The Rugby World Cup action continues this coming week with four games being played between the 24th and 26th of September.
This week’s Rugby World Cup mid-week games will see a number of ‘David versus Goliath’ clashes including a fixture between colonial cousins England and the United States.
Photo Copyright Steve Haag Sports – Hollywoodbets
Russia v Samoa
Tuesday 24 September
Kumagaya Rugby Ground
12:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Russia 9/1
Draw 30/1
Samoa 1/33
Handicap
Russia (+30.5) 9/10
Samoa (-30.5) 9/10
Samoa will get their World Cup campaign underway against a plucky Russian outfit on Tuesday the 24th of September.
The Russians were highly impressive in their opening fixture as they managed to lose by only 20 points to a much-fancied Japanese side. Considering the handicap was in the mid-40s, this was a very unexpected result.
Their opponents are yet to fire a shot in anger and the global showpiece but have played a considerable amount of rugby this year. They were extremely hit-and-miss in the Pacific Nations Cup losing to both Fiji and the United States with their only victory coming against Tonga.
Verdict: Russia (+30.5) 9/10
The Russians showed a lot of fight last week and if they can put in the same sort of effort here then they should well stay within a big handicap.
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Fiji v Uruguay
Wednesday 25 September
Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium
07:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Fiji 1/50
Draw 30/1
Uruguay 10/1
Handicap
Fiji (-33.5) 9/10
Uruguay (+33.5) 9/10
Fiji will be looking to bounce back from their spirited defeat to the Wallabies when they lock horns with South American minnows Uruguay on Wednesday the 25th of September.
The Fijians gave a great account of themselves against the Wallabies and were up 21-12 just after half-time. However, a poor rolling maul defence would see them concede two soft tries and allow the Australians to gain the ascendency with Michael Cheika’s men eventually running out 39-21 victors.
Fiji will be without Pecili Yato who sustained a head injury during the aforementioned encounter. The big man will be a massive loss as he is a huge threat with ball-in-hand.
Verdict: Fiji (-33.5) 9/10
While the large handicaps have been many a punter’s downfall thus far, I can see the Fijians clearing this one.
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Italy v Canada
Thursday 26 September
Level-5 Stadium
09:45
To Win (80 Mins)
Italy 1/20
Draw 30/1
Canada 15/2
Handicap
Italy (-19.5) 9/10
Canada (+19.5) 9/10
Italy will be looking to secure back to back bonus point draws and in the process wrap up third place in their pool when they take on North American minnows Canada.
The Italians enjoyed a decent start to their World Cup campaign registering a 47-22 victory over African minnows Namibia. The scoreline was somewhat flattering on the Italians who made a number of handling errors during the first half of their clash.
Canada has endured a poor year headed into the World Cup losing all three of their Pacific Nations Cup games with their closest losing margin being a ten-point defeat to Tonga. They did give a good account of themselves against a weakened United States outfit in their final warm-up game, however.
Verdict: Italy (-19.5) 9/10
I reckon the Italians may just surprise everyone and put a near full-strength side onto the field this Thursday as they know they have no chance against South Africa or New Zealand.
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England v United States
Thursday 26 September
Kobe Misake Stadium
12:45
To Win (80 Mins)
England 1/100
Draw 35/1
United States 14/1
Handicap
England (-36.5) 9/10
United States (+36.5) 9/10
England will be looking for a far improved performance when they take on the United States this Thursday.
Eddie Jones’ men failed to impress in their opener as they could only muster up a 35-3 win over a Tongan side that was defeated by more than eighty points by New Zealand a few weeks ago. The English struggled with ball-in-hand spurning a number of five-point chances by knocking the ball on at crucial moments.
The United States will open their account against this English side and they may wish the fixture came a week earlier as the English are likely to be rather keen to put in a more polished performance.
The States could provide stiff opposition, however, as they have enjoyed a solid year racking up two wins over Canada and a surprise victory over Samoa prior to the World Cup kicking off.
Verdict: United States (+36.5) 9/10
I fancy the Americans to stay within the ‘cap. The English will rest a number of big numbers stars knowing that there are bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
