Rugby World Cup: The group games you simply can’t miss

The Rugby World Cup is just around the corner.

We’ve our Ireland jersey at the ready and we’re counting down the minutes until the first game kicks off.

In case you’re not quite up to speed, here’s the low-down of the groups and the games which are simply unmissable.

POOL A

England start the tournament in Twickenham against Fiji on Friday, September 18.

However, the Twickenham game which will garner the most attention is England v Wales on Saturday, September 26.

These two sides are very evenly-matched, as was demonstrated when the English scraped a 5-point win in this year’s Six Nations.

Clip via RBS 6 Nations

The next titanic battle comes when England welcome Australia to Twickenham on Saturday, October 3. The Aussies then play Wales in the same venue on October 10.

JOE’s prediction: We fancy Australia to come out on top in this group. The Wallabies have been excellent in the Rugby Championship and should be closer to their peak entering the tournament.

We’re backing the Welsh to come second. We think they’re superior to England and they were caught cold when the sides played during the Six Nations.

POOL B

South Africa should come out on top in Pool B and we’d expect the big battle to be between Samoa and Scotland for second.

These two sides clash on October 10 in St James’ Park, Newcastle.

Although Samoa played some enthralling rugby in this year’s Pacific Nations Cup, we still expect Scotland to go through.

Clip via USA Rugby

JOE’s prediction: This should be straightforward enough, with South Africa claiming top spot and Scotland coming second.

POOL C

New Zealand ran out 39-18 winners against Argentina in this year’s Rugby Championship.

The rematch is on September 20 in Wembley and we expect a similar result.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfaEJI9kxog

Clip via Jazech Fugby

JOE’s prediction: The All-Blacks and Argentina to go through without too much bother.

POOL D

This group should be a shoot-out between France and ourselves for top spot. The two sides face each other on October 11 in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf3HExgB68U

Clip via ArsenaL FanS

JOE’s prediction: Ireland to top the group with ease and France to saunter through in second place.

If you’re planning on going to any of these games, you should consider flying from Ireland West Airport Knock. The airport is served by three of Europe’s biggest carriers in Aer Lingus, Flybe and Ryanair.

It has the biggest selection of UK destinations outside of Dublin and Cork. Their routes include London-based airports Gatwick, Luton and Stansted and they also fly to Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and the East Midlands.