SIR CLIVE WOODWARD’S
GUIDE TO THE QUARTER-FINALS
ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA
ENGLAND are favourites but old rivalries and tensions will kick in to make this a special encounter. England hold all the aces — if they can stay cool and keep 15 men on the park! The class of their midfield — Farrell, Slade and Tuilagi — should see them create more try-scoring opportunities and out wide they have some deadly finishers. Australia have spluttered a little but I rate their tight five — their scrummaging and lineout work is top rate — and England need to match them in those departments. It’s a huge night for the ‘Kamikaze Kids’, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill. I believe they can dominate the tackle area when they go up against David Pocock and Michael Hooper. ENGLAND TO WIN
IRELAND v NEW ZEALAND
TIGHT, ferocious, fascinating game with probably just one score between the teams. For Ireland there was every sign of Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton clicking into top gear last time out against Samoa and they always look more robust defensively when they have Robbie Henshaw in midfield. Their back three must all engage top gear and start causing the All Blacks problems. You can’t spend all evening against the Kiwis just absorbing pressure. New Zealand lost their game with Italy to the typhoon but they won’t be undercooked. They have made that mistake before and won’t repeat it. NEW ZEALAND TO WIN
WALES v FRANCE
THE French will play enough good rugby and enjoy enough passages of domination to give Wales a fright, but Wales under captain Alun Wyn Jones know how to absorb pressure. They have strike power and match-winners outside with Josh Adams and liam Williams, Jonathan Davies is all class at centre and I can see George North getting heavily involved in this game. Above all else they have Warren Gatland steering the ship. He is one of the best big-game coaches in history and he won’t have missed a trick. WALES TO WIN
JAPAN v SOUTH AFRICA
IT’S hard to believe anything could top Japan’s win over Scotland — both as an occasion and a game of rugby — but that will surely be the case if they beat the Boks again, four years after ‘the miracle of Brighton’. It can’t be ruled out but I can’t help feeling last week will have left them emotionally drained. South Africa will also be hellbent on revenge after that defeat in 2015. This is probably a game too far for Japan but I would love to be proved spectacularly wrong. SOUTH AFRICA TO WIN