England v Japan – September 17th, Nice
No strangers to a Rugby World Cup upset, Japan are the second banana peel England are set to encounter, with back-to-back slip ups a genuine possibility in France. Despite not having the element of surprise which caught of South Africa in the immortalised ‘Brighton Miracle’ of 2015, Japan have proven their capabilities when it comes to performing on the pinnacle stage.
In 2019, lightning struck twice for the Brave Blossoms, who recorded a second huge upset, this time coming at the expense of Ireland. The home-soil support catapulted Japan to top spot in Pool A, in a group which also featured home nation side Scotland. However, Japan’s current form is not in as inspired as their performances from four years ago.
Despite still boasting their pocket rocket Kotaro Matsushima, and courageous captain Michael Leitch, Japan struggled during the Summer, with an underwhelming run in the Pacific Nations Cup. A third place finish saw Japan suffer a shocking defeat to Samoa, with retribution on the line when they clash later in Pool D. A defeat to Fiji was slightly heavier than England’s loss (35-12), before Japan ended the Summer Nations Series with a loss to Italy, as the young-gun Azzurri ran out a resounding 42-21 win in Treviso.
England will have Billy Vunipola back from suspension, and if recoveries go to plan, Elliot Daly and Kyle Sinckler should also be eligible for selection. England will battle Japan at a good time, with the Blossoms in a similar rut that Steve Borthwick’s men could well capitalise upon. An England win would kick-start their hopes of further progression, and boost confidence for the two ‘easier’ matches in the pool.
PREDICTION: England 32 – 17 Japan
England v Chile – September 23rd, Lille
England’s third match of their Rugby World Cup campaign is against competition debutants Chile. Los Condores are embarking on their first ever trip to the tournament, after recording historic wins of their own in qualifying. Chile secured victoires over Canada and the USA to stamp their ticket to France, with the weightless expectations on them, to just run out and do their country proud.
However, such low expectations can sometimes play to a team’s advantage. You would be hard pressed to find a rugby fan or pundit who is genuinely convinced that Chile will beat England in match day three. Some wise-cracking fan of Ireland, Scotland or Wales may make the occasional joke, but do they actually believe that England will be beaten by Chile in the first ever encounter? Surely not.
Chile’s squad is made up almost predominately from players that represent Selknam, the Super Rugby Americas side based in the nation’s capital of Santiago. Chile’s captain is flanker Martín Sigren, he played for Selknam in 2020-2022 before moving to Doncaster Knights in the RFU Championship.
Prop Matías Dittus plays for Club Athlétique Périgueux in France’s Pro Rugby D2, whilst Center Iñaki Ayarza also plays in the Pro D2 for Soyaux Angoulême XV, and lock Pablo Huete used to play for Bayonne in the French Top 14, before joining Selknam. England will have Owen Farrell back for this match, with the sheer miss-match in quality playing into Steve Borthwick’s favour, for what should be a comfortable win.
PREDICTION: England 54 – 10 Chile