England vs New Zealand 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final Live Stream, Score, video, H2H results

England vs New Zealand Rugby World Cup semi-final
Kick-off time: 9am (BST) on Saturday 26 October 2019
Stadium: Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama, Japan
TV channel: ITV1
Referee: Yet to be appointed
Odds: England 13-5, Draw 28-1, New Zealand 2-5

England George Ford has been restored at fly-half after being named on the bench for the last-eight rout of Australia.

Henry Slade must settle for a place among the replacements to accommodate Ford with Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi forming the centre combination.

Jonny May has recovered from the hamstring problem sustained against Australia to continue on the left wing, but Jack Nowell has been unable to shake off the same injury and so misses out.

An additional change to the bench sees Mark Wilson given the opportunity to add to his solitary World Cup appearance against the USA after dislodging Lewis Ludlam.

Saracens number eight Billy Vunipola will win his 50th cap as part of a back row that includes Tom Curry and Sam Underhill.

The All Blacks have made one change to their match day squad from the side which saw off Ireland 46-14 last Saturday.

Lock Patrick Tuipulotu has been named on the bench for the game at the International Stadium Yokohama, while Ardie Savea moves to seven and Scott Barrett is promoted to the starting side at six.

Sam Cane, who started against Ireland, moves to the bench, and Matt Todd drops out of the squad for a match in which hooker Codie Taylor is set to win his 50th cap.

England are one step away from the Rugby World Cup final albeit a big one against the reigning champions New Zealand.

Eddie Jones’ men produced a superb display to comfortably dispatch Australia in the quarter-finals, now they face their Oceanic rivals in the final four.

England haven’t beaten the All Blacks in seven attempts with their last victory coming in 2012, but they will still be confident going into the showdown.

New Zealand have also cruised through the tournament so far with a 46-14 crushing of Ireland in their last outing.

RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch the England v New Zealand game on TV and online.

England recalled George Ford at fly-half on Thursday for their World Cup semi-final against New Zealand with the Leicester stand-off adamant they were willing to “embrace the pressure” against the world champions.

Ford came off the bench during England’s 40-16 quarter-final win over Australia.

But he is back in the starting XV for Saturday’s match against the reigning world champions in Yokohama.

“I’ve got a different role this week to last week but my job for the team doesn’t change,” Ford said.

We come up against a team with strengths all over the field. We are going to have to be on our toes, alive in every moment of the game.”

England captain Owen Farrell, who started at fly-half against the Wallabies, moves to inside centre with Manu Tuilagi alongside him in midfield.

New Zealand have made one change to their side to play England in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final, a match coach Steve Hansen said could be one “for the ages”.

Scott Barrett was named at blindside flanker on Thursday to better combat England’s “kamikaze kids”, the sole change to the starting XV that beat Ireland 46-14 in last weekend’s quarter-final.

The flanker played the second half of that match and stood out, Sam Cane having started but replaced at half-time.

Cane moves to the bench in place of Matt Todd, who injured his shoulder against Ireland, while Barrett’s spot among the replacements was taken by lock Patrick Tuipulotu.

Teams:
England (15-1):
Elliot Daly; Anthony Watson, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Jonny May; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Billy Vunipola, Sam Underhill, Tom Curry; Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Marler, Dan Cole, George Kruis, Mark Wilson, Willi Heinz, Henry Slade, Jonathan Joseph.

New Zealand (15-1):
Beauden Barrett; Sevu Reece, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, George Bridge; Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith; Kieran Read (capt), Ardie Savea, Scott Barrett; Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick; Nepo Laulala, Cody Taylor, Joe Moody.

Replacements: Dane Coles, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Angus Ta’avao, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Sonny Bill Williams, Jordie Barrett.

Rugby World Cup quarter final 2019 Japan vs South Africa 20 October Live stream, Score, video, audio, results

Japan vs South Africa (Springboks)
2019 Rugby World Cup quarter final
​Venue: Ajinomoto Stadium
​Date: Sunday, 20 October, 2019
​Kick-off: 11.15am BST

Hosts Japan are out to create more history as they face South Africa in the fourth and final quarter-final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Japan’s 28-21 win over Scotland in their final Pool A match secured their first-ever place in the last eight.

Jamie Joseph’s side are looking to repeat their remarkable 32-34 win over the Springboks in 2015 when they stunned the two-time champions to cause one of the biggest upsets of all time.

Looking back, even since 2011, this team has grown so much and it is scary to think about how far this team could actually grow.

“The last four games, we are getting better each time, and the confidence is growing. This is great for Japanese rugby, for rugby in Asia and for tier-two rugby.”

Whilst almost all of the pre-match attention has been focussed on the hosts, the Springboks squad have been quietly preparing to write their own chapter in the history books.

Coach Rassie Erasmus has known his favoured team for some time and it no surprise to see his South Africa side packed with forwards.

The Brave Blossoms were the stand-out side in the pool stage at their own tournament. Their stunning victories over Ireland and Scotland have inspired a new generation of rugby fans.

26-year-old Kotaro Matsushima became an overnight sensation with his hat-trick against Russia, and then went on to light up the Scotland match with a dazzling performance.

The Pretoria-born wing was the joint-top try-scorer in the competition coming into this weekend.

Japan also have a quality kicker and distributor at ten in Yu Tamura. The 30-year-old is the top scorer so far with 48 points.

If the fairy tale ends here, then you can be certain the Boks will have put in a heck of a performance.

South Africa are aiming to reach the Rugby World Cup semi-finals for the fifth time in seven appearances. Under Erasmus they are a solid outfit but also possess attacking potency of their own.

Cheslin Kolbe, who trained with Matsushima at under-20 level, was a star performer for his club Toulouse this year. The diminutive wing was sensational in the pool games and will be a serious threat out wide.

But what South Africa really relish is a physical battle. They will look to launch their powerful ball-carriers at the heart of the Japanese.

The scrum is one area that the Brave Blossoms have improved, but they will do well to just keep parity up front.

Japan know their real strengths lie in their fitness, set-piece routines and devastating line speed.

Japan have made one change to their starting line-up, bringing Ryohei Yamanaka in at fullback in place of the injured William Tupou.
Tupou suffered a concussion in Japan’s win over the Scots and is not involved in the matchday 23.

30-year-old winger Lomano Lava Lemeki is named among the replacements as cover for the back three.

Jamie Joseph also makes two changes to the bench with forwards Wimpie van der Walt and Amanaki Lelei Mafi replacing Uwe Helu and Hendrik Tui.

Rassie Erasmus had rotated his squad through the pool stage to ensure his players all had game time before the knockout stages but has settled on the same matchday squad that crushed Italy 49-3.

South Africa’s key man Kolbe has returned from an ankle injury. Kolbe scored twice against Italy but was kept out of the Springboks’ final Pool B match against Canada as a precaution to ensure he was ready for the quarters.

South Africa defeated Japan 41-7 in a World Cup warm-up match in September and their power and big-game experience should see them ease through as comfortable winners.

It would be incredible to see the hosts keep the dream alive, but the Springboks should prove one step too far.

Wales vs France Rugby World Cup quarter final 2019 Live stream, Score, video stream and H2H results

Wales vs France
2019 Rugby World Cup quarter final
​Venue: Ajinomoto Stadium
​Date: Sunday, 20 October, 2019
​Kick-off: 8:15am BST

The 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals continue as Wales and France meet in this all-northern hemisphere knockout tie at Oita Stadium.
This is just the second time the sides have played each other at a Rugby World Cup. The only previous meeting was the 2011 semi-final in Auckland where France edged a tight game 9-8.

The French went on to lose the final by a single point to the All Blacks and, in doing so, suffered their third defeat in a World Cup final.

The semi-finals is the closest Wales have been to the Webb Ellis Cup having also lost at the same stage to a rampant New Zealand in 1987.

Sunday will be the 98th clash between these fiercely proud nations. In recent years, Wales have had the measure of France, winning seven of the last eight encounters. But the agony of 2011 has not been forgotten.

Former player and current backs coach Stephen Jones insists the heartbreak of eight years ago can act as motivation for the current squad.

In their last meeting – a Six Nations fixture eight months ago – Warren Gatland’s men fought back from 16-0 down at the interval to win 24-19. A victory that set the Welsh on course towards an eventual Grand Slam.

Simple but effective tactics has led to consistent performances. The Welsh have been as solid as a stick of Porthcawl rock so far in this competition, but they will need to step it up a gear.

Wales came through a testing second half against the Wallabies and completed the group stages with a perfect record. Japan are the only other side who won all four of their pool matches.

Jacques Brunel’s France managed three wins out of three but their final group game against England was cancelled due to typhoon Hagibis.

Despite qualifying from the ‘pool of death’ in second place – they collected fewer bonus points than England – results do not tell the whole story.

France laboured through the pool stage and were guilty of letting substantial leads slip against Argentina and Tonga. They probably could have done with the run-out against England as preparation for this step up in quality.

France are capable. They have some superb individual talent. They enjoy a broken field and will be looking to capitalise on loose play. Wales will know the dangers. But they will also know that France look disorganised and short of fitness. Then, there is the in-fighting.

It just wouldn’t be a major sporting event without rumours of a French mutiny. Media reports last week that captain Guilhem Guirado had fallen out with coaches Jacques Brunel and Fabien Galthie were, how you say? Typique.

However, as strange as it is, fractiousness does seem to have a galvanising affect on Les Blues.

The Welsh are favourites to win but the French are happy to play the underdogs, few sides rise to an occasion better.

After making 13 changes against Uruguay, Warren Gatland has reverted to the same starting team that defeated Georgia and Australia.

Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar and Hadleigh Parkes have all been passed fit to play for Wales.

Biggar’s involvement was in serious doubt after he suffered separate head injuries against Fiji and Australia. The flyhalf’s inclusion is a boost for the Welsh, who also have George North available after recovering from an ankle injury.

Justin Tipuric has been given a back-row place alongside Aaron Wainwright. Alun Wyn Jones will equal Brian O’Driscoll’s caps mark of 141 Tests.

France have made five changes from the side that narrowly defeated the Tongans last time out.

Against Wales, this relatively inexperienced French team will rely on their senior players and leaders such as with Guirado, Louis Picamoles and Maxime Medard.

The starting side consists of 14 players from their opening World Cup win against Los Pumas in Round 1. The only change is Bernard Le Roux coming into the second row.

French backs Antoine Dupont and Damian Penaud have been passed fit to play and are included in the starting line-up.

Exciting winger Alivereti Raka has been left out of the 23, despite scoring tries against the United States and Tonga.

The France front row of Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado and Rabah Slimani start together for the 16th time – a French record in the professional era.

Hopefully yellow and red cards won’t be a major factor again, but the amount shown in this tournament surely increases the possibility of a repeat of 2011. If Wales execute their tactics and stay disciplined, they should book a place in the semi-finals.

New Zealand vs Ireland 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter final Live Stream, Prediction, lineups, odds, TV, h2h 19 October, 2019

New Zealand vs Ireland
2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-final
​Venue: Ajinomoto Stadium
​Date: Saturday, 19 October, 2019
​Kick-off: 11.15am BST

New Zealand will head into their 2019 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against Ireland as firm favourites. While the all Blacks have dominated meetings between these two over the years (winning 28 of their 31 meetings), the Irish might take heart from the fat that both their wins over the All Blacks came in the last three years.

Steve Hansen has made a few changes to his squad with cross-code star Sonny Bill Williams was benched and fellow centre Ryan Crotty missing out completely.

In-form Anton Lienert-Brown and Jack Goodhue got the nod for the defending champions in midfield, coach Steve Hansen saying it had been a tough proposition to sort out his centre combination.

“We’ve got 31 people available for selection. Every team you pick you look at the opposition, what you’re after and the midfield was no different,” Hansen said on Thursday.

They’ve done it before, so can they do it again? Ireland head into their quarter-final showdown against the All Blacks with recent history on their side. Two of the last three meetings between these giants have seen Joe Schmidt’s men emerge victorious – the first coming in Chicago three years ago, followed by the Dublin Test last year. For all their trials and tribulations at this Rugby World Cup, Ireland will know that this is mission possible.

More assuringly for Schmidt, 12 of those players who surged to glory at the Aviva Stadium 11 months ago take to the Tokyo turf this weekend. Conor Murray and centre Robbie Henshaw missed that encounter due to injury but both will be on hand this Saturday, with the Irish more or less operating at full strength – excluding Bundee Aki, whose red against Samoa has ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.

So far, so good. But despite Ireland’s recent exploits against New Zealand, this World Cup has demonstrated that the men in green aren’t the side they were in 2016 or 2018. There are, of course, some qualities that have endured: the iron defence (Ireland have conceded just two tries at this tournament), the organisation and structure, the assured kicking game, the attacking prowess of the likes of Jacob Stockdale and Keith Earls.

But at times here in Japan, the side has felt like it's been missing something distinctively, well, Irish. The blooded aggression. The zip and fizz. The fear factor. In the win over Russia – despite the convincing 35-0 scoreline – there was no firebrand rugby, no fluency, no flair. It was laboured and error-strewn – and this against a team which, for 20 minutes of the match, was one man down.

You come down to having more people good enough to start than you have to leave out.

“In this case Ryan’s missed out. That doesn’t mean to say that if we’re fortunate enough to go further in the tournament that he won’t make the next team.

“But just for this game, we thought the combination of Jack, LB and Sonny was the one for us.”

New Zealand have almost looked like they have not hit their straps yet. Ireland, meanwhile, are battered, bruised and perhaps even slightly rattled after they were beaten by hosts Japan in the pool stages.

Robbie Henshaw will replace banned centre Bundee Aki for their World Cup quarter-final against defending champions New Zealand on Saturday.

Aki was banned for three games for a high tackle in Ireland’s final pool match against Samoa, his World Cup coming to an end after the Irish Rugby Football Union decided Thursday not to appeal the ban.

Coach Joe Schmidt named an otherwise strong side to take on the All Blacks, with Henshaw partnering Garry Ringrose in midfield.

“There are probably four or five, maybe half-a-dozen, reasonably tight selection decisions,” said Schmidt.

“You weigh up the experience, previous performances against particular opposition and combinations and you make a decision that is what you believe is the best informed you can make.

“We’ve tried to add up as best we can the combinations that will best serve us in this particular fixture.”

Hooker Rory Best will skipper the team, with Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong joining him in the front row.

New Zealand XV (15-1): Beauden Barrett; Sevu Reece, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, George Bridge; Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith; Kieran Read (capt), Sam Cane, Ardie Savea; Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick; Nepo Laulala, Cody Taylor, Joe Moody

Replacements: Dane Coles, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Angus Ta’avao, Scott Barrett, Matt Todd, TJ Perenara, Sonny Bill Williams, Jordie Barrett

Ireland XV (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jacob Stockdale; Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray; CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier, Peter O’Mahony; James Ryan, Iain Henderson; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Beirne, Rhys Ruddock, Luke McGrath, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour

New Zealand vs Ireland: Rugby World Cup kick-off time and prediction
Kick off time: Perfectly poised for a bit of lunch time indulgence with kick off at 12:15 SAST on Saturday, 19 October 2019. All the action is live on SuperSport 1.

For the RWC, we’ll be using a prediction algorithm from a New Zealand anorak.

Prediction: The algorithm tips the All Blacks to come out tops… but by a mere 15 points.

watch England vs Australia 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter final Prediction, lineups, odds, live stream, TV, h2h

England vs Australia
2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-final
​Venue: Oita Stadium
​Date: Saturday, 19 October, 2019
​Kick-off: 8:15am BST

There was some surprise when England unveiled a team which saw in-form fly-half George Ford dropped to the bench and Owen Farrell moved back to fly-half from inside centre for this quarter-final clash.

It signals Jones' desire to beef up the midfield to contain rampaging centre Samu Kerevi, not to mention restrict Australia's ability to utilise the strike threat of wingers Reece Hodge and Marika Koroibete, and full-back Kurtley Beale.

Henry Slade comes in to partner Manu Tulagi in the centres, adding some extra go-forward with the ball in hand as well, following skipper Farrell's shift into the halves and head coach Jones believes it is the perfect way to counter what England will be facing.

"Australia defend a certain way and we believe that those three players (Farrell, Tuilagi and Slade) can trouble their defence," Jones said.

Then, defensively, we feel like it's a pretty strong 10-12-13 combination and we know that Australia is a high possession team, high phase team.

"That's how they want to pay, that's how their fans want them to play so there's going to be a lot of defending in that area and we believe that those three guys are well equipped to handle it."

Although the defensive side of his game is considered by some to be a weaknesses, it is worth noting Ford has a 100 per cent tackle success rate from the 11 he attempted during the pool stage and Jones insists he still has a part to play against Australia.

"I spoke to him and obviously he's disappointed, but he knows his role in the team," Jones said. "We've left a lot of good players, eight players, out of the squad of 31 and they're all disappointed but he's got a significant role for us to play."

There were one or two eyebrows raised by Australia's selection decision as well - namely handing 19-year-old utility back Jordan Petaia a start at outside centre.

Petaia, who plays for the Reds Super Rugby franchise, is the youngest Test player to start for the Wallabies at centre since Jason Little 30 years ago and the first born in the 21st Century to feature in a World Cup knock-out game.

He made a try-scoring debut on the wing in the 45-10 win over Uruguay before starting out wide in last Saturday's 27-8 win over Georgia, racking up three clean breaks, beating six defenders and providing an assist in those two matches as well.

The move to the midfield alongside Kerevi allows Cheika to bring Hodge back into the fold after serving a suspension and the Wallabies head coach has backed the teenager to show the world what he can do.

They may be rival coaches now, but there was a time when Jones and Cheika stood shoulder to shoulder on the rugby field back in Australia.

The pair both enjoyed long careers for Sydney club side Randwick - Jones as a no-nonsense hooker and Cheika, seven years his junior, as an uncompromising back row.

Although neither earned a Wallabies Test cap, both have made their mark on the international stage as coaches and although they have traded verbal barbs in the past there is still a huge respect between the former Galloping Greens players.

England come into this match on the back of two weeks without stepping onto the field in anger as their final game in Pool C against France was cancelled and declared a 0-0 draw due to Typhoon Hagibis.

That result confirmed Jones' side's status as the top side in the pool ahead of the French and sent them through to a clash with another of their rugby rivals, along with giving England plenty of time to rest and prepare.

But while they were recuperating, Australia still had to complete their pool campaign and ended second in Pool D behind Wales after grinding their way past Georgia 27-8 in Shizuoka last Friday.

It is the age-old question as to whether it is better to have that extra recovery time or go in battle-hardened after a tough game while your opponents were resting, but Jones is in no doubt about which side of the argument he comes down on.

Teams:
England: 15 Elliot Daly; 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May; 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Courtney Lawes; 6 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Billy Vunipola.

Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Dan Cole, 19 George Kruis, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 George Ford, 23 Jonathan Joseph.

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Will Genia; 1 Scott Sio, 2 Tolu Latu, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 4 Izack Rodda, 5 Rory Arnold, 6 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper, 8 Isa Naisarani.

Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 21 Nic White, 22 Matt To'omua, 23 James O'Connor.


It hurts to admit, but England should win this game.Australia is beaten in the playmaking and set-piece stakes, and the mental wood that the old enemy have over the Wallabies cannot be understated.



Cheika and his troops haven’t beaten England in their last six match-ups, and this will make it seven on the fly.