Six match-ups to set alight the Rugby World Cup semifinals
The Rugby World Cup semifinals in Japan see England take on the All Blacks on Saturday‚ and the Springboks matched up against Wales on Sunday.
TimesLIVE has come up with the six match-ups that may shape this weekend’s semifinals in Yokohama:
George Ford (England) v Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand)
The pintsized pivots are at the controls of their respective flight decks. Ford‚ who was rather surprisingly omitted from England’s starting line-up last week against Australia‚ is back and it is unlikely he’ll have mental wounds that require a lick. He gets things done in a no-fuss way and his partnership with Farrell is well honed.
They will‚ however‚ be tested in a way they haven’t for a while with Mo’unga ready to sprinkle his magic effortlessly on proceedings. Both can also expect the opposite inside centre to come barrelling down their channel.
Willi Heinz (England) v TJ Perenara (New Zealand)
They may not be the starting scrumhalves but the game may still be in the balance when they make it on. Heinz was a mildly surprising inclusion in Eddie Jones’s squad and the last few minutes of this Test will be the most testing of his career.
Perenara‚ of course‚ has been part of the All Blacks’ set-up since he made his debut against England five years ago. He brings physicality and a little mongrel to a position in which he is likely to again stand squarely in Heinz’s way.
Kyle Sinckler (England) v Joe Moody (New Zealand)
Sinckler was one of the stars in England’s crushing win over the Wallabies. He is one of those players who‚ when the going is good‚ hits stratospheric heights.
The stars‚ however‚ may not be as aligned this week. In Moody he will encounter a player who is quickly closing in on 50 Tests‚ almost under the radar. Unlike Sinckler‚ who for a tighthead grabs the limelight fairly often‚ loosehead Moody just gets the job done quietly and efficiently.
Faf de Klerk (South Africa) v Gareth Davies Wales)
De Klerk marvellously rose to the challenge against Japan last weekend. He had copped some flak earlier in the tournament but his role will come under even greater scrutiny against the dynamic and durable Davies. The latter directed Wales’s traffic in 11 of the 14 matches during their unbeaten run that was ended earlier this year.
While De Klerk is at the nerve centre of the Boks’ rhythm of tempo‚ Davies brings more individualistic skills to the position. He is a perceptive player with an eye for a gap and the intercept.
These two will harangue each and one may well snap under pressure.
Damian de Allende (South Africa) v Hadleigh Parkes (Wales)
These midfield bruisers will do a lot of donkey work on Sunday. The role envisioned for them in the wet will be far from glamorous. It will be head down and run into the nearest defender in setting up the next phase of play.
Parkes grabbed a man-of-the-match award in his debut against the Boks in Cardiff in 2017 but things have changed. De Allende didn’t play that day. The only time they’ve run into each other was at the end of last year when Wales were victorious again. The South African‚ however‚ understands his role far better now than at any point in his 45-Test career.
Bongi Mbonambi (South Africa) v Ken Owen (Wales)
The Springboks go into the semifinals with an unblemished record in the lineout. Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx have hit the spot but the pressure will be greater on Sunday.
Mbonambi also packs a punch in the scrums but Wales tend to stand their ground as a collective in that facet. Whatever small gains the Springbok can make over his opposite number‚ however‚ will help inch his team closer to a place in the final.
Rugby World Cup semifinals (SA times) -
Saturday:
England v New Zealand‚ International Stadium Yokohama (10am)
Sunday:
Wales v South Africa‚ International Stadium Yokohama (11am)