There is not long to wait until the 2023 Rugby World Cup kicks off in France, with the action commencing on September 8th, as France take on New Zealand in a blockbuster opener.
With the tournament anticipation rising, we decided to dust off the magic eight ball, and mark our predictions on how far each of the home nations side’s will get in the competition.
IRELAND – Final
Ireland are lining up to achieve their first ever Rugby World Cup triumph, with Andy Farrell’s men ticking all the right boxes with the 2023 Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam. Shoulder to shoulder, Ireland are World Rugby’s Number One ranked side, and look almost unbeatable when playing at their very best. RUCK believe that they have what it takes to reach the final on October 28th, with a returning Johnny Sexton boosting their ranks in the latter stages of the competition.
Ireland have a tough road to the final, will Pool B rightly being named ‘the group of death’. Ireland have to deal with Scotland, South Africa, Tonga and Romania in their pool, with expectations being that either Ireland or the Springboks will top the group. We have opted for Ireland, who will then face the runners-up of Pool A, in the All Blacks. This gargantuan quarter-final will see momentum swing countless times, before Ireland eventually triumph by the narrowest of margins.
We predict that the men from the Emerald Isle will then have a run in with Eddie Jones’ Australia in the final four. The Wallabies look to be finding re-invigored form under Jones, and will top Pool C before eliminating Argentina in the quarter-finals. Ireland will overcome Australia, and end their long standing World Cup curse, by reaching their first final, and a showdown with hosts France.
The final is expected to feature two sides to have never won the Rugby World Cup, and an Ireland vs France curtain-caller could truly go either way. Les Bleus would benefit from the home-field advantage at the Stade de France, and it could well be ‘fourth times the charm’, with France taking silver medals on three separate occasions. But never rule out the luck of the Irish, who are rightful front-runners to lift the Web Ellis trophy, and bring it home to Dublin for the first time ever.