Unless you’ve been living under a rock or
stranded on a desert island for the last few weeks, you will know that on 18th
September that the Rugby World Cup will kick off at 20:00 GMT with Fiji vs England.
This Friday will see the pinnacle of rugby get under way in
an unusual fashion, in which the host nation is considered the away team.
Although Twickenham is the home of English rugby, Fiji will occupy the home
changing room and kit, following their draw as the home team, meaning England
shall play in red.
Fiji have always been a team that love to
throw the egg around and thrive off of a broken field, making it all the more
important that England manage the game well. England has definitely become a
more expansive team in recent years, but to start the tournament off well they
must first win the battle up front against a squad that internally has been
called the finest of its nations history, If England comes out firing like they
did against Ireland then they will simply be too much for their opponents.
However, if they play like they did in Paris, just two weeks prior, the
blistering Fijian flair will be sure to challenge the England defense. With the hosts
being expected to win, it gives Fiji license to go out and enjoy themselves, and
throw everything they have at them.
It is well known that in the past World
Cups have been won by the teams with the best defense, rather than having
threating offence. With players like Matawalu and the gargantuan 20 stone winger
Nadolo who can cover 100m in under 11s, Fiji have more than enough fire power
to test the England defense, and see just how capable it really is. England have put a lot of onus on pressuring
offences into making a mistake and then using this to launch an attack. There
is no question that George Ford has the ability to unleash the pace out wide,
but firstly he must manage the game correctly. This will be a very important test for the young fly-half and could set the tone for the rest of his World Cup. The half backs must kick well
and at the right time, and Lancaster knows how important this is having put Wigglesworth and Farrell on the bench to settle the game if it becomes uncontrollable.
Whilst Fiji have always been known as a large and
physical team, their set piece has come under scrutiny in the past. However, they showed that this is definitely not the area of weakness it once was during their performances in the Pacific Nations Cup, including a strong
victory against Canada. This Fijian team has the best all round game seen for years in their
nation, and still hold on to that traditional Flying Fijian feel.
There is no doubt that this Fijian team has
the weapons to cause an upset against the host nation. However,
if England execute their game plan correctly and beat the Fijians up front they
will simply be too well organised and clinical for the Pacific Islanders. It
really is the perfect team for England to open their campaign against,
presenting a strong challenge, but ultimately being a match they should win. The most important thing for England is a win, but it is definitely
an opportunity for the hosts to lay down a marker.
Predicted Score: 13-38 to the hosts
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