2023-09-24 07:42:50
South Africa or Ireland to face the Blues in the quarter-finals? In the equation of the next opponent of the XV of France, no one mentioned Scotland. If the XV du Chardon obviously does not start favorites against the two ogres of group B, Finn Russell’s teammates nevertheless have their card to play to snatch second place.
Since the start of the World Cup, Scotland has clearly been moving forward in the shadows, even though it is one of the teams that has progressed the most in recent years and months. Third in the last VI Nations tournament, Gregor Townsend’s men this year took on the English at Twickenham (23-29) or even very well against Wales at home (35-7). They also tied with the Blues twice (defeat by 3 points in August, by 11 points in February).
“Scotland deserves its place”
All this to find yourself, and nothing is anecdotal, in 5th place in the world. “I am not going to return to this unfair draw which placed three top 5 teams in the same group (Editor’s note, Ireland is first ahead of South Africa). The authorities have said that in the future the draw will be carried out as close as possible to the competition, as is the case in football. But, in the meantime, we have to make do,” Scottish coach Gregor Townsend lamented in the columns of L’Equipe.
Carried out in December 2020, the draw took into account the world ranking as of January 1 of that year. Scotland therefore found themselves in pot 3, behind teams like Japan.
Results, the XV du Chardon was forced to launch its 2023 World Cup against the South African title holder, two weeks ago. After hanging on to the Springboks for a very long time (6-3 at half-time), the Scots finally cracked (18-3 defeat). “It was a difficult match. We knew it in advance. Playing against the 5th nation in the world, and Scotland deserves their place… They’re a tough team, who hang on, who fight. We knew it would be a fight,” complimented South African technician Jacques Nienaber after the meeting.
A qualification against Ireland?
Defeated from the start, Stuart Hogg’s partners must raise their heads this Sunday against Tonga (5:45 p.m.), a team that they largely dominated during their last confrontation (60-14 in 2021). “It’s obviously a crucial match for us. It’s our knockout phase now. If we lose a match, we are eliminated from the tournament, and every match that awaits us must be approached with this mentality,” warned Gregor Townsend at a press conference this week.
With obviously our eyes a little riveted, beforehand, towards South Africa/Ireland, this Saturday evening. “We must not start doing calculations on the points tie-breaker at the end of the group stage. If we are not focused enough, we will miss our opportunities and we will not see the threats that will present themselves to us,” anticipates Brad Mooar, the assistant coach.
Favorites against Tonga this Sunday, and even more so against Romania, Saturday September 30, the Scots have already targeted the shock against Ireland on October 7 which could offer them a ticket for the quarter-finals, a stadium in the competition that they have not experienced since 2015. “Everyone is determined to get out of the pools. The South Africa game was a bit of a setback, but the confidence is still there. We want to show our true level to the world of rugby,” assures fullback Blair Kinghorn. So be careful, Scotland is still there!
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