Autumn Internationals, World Cup Pool C, and Round ten of the Rugby Premiership
Rafters Rugby Autumn Nations Pilgrimage – Week Three
Autumn Nations week three, Rafters picks USA Rugby to qualify for Pool C, plus round ten of the Gallagher Rugby Premiership.
Autumn Nations Series Week three
Rafters’ picks for week three.
Ireland v Fiji
Rafters Prediction – Ireland took the number one spot in the world after last weeks win over South Africa at Lansdowne Road. The home crowd played a big part in the win, and Ireland is to be congratulated.
Though Rafters called the upset, we are of the opinion that the Spring Boks would win this match six out of ten times, but the Irish are good enough to defeat a far less disciplined Fijian side in ten out of ten. The magic of Fijian passing will result in at least two tries for the visitors, but Ireland walks away with this one by twenty plus.
Italy v Australia
Rafters Prediction – Which Australia team will show up in Italy? The answer is that it doesn’t matter. Even on their worst day the Wallabies take the Italians in nine out of ten matchups. Italy’s win over Wales is now eight months stale, and the home pitch won’t help the Italian against a better Australian.
England v Japan
Rafters Prediction – Japan Rugby is hungry, and they nearly pulled off another miracle win in Tokyo two weeks ago over New Zealand. They will bring their best against England who played poorly in their loss to Argentina and badly enough to leave fans Twittering for Eddie Jones’ ouster.
Jones was the well spring of Japan’s rise in international rugby leading up to the 2015 World Cup, and we all remember what happened there. It could easily boomerang on Saturday to Jones’ England side.
Rafters will be at Twickenham to see if England can pull off at least one win in the 2022 Autumn Nations Series, because things are not looking good for the home team. England by three?
Wales v Argentina
Rafters Prediction – The Pumas have got to be on a high following their victory at Twickenham last week, and though Wales has as much heart as any top tier nations team, Argentina is rolling like never before. With wins (two of them on the road) over New Zealand, Australia, and England in the past few months the Pumas appear to be making a run at the World Cup. Look for a tight first half with Argentina’s defensive play stopping the Welsh cold. Argentina over Wales.
France v South Africa
Rafters Prediction – This should be the match of the day. France shook off the rust last week in a near loss to Australia, and they will need to be the team everyone expects they can be if they expect to win on Saturday.
South Africa is likely pissed off and will want to show that their loss at Lansdowne Road on Saturday was a fluke. Two evenly matched teams will take it to the wire with the edge to France at home. France keep their streak alive and beat the Spring Boks by four.
Scotland v New Zealand
Rafters Prediction – This game will be similar to New Zealand’s match in Cardiff last week. Scotland keeps it close until the break at Murray field on Sunday, but the All Blacks run away with it in the second half. All Blacks over Scotland by twenty.
World Cup Pool C Qualifier
On the far side of the world, four teams are vying for the final slot in Pool C of the World Cup. With Wales, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia making up the balance of Pool C, Rafters joked last week that the final qualifier then will travel to France only to leave the tournament with a record of zero for four in pool play.
In the end, Rafters predicts the Eagles will qualify for France, score a couple of tries against Georgia on September 23, 2023, and travel home with hopes for the “next, next time.”
Cynical? Yep.
Rafters has heard for more than two decades how the world should watch out for an ascending USA Eagles team, a team with infinite potential, but never rising.
The USA’s win over Scotland was four years and one pandemic ago, and that win appears to have been the apex of Eagles Rugby. Rafters saw first hand how Chile dominated the Eagles in last July’s qualifier at Infinity Park.
United States v Hong Kong
Rafters Prediction – The Eagles take Hong Kong with a bonus point.
Portugal v Kenya
Rafters Prediction – Portugal over Kenya
The Gallagher Premiership
For a few weeks each fall and winter Premiership teams suffer the loss of players to International competition, surely the height of rugby competition. The intentional matches draw crowds in excess of seventy thousand cheering fans, but also test the depth of the Premiership team, giving the bottom of the table a shot at knocking off the top.
At a minimum, the outcomes of matches played in round eight through round eleven along with rounds seventeen through twenty three will be influenced by the draw of star players to the big stage.
No one could of course could have predicted that the top two teams on the table would meet during internationals this fall, and will meet for the second time during the six nations tournament.
Saracens and Sale met the first time this season in many of its players players training for internationals, and when this scenario repeats in round twenty, fans will have to wait until a semifinal or the final to see how these sides really match up.
Rafters believes that these possibilities should be factored in to the Premiership schedule, so that no two teams meet twice during in a season during International competitions.
Gallagher Premiership Rugby Round ten Quick picks
Bath Rugby (8) v Leicester Tigers (7)
Rafters Prediction – Bath will face a formidable challenge when they host an either a well rested or rusty Tigers side on Friday night. Thanks to the relegation of wasps and the warriors along with a scheduled bye, the Tigers last took the pitch in a Premiership match on October 16, defeating the Harlequins at the Stoop.
Since then bath has won two straight and moved up the table to the eighth spot just one place beneath the Tigers. Rafters expects a close game, but believes that Bath will continue their winning ways in a nail-biter at home. Bath over the Tigers.
Gloucester Rugby (5) v Newcastle Falcons (11)
Rafters Prediction – The Newcastle Falcons are coming off one of the most boring matches of the Premiership season last week at home.
Gloucester is smarting after being defeated by the Sale Sharks, by far the better team, should walk away with this one. Gloucester over the Falcons by at least ten.
Exeter Chiefs (6) v London Irish (8)
Rafters Prediction – This one is a tough one. Irish’s freewheeling style of play has kept them in matches all season, but something invariably goes wrong in the final ten minutes.
Equally as inconsistent, the Chiefs played Saracens tough, but floundered last weekend against the Saints. Sorry Exiles, advantage to the home side in a close one. The Chiefs over London Irish.
Saracens (1) v Northampton Saints (4)
Rafters Prediction – With several players from each side called up for duty in the Autumn Nations, the advantage goes to Saracens at home. Their depth in the bench is the deepest in the league, so Saracens win it by thirteen.
Rafters will be at Stone-X on Sunday for the early kick off - 1215.
Bristol Bears - Scheduled Bye.
Sale Sharks (2) v Worcester Warriors Cancelled.
Harlequins (3) v Wasps Cancelled.One fan’s view of Rugby from Beyond the Rafters.
One fan’s view of Rugby from Beyond the Rafters.
Afters
If you are interested in watching Premiership Rugby in the United States (live or replays), you can stream all the matches on Peacock. Xfinity includes Peacock with some cable subscriptions. Flo Rugby offers replays of the Autumn Internationals, USA Rugby, the Rugby Championships, and Super Rugby. The Rugby Network
https://www.therugbynetwork.com
broadcasts the MLR and the Pool C Tournament for no charge,
Fine Print
Other than a customer, Rafters is not affiliated with any league, team, or streaming/cable service.