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Rugby World Cup 2023 Match Preview: Scotland v Tonga

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  RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 / world rugby Everything you need to know about Scotland v Tonga at Stade de Nice, on Sunday, 24 September. A fortnight after they were outmuscled and outpaced by defending champions South Africa in Marseille, Scotland will want to kickstart their Rugby World Cup challenge against Tonga, in Nice – a couple of hours further east along France’s Mediterranean coastline. Head coach Gregor Townsend has made four changes to his starting side. Prop Rory Sutherland – on his Rugby World Cup debut at the age of 31 – and second-row Scott Cummings come into the pack for Pierre Schoeman and Grant Gilchrist respectively, while centre Chris Harris and wing Kyle Steyn, like Sutherland making his first tournament appearance, start in the backline, with Huw Jones and Darcy Graham dropping to the bench. Ewan Ashman, Sam Skinner and George Horne also come into the match-day 23. They’ll want a big win over a Tonga side that lost 59-16 against a rampant Ireland in Nantes nearly a week
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Rugby World Cup 2023 Match Preview: Wales v Australia

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  RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 / WORLD RUGBY Everything you need to know about Wales v Australia at OL Stadium, Lyon, on Sunday, 24 September. label.share.via_facebook label.share.via_twitter label.share.via_copy URL Copie We’ve had France v New Zealand. We’ve had South Africa v Ireland. Test matches don’t come much bigger than either of those two. But Rugby World Cup games also don’t come with much more at stake than this one, between Wales and Australia in Lyon. Australia’s 22-15 loss to Fiji last weekend threw Pool C wide open. Defeat here could all-but end their hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase. That would be unwelcome news, after Rugby Australia’s CEO Phil Waugh said reaching the semi-finals would be ‘a pass.' Ben Donaldson switches from full-back to fly-half for the Wallabies, with Carter Gordon dropping to the bench and Andrew Kellaway starting at 15. Other changes see Tate McDermott return at scrum-half while Robert Leota starts at blindside flanker, with Tom Hooper switc
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RSA 8-13 IRE: Ireland beat South Africa in bruising encounter

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  REPORT / REACTION / WORLD RUGBY SAINT-DENIS - World number one Ireland edge out reigning world champions South Africa 13-8 in a tense Pool B match at Stade de France on Saturday, 23 September. Ireland cemented their status as the number one-ranked side in world rugby as they edged an enthralling tussle with defending champions South Africa at the Stade de France. Manie Libbok’s early penalty put South Africa ahead as Ireland’s lineout malfunctioned, losing four of their own throws, but Bundee Aki’s sensational break sparked them into life. After camping in the Springboks’ 22, the pressure told as James Lowe released Mack Hansen to dive over, Johnny Sexton’s conversion giving the Irish a 7-3 interval lead. South Africa hit back on the resumption when Libbok’s long pass put Cheslin Kolbe over for a try, only for Sexton’s penalty to edge Ireland back in front. Libbok and Faf de Klerk both missed further shots at goal before Jack Crowley’s late penalty sealed a momentous victory. Masterc
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Rugby World Cup 2023 Match Preview: Georgia v Portugal

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  RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 Everything you need to know about Georgia v Portugal at Stadium de Toulouse, on Saturday, 23 September “We have a lot of things to analyse,” Georgia coach Levan Maisashvili said after their 35-15 defeat to Australia on the first weekend of Rugby World Cup 2023. He wasn’t wrong. Georgia played noticeably better than the scoreline suggests, but wasted a number of chances at Stade de France two weeks ago.  Maisashvili has made four changes in the pack, with Mikheil Nariashvili and Beka Gigashvili coming into the front-row, Vladimer Chachanidze into the second-row, and Beka Saginadze into the back-row. Giorgi Kveseladze will earn his 50th cap, as will Nodar Cheishvili, if used off the bench. Saturday’s opponents Portugal made Wales work for their bonus-point win in Nice at the weekend. While they have every reason to be proud of their efforts then, they’ll want to build on that with an even stronger performance here.  Diogo Hasse Ferreira replaces Anthony Alves in th
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Rugby World Cup 2023 Match Preview: England v Chile

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  RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 Everything you need to know about England v Chile at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille, on Saturday, 23 September. England and Chile arrive in Lille with very different aims for the rest of Rugby World Cup 2023.  Steve Borthwick’s side are looking to take a decisive third step in their aim to reach the knockout phase of the tournament. Chile’s overall ambitions may be more modest on their Rugby World Cup debut, but they’re no less important. They want to show they can compete with the very best in the world. The big news among the 12 changes to England’s starting line-up in Lille is the return of captain Owen Farrell, after suspension, at 10. George Ford, scorer of 67 percent of England’s points so far, is on the bench, while Marcus Smith starts at 15, and Jack Willis gets his first start of the tournament. A shock is unlikely, admittedly. But Chile made both Japan and Samoa work harder than they expected for their wins. They will be looking to cause England more than a
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Rugby World Cup 2023 Match Preview: South Africa v Ireland

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  RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 Everything you need to know about South Africa v Ireland at Stade de France, on Saturday, 23 September Rugby World Cup 2023 kicked off on 8 September with a fixture that could easily have made a final. Three Saturdays later, the sporting festival continues with a match that could easily be the final, as the defending champions and second-ranked team in the world meet the one side above them in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings powered by Capgemini. And we’re still in the pool stage. Eleven players who started Ireland’s 19-16 win over South Africa last time out in Dublin in November 2022 start at Stade de France, including Peter O’Mahony, who will bring up a century of test caps following his 98 caps for Ireland and one for the British and Irish Lions, and Bundee Aki, who will win his 50th cap. Meanwhile, Springboks’ head coach Jacques Nienaber has made 13 changes of personnel and one positional switch from the team that beat Romania 76-0 on Sunday. Hooker Mbongeni M
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HIGHLIGHTS | Argentina v Samoa

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  Link to Highlights
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