Round 3 of the 2021 Rugby World Cup is upon us! The pressure is ratcheting up as this is the last round of pool matches before the quarterfinals. England, New Zealand and Canada have secured the first three quarter final spots. As a reminder, the two top teams in each pool, together with the two best-third-placed teams make up the eight QF teams.
Check out our match previews and predictions below.
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Australia vs Wales – Oct 21 8:15 PM CST / Oct 22 2:15 PM NZST
Preview
7th ranked Australia will face 8th ranked Wales in what is expected to be a very tight affair. Both of these teams are more than likely through to the quarterfinals but who wins this match determines their opponent. Winner likely ends up as the sixth seed and loser eighth. No one wants to play the overall number one seed.
Prediction
Wales has a ton of momentum and we’re thinking they’ll take this one by 5 points.
New Zealand vs Scotland – Oct 21 10:45 PM CST / Oct 22 4:45 PM NZST
Preview
2nd ranked New Zealand will see 10th ranked Scotland. The Scots will be without their fullback Chloe Rollie who was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after suffering an arm injury. The Black Ferns will look to continue their winning streak and improve on their 1,128 total meters carried, the most of any team so far.
Prediction
This will be a really tough match for Scotland and we feel that New Zealand will best them by 40 points.
France vs Fiji – Oct 22 1:15 AM CST / Oct 22 7:15 PM NZST
Preview
4th ranked France will finish the pool rounds by playing 16th ranked Fiji. Fijiana are coming in hot after their first Rugby World Cup win. France’s defense has been the story of the tournament only allowing 18 points so far. However, they will be without super star Laura Sansus after she suffered an ACL rupture.
Prediction
Fiji can be unpredictable but we think France will be able to manage them and win by 15 points.
@yscrugby Round 3 Preview and Predictions for AUSvWAL, NZLvSCO and FRAvFIJ #RWC2021
♬ original sound - YSCRugby
Japan vs Italy – Oct 22 6:45 PM CST / Oct 23 12:45 PM NZST
Preview
13th ranked Japan will battle 5th ranked Italy this weekend. Japan is still searching for their first win but has shown they can play hard and direct rugby. Italy is third in offloads, clean breaks and tackles…and we expect them to continue improving those stats.
Prediction
We predict that Italy will win by 25 points.
Canada vs USA – Oct 22 9:15 PM CST / Oct 23 3:15 PM NZST
Preview
3rd ranked Canada will face long-time North American rivals and 6th ranked USA. Canada will look to beat the USA so they can maintain their overall second place in the tournament and then they would face the seventh seed. The USA will be looking to cause an upset but haven’t beaten the Maple Leafs since 2019.
Prediction
This hurts our American heart but we think Canada will win by 10 points.
England vs South Africa – Oct 22 11:45 PM CST / Oct 23 5:45 PM NZST
Preview
1st ranked England will play 13th ranked South Africa. South Africa’s breakout star Aseza Hele beat 11 defenders in her match last week and will look to continue that streak. This will be a tough challenge though for the Springboks trying to contain players like Emilie Scarratt, Marlie Packer and more.
Prediction
We predict that England will win by 50 points.
@yscrugby Round 3 Preview and Predictions for JPNvITA, CANvUSA and ENGvRSA #RWC2021
♬ original sound - YSCRugby
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