Rugby Union
World Cup France 2023
The Rugby World Cup is a men’s rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport’s international governing body.
England vs Japan, 8pm GMT
The last match of week two in the 2023 Rugby World Cup will see the current top teams in Pool D clash with England taking on Japan at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice.
Both these sides come into this match after winning their opening games, although Japan’s bonus point earned against Chile sees them currently lead the way with five points.
It’s safe to assume that both English fans and players harbored apprehensions leading into this tournament. The team had encountered setbacks in three of their four warm-up matches, with losses to teams like Wales and, notably, Fiji. Although England’s performance fell short of their usual standards in the build up, a brilliant display of tactical prowess by George Ford in there opening world cup match secured victory for the team. The fly-half managed to contribute all 27 points in the 27-10 triumph, effectively keeping the Argentinian side pinned in their own half for what must have felt like an interminable period for the Pumas.
Meanwhile, Japan got the bonus point in their opening fixture, scoring seven converted tries to beat Chile 42-12 in an entertaining encounter in Toulouse last week.
Our Picks:
England -22 @10/11
Over 54 Match Points @11/10
England starting lineup: 15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jonny May, 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 11. Elliot Daly, 10. George Ford, 9. Alex Mitchell, 8. Lewis Ludlam, 7. Ben Earl, 6. Courtney Lawes (c), 5. Ollie Chessum, 4. Maro Itoje, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 2. Jamie George, 1. Joe Marler
Replacements: 16. Theo Dan, 17. Ellis Genge, 18. Will Stuart, 19. George Martin, 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Marcus Smith, 23. Ollie Lawrence
Japan starting lineup: 15. Semisi Masirewa, 14. Kotaro Matsushima, 13. Tomoki Osada, 12. Ryoto Nakamura, 11. Jone Naikabula, 10. Rikiya Matsuda, 9. Yutaka Nagare, 8. Kazuki Himeno (c), 7. Pieter Labuschagne, 6. Michael Leitch, 5. Amato Fakatava, 4. Jack Cornelsen, 3. Jiwon Gu, 2. Shota Horie, 1. Keita Inagaki
Replacements: 16. Atsushi Sakate, 17. Craig Millar, 18. Asaeli Ai Valu, 19. Warner Dearns, 20. Kanji Shimokawa, 21. Naoto Saito, 22. Dylan Riley, 23. Lomano Lemeki
Best Rugby World Cup Picks and Tips, Image Credit: thesun
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