New Zealand before France?

Who will succeed South Africa? Twenty teams are on the starting line for the tenth World Cup. They don’t have all the qualities needed to get ahead, but some of them may surprise you. A quick overview, with Benjamin Kaiser, a quarter-finalist in 2015 and TF1 advisor, of the favorites, outsiders and potential surprises in this World Cup.

Favorite teams: France, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand

It’s a quartet that appears to be competing for the world title. France and Ireland have been favorites for several months because the two selections are performing admirably and when they meet the matches are always hotly contested and amazing. Having struggled in recent months, New Zealand and South Africa are in good form at the best of times. Even if the world champions have an aging squad and some physically challenged executives like their captain Siya Kolisi, they are always dangerous in a World Cup, this competition is beyond them.

Read also: World Cup guide

Benjamin Kaiser’s opinion: “The New Zealanders should never be looked down upon. They are always on top when competition comes along. They have put together a very experienced squad, who have become more efficient over the weeks as if by chance.

Ireland is quite simply the best country in the world. It’s a team that knows each other inside out. It’s a complete team, and for me it’s the most effective team. South Africa is the most physical, and going to the end is a physical necessity. South Africa is always fully prepared and physically active during matches. They are artistic, in control, have a great belief in their strengths, and are great competitors. »

The underdogs

Scotland is the biggest, most dangerous and also the most prepared intruder. Playing in Argentina is always very complicated, the French know something about that, and three-quarters of the Tolosan Mallia and Chocobaris showed that they were in good form at the end of the season.

They will be the leaders of the attack and Argentina always relies on a strong group. Wales, Australia and England can never be ignored despite their struggles not only in results but also in play. They have too many good players who cannot be overlooked. They are not among the favorites this year, but they can give it their all on D-Day even if they have a lot of deficiencies in their game.

Benjamin Kaiser’s opinion: “The English will be serious outsiders. They have players with experience and talent even if their game is struggling to establish itself. Scotland could pose problems for all teams with an established game and a strong and certain team.

Argentina are always one of the outside teams, they always emerge as top fighters, and they will want to emulate their football counterparts who have been world champions. They performed well against the blacks and the Australians, and we have to be wary of them. The Australians and Wales face a tough field, and will have to put in more play than in recent weeks. »

Surprises

In every contest there are surprises. If there is any team this year, it must come from Fiji or Georgia who are in groups where the favorites (Wales, Australia) are disappointing. The two teams have opposing characteristics, Fiji will put in a bid again and Georgia will rely on their solidity, selection has been on the rise for a few years, closing in on Italy.

The latter also has a good dynamic, and this may be surprising, but it will not have the means to secure one of the first two places in its group against France and New Zealand, unlike Fiji and Georgia. Samoa and Tonga could also pull off an upset, but Tonga has a complex group that includes South Africa, Ireland and Scotland. Along with England, Japan, Argentina and Chile, Samoa has a less expensive programme.

Benjamin Kaiser’s opinion: He added: “Fiji and Georgia can beat a lot of teams and they can create uncertainty in their group. Italy is back to good form. They played a sad match, they are not the same team at all today, they are sending the match with Capuzzo, the Canone brothers or Michele Lamaro.” Uruguay’s maneuver, Argentina’s distant cousin, was not easy at all.

“We Latinos are the same, they are fighters, aggressive in the good sense of the word, hardworking, I like their joints. Samoa has a strong group of Australians and blacks who will bring their experience. This small island in the Pacific should provide us with a wonderful sight. Tonga is the biggest beneficiary of the base that allows By selecting players from other countries in the Pacific region, they played good matches.”

small thumb

Portugal and Chile (becoming the third South American team to qualify for the World Cup) qualified for the second and first World Cups. Both countries will take advantage of this event to get in touch with the best countries in the world, and a few players may reveal themselves.

Namibia will also go to France with the aim of progressing, but in a group that includes France, New Zealand, Italy and even Uruguay, its presence will be complicated. Japan is no longer the team they were in 2019 on home soil. They beat Scotland in the group, winning all their matches and were only eliminated by South Africa in the quarter-finals.

The team lost in quality and intensity, its heroism tempted some stars, but it did not progress as much as one thought. The Japanese suffered from the departure of Eddie Jones and will find it difficult to leave the chicken. .

Benjamin Kaiser’s opinion: “Namibia is even lower than Uruguay in the French group. It has limited personnel. Romanian rugby is also going through a complex phase. Few players stand out or participate in major tournaments. Romania is at the bottom. For Portugal, it is a pleasure to be in the Cup The world. There are some great fighters out there, I played with one of them, Julian Pardee, and they won’t let things go like Chile who also have a great team. There are a lot of university and school students playing there, it’s a growing sport with between 15 and 17,000 members. And finally »