The 2019 IRB Under 20 Championship will come to a close on Saturday the 22nd of June. Darry Worthington previews the final set of fixtures below.
The 2019 IRB Under 20 Championship will come to a close this Saturday and there’s a lot on the line with relegation, seeding positions and the tournament’s victors all set to be decided.
England v Wales
Racecourse Stadium
15:30
To Win (80 Mins)
England 1/4
Draw 22/1
Wales 26/10
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
England (-9.5) 17/20
Wales (+9.5) 17/20
*Forecast Odds
We kick proceedings off with the fifth/sixth place play-off final between Six Nations rivals England and Wales
The English have started to hit their straps in the previous two rounds and head into this one off of solid victories over finalists Australia (56-33) and a strong Irish side (23-30).
Wales have also produced some solid results in the past two game days closing their pool phase with a 44-28 victory over Fiji before beating New Zealand 7-8 in the first set of play-off fixtures.
Verdict: England (-9.5) 17/20 *Forecast Handicap
They really have started to produce some good rugby and I can see them making it for wins on the trot here.
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Scotland v Fiji
Old Resian
15:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Scotland 8/13
Draw 20/1
Fiji 11/8
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
Scotland (-2.5) 17/20
Fiji (+2.5) 17/20
*Forecast Handicap
Next up we have the battle to avoid relegation which pits Scotland against Fiji. Both teams are yet to secure a victory at the tournament and head into this one off of disappointing play-off defeats with Scotland going down 19-26 to Italy and Fiji going down 12-8 to Georgia.
Verdict: Scotland 8/13 *Forecast Odds
I’m going to take the conservative route here and back the ‘Scots to win it on the straight.
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Argentina v South Africa
Racecourse Stadium
18:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Argentina 15/8
Draw 22/1
South Africa 5/10
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
Argentina (+6.5) 17/20
South Africa (-6.5) 17/20
*Forecast Handicap
South Africa and hosts Argentina are next up with the Southern Hemisphere rivals squaring off in the third/fourth place play-off.
*Click here for our full preview
Both teams endued disappointing semi-finals with the Argentines going down 13-34 to Australia despite being a man up for the majority of the clash, while South Africa lost 7-20 to reigning champions France.
Verdict: South Africa (-6.5) 17/20 *Forecast Handicap
If the rain stays away this Saturday we could be in for a high-scoring thriller with both teams possessing some magnificent counter-attacking players. My money is on the South Africans winning this one by more than six points, and the total scoreline going past the 62 point mark.
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Italy v GeorgiaOld Resian
18:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Italy 4/9
Draw 20/1
Georgia 15/8
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
Italy (-5.5) 17/20
Georgia (+5.5) 17/20
*Forecast Handicap
It’s the clash of the European minnows next up with Italy taking on Georgia in the ninth/tenth place play-off. Both teams have enjoyed solid campaigns and will be happy with having avoided the relegation play-off game.
Italy were by far the more impressive side in the first set of play-off fixtures as they put in a masterclass in how to play rugby in wet conditions when the beat Scotland 19-26. Georgia, on the other hand, struggled to a 12-8 victory over Fiji.
Verdict: Georgia (+5.5) 17/20 *Forecast Handicap
I reckon this will be a tight run thing. As such, I’m on the Georgian plus.
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Australia v France
Racecourse Stadium
20:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Australia 8/13
Draw 25/1
France 11/8
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
Australia (-2.5) 17/20
France (+2.5) 17/20
*Forecast Handicap
Austalia and France will go head-to-head at the Racecourse Stadium in the tournament’s final. Both teams head into this one having only tasted one defeat as Australia went down to England and France went down to Argentina in the final set of pool phase fixture.
*Click here for our full preview
The two sides bounced back brilliantly from those defeats with France beating South Africa by 13 points and Australia beating Argentina by 21 points in the semi-finals.
Verdict: France (+2.5) *Forecast Handicap
This should be an extremely tight final with both teams possessing solid defences. I can see France staying within the handicap.
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New Zealand v Ireland
Old Resian
20:30
To Win (80 Mins)
New Zealand 1/3
Draw 22/1
Ireland 12/5
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
New Zealand (-8.5) 17/20
Ireland (+8.5) 17/20
*Forecast Handicap
We close out the round with the seventh/eighth place play-off fixture between New Zealand and Ireland. The Junior All Blacks have endured a horrid tournament missing out on the semi-finals and then going down by one-point to Wales in the first set of play-off fixtures.
Ireland, who got their tournament off to a magnificent start by beating England in the pool phase, have gone off the boil since that victory and ended up losing their play-off fixture against pool opponents England by seven points.
Verdict: Ireland (+8.5) 17/20 *Forecast Handicap
Both teams are likely to give the ball a lot of air here as they don’t have much to play for. I can see the Irish staying within a rather large handicap in what should be a high-scoring game.
Written by Darry Worthington
