Darry Worthington takes a look at the three headline series taking place this July as Wales visit South Africa, New Zealand host Ireland and England make the trip to Australia.
Rugby fans are in for a treat this July with some big Test series on the horizon. With it being a year and a bit out from the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a lot of onus will be put on these series with coaches looking to test new combinations and see which stand out club and franchise players are able to cut the mustard on the international stage.
Darry Worthington takes a look at the three headline July series and a glimpse at some of the other July fixtures below.
New Zealand v Ireland
2022 home Tests locked in 🔒#IrishRugby #AllBlacks #Ireland #NewZealand pic.twitter.com/9A2T6xnvm8
— Ireland vs All Blacks (@IrelandBlacks) June 18, 2022
This series will be fascinating. All Black head coach Ian Foster still has a number of selection headaches to contend with. Questions such as can Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga play in the same run of 15 and what to do with the All Black midfield will be giving the man at the helm of New Zealand’s national side sleepless nights.
Added to this that the New Zealand media and public will get the pitchforks and torches out should the All Blacks not whitewash this Irish side, and you can see why Foster may be a rather stressed man at the minute. They’re also in the midst of a Covid panic with Foster one of those forced to isolate at home.
Things are a lot more placid for Andy Farell and this Irish outfit. They beat New Zealand in Ireland last year which has given Farell some leeway when it comes to questions on his position as Irish head coach. Ireland also had a decent enough 2022 Six Nations as they finished the tournament as runners-up, which has resulted in Farrell buying himself more goodwill.
Both teams will be looking to try out new players and test combinations. The All Blacks have drafted in Prop Aidan Ross, back-rower Pita Gus Sowakula, scrum-half Folau Fakatava, fly-half Stephen Perofeta, centre Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and wing Leicester Fainga’anuku. All six of these men should get a Test match outing.
Like his counterpart, Farrell has also opted to bring in a handful of uncapped players with Leinster trio of Ciaran Frawley, Joe McCarthy and Jimmy O’Brien, Munster prop Jeremy Loughman and Connacht flanker Cian Prendergast all in line for games against the All Blacks or the Maori All Blacks.
Fixtures
Maori Series
New Zealand Maori v Ireland A, Wednesday 29 June, FMG Stadium
New Zealand Maori v Ireland A, Tuesday 12 July, Sky Stadium
First Test
New Zealand v Ireland, Saturday 2 July, Eden Park, 09:05
Second Test
New Zealand v Ireland, Saturday 9 July, Forsyth Barr, 09:05
Third Test
New Zealand v Ireland, Saturday 16 July, Sky Stadium, 09:05
Players to Watch
On the Kiwi side of things, Roger Tuivasa-Scheck has to be the one to keep an eye on. The Rugby League convert had a solid Super Rugby campaign and was an absolute beast at inside centre during the Blues’ run to the final. While he did struggle against the Crusaders in that final, he still is a very hot prospect. With the All Blacks midfield far from set in stone, a solid series against the Irish could well give the Blues ace the inside track to a starting berth come France 2023.
Mack Hasen is my one to watch for the Irish. The Connacht wing/fullback returns to Tasmania having been born in Canberra. He will actually be familiar with a number of his opponents having played Super Rugby with the Brumbies between 2018 and 2021. He looked good during this year’s Six Nations earning the man of the match accolade on his debut against Wales. Keep in mind that he’s currently got Covid so we’ll have to wait and see if he takes part in this series.
Australia v England
Eddie Jones will return home beneath a mountain of pressure. The former Wallaby mentor has seen his once powerful and feared English juggernaut stagnate over the past three years with this being encapsulated perfectly by an admittedly weakened English side being torn to pieces by the Barbarians last weekend.
While his counterpart is under immense pressure, Australian head coach Dave Rennie won’t really be feeling the heat. The Wallaby mentor has seen his side make some solid progress since he took over the coaching reins. For Rennie, this series will be about finding his best combinations and starting to pencil in a starting XV for next year’s World Cup. He’s actually lucked out in this regard with a number of players putting their hands up during Super Rugby Pacific.
For England, this series is more of a pressure cooker. They struggled in the Six Nations and Jones’ team selection has been called into question. He’s got to try and get the balance right, particularly in the English backline, while still bagging a series win Down Under.
Should he fail to achieve these objectives then the English rugby press’ pens will once again turn to daggers and the former darling of the English rugby revolution may well find himself out the door.
Fixtures
First Test
Australia v England, Saturday 2 July, Optus Stadium, 11:55
Second Test
Australia v England, Saturday 9 July, Suncorp Stadium, 11:55
Third Test
Australia v England, Saturday 16 July, SCG, 11:55
Players to Watch
On the Wallabies’ side of players to watch one simply cannot look past Izaia Perese. The Waratahs man was in scintillating touch during Super Rugby Pacific and caused all sorts of problems for the New Zealand sides in particular. His powerhouse running is sure to cause the English backs tons of issues.
For the English, Marcus Smith is the man to keep an eye on. He’s matured as a player and has a solid amount of international games under his belt now. The mercurial pivot is capable of turning a game on its head with his attacking prowess.
Izaia Perese's 2022 form has got us stoked for his re-signing until the end of 2024 🔒#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/5QV2yQtxub
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) March 8, 2022
South Africa v Wales
The reigning World Champions will be looking to bolster their stocks when they take on the Welsh on home soil. The ‘Boks will be without a couple of their big guns with Duane Vermeulen and Frans Steyn both ruled out through recent injuries.
With Vermeulen gone the likes of Evan Roos and Eligh Louw will be looking to put their hands up for the number eight position. Both had fantastic URC campaigns but will need to usurp Vermeulen’s current understudy, Jasper Wiese, who was in dominant form during Leicester’s Gallagher Premiership winning run in which he picked up the man of the match award in the final against Saracens with a typically bruising performance.
There are other positions up for grabs as well with Salmaan Moerat set to be given an opportunity to stake his claim for one of the squad lock roles for next year’s World Cup, while Andre Esterhuizen will be looking to show the selectors what they have been missing out on as he has been recalled after three solid year’s in England.
The Springboks have been given a gift in terms of their opponents for July as Wales have been struggling for form over the past 14 or so months. They have a number of veterans who are struggling to cheat time with Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar picking up a number of injuries over the past 12-18 months.
While most sides are using the July series to hand out debuts and chuck youngsters in the deep end, the Welsh have bucked this trend with flankers James Ratti and Tommy Reffell the only two uncapped players in the squad.
One week to go until the Springboks get their 2022 season underway against Wales!
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 24, 2022
If this doesn't get you hyped, nothing will 😆 pic.twitter.com/YjEXTzzmb4
Fixtures
First Test
South Africa v Wales, Saturday 2 July, Loftus, 17:05
Second Test
South Africa v Wales, Saturday 9 July, Toyota Stadium, 17:05
Third Test
South Africa v Wales, Saturday 16 July, DHL Stadium, 17:05
Players to Watch
You could single out at least nine players to watch for a multitude of reasons but Evan Roos is the standout for me. He has been brilliant for the Stormers over the past two years and his ability to get over the gainline as well as his athleticism should give the ‘Boks an extra spark.
On the Welsh side of things, Taine Basham is the one to keep an eye on. The son of former All Black The young backrower has impressed for the Dragons on his ten outings but this will be a real acid test for the 22-year-old who will come up against a number of South African loose forwards who are looking to make a point.
NEW VIDEO: Stormers number eight Evan Roos has been on fire this season. I've clipped up some his best bits to date - will we see him wear the Springbok jersey this summer?
— Andrew Forde (@andrewfrugby) June 23, 2022
Full Video: https://t.co/P0qlsU3axh pic.twitter.com/pNT50XXYmh
Other Series
Argentina v Scotland
I’m not going to go as in-depth with the other two series. Argentina versus Scotland should be a decent enough double-header, however, with both sides playing attacking brands of rugby.
The Argentines have struggled for results in recent times and have fallen off a lot since beating the All Blacks in New Zealand back in 2020. They’ll be looking to breathe some life back into their game.
The Scots will be looking for a bit of consistency as they have registered some fine results since the last Rugby World Cup but also lost a number of games. They seem pretty settled during the Six Nations and while they may chuck a couple of fringe players into the mix in South America, we’re likely to see a tried and tested side turn out in at least one of the fixtures.
Fixtures
First Test
Argentina v Scotland, Estadio 23 de Agosto, Saturday 2 July
Second Test
Argentina v Scotland, Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Saturday 9 July,
Japan v France
This is going to be rather intriguing with the Six Nations Champions taking on a well-drilled and very settled Japanese outfit. The French have opted to leave a number of their heavy-hitters at home with Toulouse duo Antoine Dupont and Romaine Ntamack being rested along with players who participated in the Top 14 final between Castres and Montpellier.
The Japanese, who will have already played Uruguay twice by the time the French touch down will surely give their European counterparts a solid test.
Fixtures
First Test
Japan v France, Saturday 2 July, TBA
Second Test
Japan v France, Saturday 9 July, Tokyo Stadium
