I’m really looking forward to this clash between Argentina and Samoa in Saint-Etienne.
Argentina returned a competitive effort, at least for part of their match with England first-up, and they’ll be eager to mend their negative 17 points differential, in what is probably the most open Pool.
Samoa meanwhile are one from one after comfortably accounting for Pool D minnows Chile, and I have little doubt that they will improve for that hit-out. They’ll have to, to overcome a nation as good as Argentina, and that is echoed in these match betting prices.
I think that Argentina will win this match, but Samoa are by no means an easy beat, and I don’t have nearly as much between them as the bookies seem to.
Georgia have been a Rugby World Cup mainstay for several cycles now, and they live for matches like this one with Portugal.
Perhaps not quite as quickly as a Japan has, but there’s no doubt that Georgia have slowly been on the improve for the last decade or so, and they were tough, and full of spirit, in their World Cup opener against the Wallabies.
That was their only match so far, so I think that the improvement, and the confidence that they will enjoy from that performance, will be quite obviously this week.
Portugal are well and truly one of the smallest Rugby nations in France and I can’t see them winning a game.