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Rare matchups and famous rivalries: August's full slate of World Cup warm up games
By Ned Lester
On Friday the eighth of September, France host the All Blacks at Stade de France to kick off the 2023 Rugby World Cup. With the rugby world in a raw state of unpredictability, the race is on for all nations to tighten any loose screws before the knock-out matches come rolling in on the biggest stage that rugby has on offer.
Therefore, the August schedule has evolved to offer a mouth-watering slate of warm-up matches to complement what will be a hotly-contested men's World Cup tournament.
While the Tests may be utilised by some teams as an opportunity for final experimentations, whether it be with personnel or strategies, the anticipation and excitement is sure to be immense and the chance to carry winning momentum into the World Cup will ensure the contests are hard-fought.
As can be expected, the August slate does not feature any matchups that will be seen in the pool stages of the World Cup.
July 29:
- Scotland v Italy, Murrayfield
August 5:
- Wales v England, Principality Stadium
- Scotland v France, BT Murrayfield
- Ireland v Italy, Aviva Stadium
- Argentina v South Africa, Velez Sarsfield
- New Zealand v Australia, Forsyth Barr
August 12:
- England v Wales, Twickenham
- Scotland v France, TBC
- Italy v Japan, Treviso
August 19:
- Ireland v England, Aviva Stadium
- France v Fiji, Nantes
- Wales v South Africa, Principality Stadium
August 25:
- South Africa v New Zealand, Twickenham
August 26:
- England v Fiji, Twickenham
- France v Australia, TBC
- Scotland v Georgia, BT Murrayfield
- Spain v Argentina, Madrid
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Latest Comments
There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.
Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.
Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.
They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.
Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.
Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen
Go to commentsWas it? I just brought it up in some of my posts to rub it in that the AB last year nearly put 100 on a top 6N side lol
I agree to be honest. The biggest key to me that they might be jadded was none of them had mom performances, or even as good as their last three games.
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