2023-09-24 23:07:00
The Welsh won the first ticket to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup on Sunday thanks to their very large 40-6 victory against the Australians who are now on the brink of collapse. Never since the creation of the World Cup in 1987 have the Wallabies been eliminated in the group stage. But it will take more than a miracle for the 1991 and 1999 world champions to avoid such humiliation.
Third in Group C with 6 points, Eddie Jones’ young players have only one match left to play, on October 1 against Georgia; Fiji, who have as many points as the Wallabies but who are ahead of them since beating them last weekend, will play twice against opponents well within their reach: Georgia on September 30 then Portugal on October 8.
“People like the smell of blood. There are ten times more Australian journalists than usual. That’s the smell of blood. That’s what attracts,” said the Australian coach before this life-and-death match.
“Group of Death”
While Australian media revealed hours before the crucial match that he had been auditioned to become Japan coach just days before the start of the World Cup, his tenure at the helm of the Australian XV – the second of his career – risks coming to an end.
For the Welsh, the final suspense will be whether they qualify in first or second place in the group. A rebirth for a Leek XV which had entered the competition without certainty, with 16 defeats since 2022, including a humiliation against Georgia and an infamous penultimate place in the 2023 Six Nations Tournament.
READ ALSO Rugby World Cup: can the France team win without Dupont?
At the start of the evening, the Scots gave themselves the right to dream by beating, with the offensive bonus point, Tonga (45-17). With this seven-try victory, the 5th nation in the world is back in Group B. Ireland and South Africa remain the favorites in this “group of death” but the XV du Chardon has not said its last word.
To see the quarter-finals, Gregor Twonsend’s men will first have to achieve another improved success against Romania (September 30), which should be a formality. They would then offer themselves a “round of 16” a week later against Ireland at the Stade de France (October 7), on condition of winning without leaving the defensive bonus to the world’s leading nation.
“Hearing the comments, it looks like Ireland are already in the quarter-finals against New Zealand. We know we have to win our last two matches for that not to be the case,” warned Townsend.
#Wales #qualify #quarterfinals