The first round of matches for each group are finally complete, but now the real competition gets started as the team’s look for vital points to put them in pole positions for qualification. Thursday’s action is headlined by England against the USA, while Canada also takes on Italy in what is sure to be a thrilling matchup.
England vs USA Preview
We haven’t seen the USA yet at this competition, and they will make their bow against England. The second-favourites with BetXChange at 4.50 started the competition sluggishly on Sunday. They were made to work extremely hard to claim the 35-3 win. However, many of the England troubles came from their own doing. They dropped the ball throughout the game, and against better sides, they will be punished. The argument for England is that they play better against the most established sides, but they will need to raise their performance levels massively before they can even think of that occasion. Manu Tuilagi was the pick of the bunch for England as he scored two tries, while there were also Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George. The USA will hope that they will have a glimmer of a chance based on England’s first showing, but it would be hard to believe that Eddie Jones side can play that badly again.
England are undoubtedly the better side of the two, but the mistakes that they were making cant be made again. Jones’ side should win this game comfortably, but fans will be hoping for a better performance so they can get excited about England’s prospects.
Tip: England to win (-27.5) at 0.50 with BetXChange.
Italy vs Canada
Canada will have the perfect opportunity to avenge their heartbreaking defeat against the Italians when they make their bow in the competition on Thursday. The third spot in this group is very much up for grabs, with the top two likely to be New Zealand and South Africa. Italy’s win over Namibia on Sunday was an emphatic one, but it effectively means that the Canadians can’t afford a defeat. A win for Italy would mean that they would have one foot in the next round, and but for a monumental shock somewhere along the line, it would be a return flight home for Canada.
Canada’s players have been waiting six days to make their bow in the competition, but they haven’t been resting and chilling around the hotel. They have been hard at work on the training pitch to make sure that they seize this opportunity against a very beatable Italian side. A win for Canada would still be considered a shock by many, but this competition has already thrown up some surprise performances and results. The Canadians can just take incentives from the result that Uruguay were able to achieve against Fiji. It will be fascinating to see how both sides approach this, but the preference is for the European side, who should shade it despite not playing with the quality you would expect at the World Cup.
Tip: Italy to win at 0.06 with BetXChange.
