Rugby World Cup 2023 Week Three Review – Aussies Thrashed And Irish Bash The ‘Boks

The third week of action in the 2023 Rugby World Cup saw some massive clashes between two of the northern hemisphere giants against two huge teams from the southern hemisphere.

And for once, on both occasions it was the northern hemisphere teams that had the better of things.

First up on Saturday last week, Ireland secured one of the biggest wins in their history and a statement win for this tournament as they defeated the current World Champions South Africa in a bruising encounter in Marseille.

Then on Sunday, Wales produced arguably their best-ever Rugby World Cup Finals performance when they humbled Eddie Jones’ Australia with a thumping victory which now makes things incredibly tough for Australia to qualify for the knockout phase.

All four pools are taking shape as we head into the last two sets of fixtures for the group phase and in most cases, the quality names seem to be on the verge of qualifying for the knockout phase.

I did predict the Irish to beat the Springboks with my tips last week so do remember to check out my tips for this week’s set of penultimate group stage games.

As always, the odds shown in this article were correct at the time of writing with bet365 Sport, but they may have changed in the meantime.

Rugby World Cup – Week 3 Results

• Italy 38-17 Uruguay

Uruguay gave Italy a real scare in the first half before the Italians managed to pull themselves together in the second to score enough points to put their dangerous South American opponents to bed. Italy’s win sets up a showdown game against New Zealand this coming week for second spot in Pool A behind France.

• France 96-0 Namibia

France’s 100% record in the tournament as they racked up almost 100 points against the hapless Namibia. The African side had already suffered two heavy defeats ahead of this game and it got worse for them here. France’s joy was tempered after Antoine Dupont sustained a facial injury that could rule him out until at least the semifinal stage.

• Argentina 19-10 Samoa

Argentina had to win this game to give themselves a shot at qualifying for the knockout phase and in a bruising and physical encounter, they duly got the win against Samoa, albeit not a very convincing one and the Pumas will be hoping they can improve still further later in the competition.

• Georgia 18-18 Portugal

The first and only draw of the World Cup so far saw Georgia and Portugal share 36 points in Toulouse. It took a late try from Tengiz Zamtaradze to secure the point for Georgia after two tries from Storti and a conversion and two penalties from Marques had given Portugal the chance of their first ever World Cup finals win.

• England 71-0 Chile

Henry Arundel scored five tries out of the 11 England put on the Chilean team who were well out of their depth in this game. A largely second XI England team was good enough to secure the win which leaves them assured of qualification to the knockout phase with their final game against Samoa still to come.

• South Africa 8-13 Ireland

One of the biggest matches of the World Cup saw Ireland confirm their place as World Number 1 with a fantastic and hard fought win over South Africa. Rock solid defense was the key for the Irish win who held the Springboks to just 8 points, while Mack Hansen’s try and two penalties saw them score enough points to put them in the driving seat in Pool B.

• Scotland 45-17 Tonga

After defeat in their opening game against South Africa, Scotland bounced back to winning ways with a comprehensive win over Tonga. The Tongans actually held the lead early in the game, but two tries in quick succession put the Scots in control. They now face must win games against Romania and Ireland to stand any chance of progress into the knockout phase.

• Wales 40-6 Australia

A fantastic performance by Wales has ensured they will progress into the knockout phase and left Australia on the brink of a humiliating exit from the competition in the group. Superb Welsh defence kept the Australians out while Wales ran in three tries and kicked six of seven penalties. Dan Bigger’s injury will be a worry but Gareth Anscombe kicked very well as his replacement.

Current Group Standings (after Week 3)

Pool A
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Bonus
1	France	3	3	0	0	150	25	13	1
2	Italy	2	2	0	0	90	25	10	2
3	New Zealand	2	1	0	1	84	30	5	1
4	Uruguay	2	0	0	2	29	65	0	0
5	Namibia	3	0	0	3	11	219	0	0

Pool B
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Bonus
1	Ireland	3	3	0	0	154	32	14	2
2	South Africa	3	2	0	1	102	16	10	2
3	Scotland	2	1	0	1	48	35	5	1
4	Tonga	2	0	0	1	33	104	0	0
5	Romania	2	0	0	2	8	158	0	0

Pool C
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Bonus
1	Wales	3	3	0	0	100	40	14	2
2	Fiji	2	1	0	1	48	47	6	2
3	Australia	3	1	0	2	56	77	6	2
4	Georgia	2	0	1	1	33	53	2	0
5	Portugal	2	0	1	1	26	46	2	0

Pool D
Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Bonus
1	England	3	3	0	0	132	22	14	2
2	Samoa	2	1	0	1	53	29	5	1
3	Japan	2	1	0	1	54	46	5	1
4	Argentina	2	1	0	1	29	37	4	0
5	Chile	3	0	0	3	22	156	0	0

Rugby World Cup 2023 – Week 4 Fixtures

27^th September

• Uruguay v Namibia (Lyon) – 4.45pm

Tip – Two of the weakest sides in Group A meet on Wednesday with an ambition to claim their first win of the World Cup. Namibia look to be the weaker of the two teams based on their defensive effort and after Uruguay’s solid display against Italy, I’d back Uruguay to win here at 1/14.

28^th September

• Japan v Samoa (Toulouse) – 8.00pm

Tip – This should be the closest contest of all the games being played this week as these two teams are pretty well matched. Japan’s finesses meets Samoa’s thunder in what should be a cracker in Toulouse. This one could be very close and it may even be just a point or two in it, but I think Japan could be set to cause an upset here at 13/8.

29^th September

• New Zealand v Italy (Lyon) – 4.45pm

Tip – It’s strange to think that if Italy pull off a miracle here and beat the All Blacks, then they will eliminate them from the tournament. However, the chances of that happening are very slim and as such, I’d take the 1/100 on the All Blacks landing the win that will lift them into second behind the hosts France.

30^th September

• Argentina v Chile (Nantes) – 2.00pm

Tip – After a disappointing loss to England in their opening game, Argentina got back to winning ways last week, but they were somewhat unconvincing. They should have fewer problems against South American counterparts Chile and they should still be regarded as the team most likely to finish 2^nd in this group. Argentina to win are 1/750.

• Fiji v Georgia (Bordeaux) – 4.45pm

Tip –  Fiji are on the verge of knocking Australia out of the tournament and two wins from their final two group games would do the trick. Both are winnable beginning with this game against Georgia, which I am backing the Fijians to win at 1/14.

• Scotland v Romania (Lille) – 8.00pm

Tip – Scotland know that they have to win out to stand any chance of progressing from Group B. That defeat to South Africa looks costly, unless they can win big here and defeat Ireland next week, which looks to be a huge ask. But the Scots will win big here I’m certain. Take Scotland at 1/1000.

1^st October

• Australia v Portugal (Saint-Etienne) – 4.45pm

Tip – Australia’s dismal World Cup continued with a 40-6 thrashing by Wales on Sunday night, leaving Eddie Jones under huge pressure and their World Cup lives hanging by a threat. Portugal won’t pose the Aussies too many problems, but the damage may already have been done. Back Aussies to win at 1/50.

• South Africa v Tonga (Marseille) – 8pm

Tip – After losing a bruising encounter to Ireland, South Africa now know they are playing for second place in Pool B. They should of course clinch it having already beaten Scotland, although if the Scots beat the Irish in their final group game, things could get interesting. There won’t be a shock here. Take South Africa to win ay 1/500.