International Tests set the platform for RWC Excitement builds up
THE July International Tests will set the platform for the 2023 Rugby World Cup tournament which will be played in France.
Southern Hemisphere giants the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks take on Six Nations sides Ireland, England and Wales.
The first Test will ideally present rugby pundits an opportunity to gauge the gap between the two hemispheres, with almost a year to go into the next RWC.
During the November Autumn Tests, Ireland beat the All Blacks 29-20, while England thumped the Wallabies 32-15.
However, South Africa beat Wales 23-18.
Hence, excitement is high as the July International Tests kick-off this weekend alongside the Pacific Nations Cup in Suva, featuring Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Australia A.
All Blacks ready for revenge
The All Blacks and Ireland Test matches have always drawn huge attention. The All Blacks first played against Ireland in 1905, during the historic 1905-1906 All Blacks tour, beating Ireland 15-0 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin.
The two teams have played 33 Tests, with the All Blacks winning 29, lreland winning 3, and the 1973 Test match played in Dublin ending in a draw. During the 2012 Irish Tour of New Zealand, the All Blacks won all three tests, scoring 124 points to Ireland’s 29.
This tour also saw the All Blacks post the biggest winning margin against Ireland in their history, with a score of 60-0. The All Blacks won the Test series 3-0, winning 42-10 and 22-19.
In 2013, the All Blacks were trailing 22-17 against Ireland in the final minute of the match, and on the verge of their first ever loss to Ireland. Ireland gave up a penalty with under 30 seconds remaining, which ultimately led to the visitors working their way up the field, ending in a try to tie the score.
The try was converted at the second time of asking, handing the All Blacks their perfect season. Ireland eventually ended a 111-year wait for a victory at Soldier Field, Chicago with a 4029 win in 2016, maintaining that winning record in 2018 as they beat the All Blacks 16-9 at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin to record their first ever home win against the All Blacks.
During the Autumn Nations Series of 2021, Ireland defeated the All Blacks 29-20 at home to record their third win in five against the All Blacks. Prior to that Test, the All Blacks hammered Ireland 4614 at Tokyo Stadium during the 2019 RWC quarters.
Despite their desperately poor record against the All Blacks until 2016, the six matches between 2013 and 2021 were shared three each in highly contested encounters between teams at the top of the world rankings.
As such, media in both countries have noted that a significant modern rivalry now exists between the two nations. All Blacks fans are eagerly waiting for this Test, but it will not be plain sailing for the All Blacks as Ireland finished second in this year’s Six Nations Championship.
Roses and Wallabies continue ancient rivalry
The rivalry between England and Australia started in 1909 at Blackheath’s Rectory Field in England, during the 1908-09 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, dubbed the first Wallabies.
The Wallabies won the match 9-3. Their rivalry entertained fans and the sides met three times during the 1990s before the end of the amateur era and the introduction of the Cook Cup.
The first Cook Cup match was played at Sydney’s Aussie Stadium in 1997. Australia won the match 25-6.
The series was however to be decided through two tests, and the second took place at Twickenham in London.
This resulted in a 15-15 draw. Since Australia won the first test, they were crowned champions.
The Roses are currently on an eight-match winning streak, for all Test Matches, and a nine winning streak for the Cook Cup.
Since 1909, England and Australia have played each other 52 times.
England has won 26 times, while Australia has won 25 times, and one match was drawn.
The last tour in 2016 ended in a whitewash as England won all the Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney 38-29, 23-7 and 44-40.
From 2016 to 2018, England beat the Wallabies in their Autumn Tests 37-21, 30-6 and 37-18.
During the 2019 RWC quarterfinal in Japan, England thrashed the Wallabies 40-16 and last year in November at Twickenham, the hosts walloped the visitors 32-15.
England’s three-match series against Australia gets underway in Perth on Saturday with both sides looking to recover from some poor recent results.
Eddie Jones selected a squad consisting of some valuable experience and exciting young players. The three-match series also sees returns of Billy Vunipola and the vastly experienced Danny Care.
Long-time captain Michael Hooper heads the 35-man Australia squad for this series.
A notable omission from the squad includes Kurtley Beale who misses out through injury after returning, following his spell in France.
The Wallabies named six uncapped players in the squad including former league player Suliasi Vunivalu.
Eddie Jones took charge of the England side after the 2015 RWC and since then England has come out on top in all eight encounters with Australia including a 3-0 whitewash on their last series visit to Australia in 2016.
Despite Eddie Jones’ side being unbeaten against Australia they come into the first test as underdog as a result of their recent poor from.
The Wallabies are favourites to win the first test and gain revenge for their defeat at Twickenham. Springboks expecting ‘hard grind’ in opening clash South Africa and Wales have competed against each other in rugby union since 1906.
Of the 37 matches played to date, South Africa has won 30, with one draw and six wins for Wales.
The Springboks are also the only team to win an away match between the sides, having won 16 times in Wales.
South Africa has won all ten of their home games and since 2007.
The winner has been awarded the Prince William Cup, which was created to celebrate 100 years of rugby between the two nations.
Last year, at the Principality Stadium, South Africa outclassed Wales 23-18.
In 2019 during the RWC in Japan, the green machine beat Wales 19-16, but the previous year during the Autumn Test at the Millennium Stadium, the hosts beat South Africa 20-11.
Hence, the Springboks are expecting a hard grind Test series opener.
The Dragons have arrived in South Africa on the back of a poor Six Nations campaign that ended with them losing at home to Italy.
Wales has lost all 10 previous games played against the reigning world champions on home soil.
However, the Dragons have been training together for a few weeks and no doubt they will give everything against the hosts.
They are an experienced squad and they have top-class players in their ranks, with some of them having represented the British and Irish Lions last year.
They have physical forwards and backs that spark something from nothing, so the home side will need to deliver a quality performance in order to get their season off to a strong start.
Kolisi is among nine players who will start and were part of South Africa’s 23-18 victory over Wales in Cardiff.
,Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager start, while Jacques Nienaber opted for six forwards and two backs among his replacements.
For the Welsh players and the coaching staff, time definitely hasn’t been a healer. It’s going to have to be the very best to record a first win on South African turf in history.
South Africa is famed for its raucous crowds that make it one of the most hostile places to play rugby. Last time out,
Wales was close to winning in South Africa for the first time.
A last minute 31-30 defeat in the second test followed a comprehensive 38-16 defeat in the first test.
Rugby pundits have written off Wales, however, the return of players such as George North could give the tourists some hope.
To get that first elusive win will require the best performance of Wayne Pivac’s tenure.
History says Wales will be plucky losers as they face a fired up South African outfit which is in its best form having won the Webb Ellis Trophy in 2019. is a regular contributor to this newspaper. The views expressed are his and not of this newspaper.