Pool A will be the Pool of Death in the upcoming 2015 Rugby World Cup, featuring three of the top six teams in the world. Australia ranks third in the world, while England and Wales aren’t too far behind at fifth and sixth respectively, making this a top-heavy division. Can host England hold its ground against such tough competition? Read on as we breakdown this exhilarating group ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Check out the rest of the World Cup pools with Pool C (featuring world No. 1 New Zealand) and Pool D (featuring World No. 2 Ireland).
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2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A Preview
England
England hosts this year’s Rugby World Cup, and expectations for the team cannot be any higher. Stuart Lancaster has plenty of talent to choose from the amazing local Aviva Premiership. He’ll have a confident lineout thrower in Tom Youngs, as well as a plethora of midfield options – most notably Jonathan Joseph.
[sc:Other240banner ]France-based players Steffon Armitage and Nick Abendanon could also join the English team under the exceptional circumstances clause to further solidify the team. England stands a strong chance of winning the pool. The English have already beaten Wales 21-16 earlier this year. They also defeated Australia 26-17 in November. England should be very confident heading into this pool, especially with its home crowd roaring behind the team.
The Welsh lost Jonathan Davies, which is a big blow to their 2015 World Cup campaign. They’re also concerned with a seemingly unfit Sam Warburton, who struggles to play too much in a short amount of time. But Wales remains one of the most experienced teams in Pool A.
Wales has Rhys Webb, who is solid at scrum half, while George North, Jamie Roberts and Liam Williams are excellent players in the backline to give the Welsh a scoring punch. North, in particular, was a member of the Welsh squad in the 2011 World Cup, scoring 15 points on three tries. The biggest match for Wales will come in its second match in the pool stage – an early showdown against hosting England.
Wales has the talent to give England troubles. The Welsh may be worth a shot at +275 to win the pool.
Predicted record: 3-1
Australia
Australia has one of the best attacking backlines in international rugby with the likes of Adam Ashley-Cooper, Israel Folau and Henry Speight. Folau appears to be primed and ready for a big World Cup campaign after compiling 135 points on 27 tries in all tests, the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship from 2013.
Having so many devastating players on the field at the same time may prove to be detrimental for Australia’s cause. This was evident in Australia’s recent game against Ireland when Kurtley Beale, Matt Toomua and Quade Cooper, all devastating backliners, opened up the Irish defense only to run in different angles, therefore preventing them to score.
If Australia does space out its attackers, they’ll be able to run roughshod against Fiji and Uruguay, but may still struggle against the pool’s top teams in England and Wales.
Predicted record: 2-2
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Fiji
Fiji has one of the most exciting players in 6’5” winger Nemani Nadolo. But aside from Nadolo and a win over Italy in June, the Fijians haven’t shown anything that points to a deep run in the upcoming World Cup. They should still be tough outs for any team, though, especially with Akapusi Qera bringing in some much needed experience after scoring three tries in the the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Predicted record: 1-3
Uruguay
This will be the third World Cup appearance for Uruguay, and first since 2003. Not much is expected from the Uruguayans in this tournament. The last time they faced Pool A favorite, England, they lost 111-13 in 2003. Expect Uruguay to pad the records of the rest of the Pool A teams.
Predicted record: 0-4
Writer’s Prediction
Backed by a raucous home crowd, England (+110) wins Pool A.
