Friday, October 18, 2019

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.

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