Twickenham.
Champions
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