Revised Prediction

So my picks for the RWC2011 quarter finalists was right on the money. The only hiccup was that the trusty Wallabies lost to the Irish. So my previous predictions for the knockout stage of the tourney are all messed up.

I’m trying to save face and come up with some new winners. I’m gonna go for Ireland and France for the matches tomorrow. Then on Sunday we see the number 2 and 3 ranked teams face off. This is by far the hardest pick of the bunch. Both teams are victims of injuries but the Boks lost Frans which is almost as bad as the Blackness losing Carter. Therefore I think the Aussies have the edge in this match up. The Kiwis haven’t lost to the Pumas ever and there is no reason to start this weekend.

That sets up France vs Ireland and New Zealand vs Australia as the Semi-Finalists.

The grand final will be a pool A rematch which the hosts should win.

Winner of the exciting World Cup

After getting all but one prediction right about the boring Cricket world cup earlier this year, there is some pressure on me to get things right about the Rugby World Cup. But, unlike easily predictable Cricket, Rugby is more variable and hence earns the title ‘exciting’. So, these predictions are going to be somewhat unreliable.

There’s not much doubt about pools A & C. The mighty blackness, France, Wallabies and Ireland will go through to the elimination stage from these two pools. The Saffers will take the top spot in Pool D, but there is some contention for the second spot between Wales and Samoa. Do the Samoans have enough to upset Wales? I’m gonna say no.

Now, pool B is wide open with 3 contenders: England, Scotland and Argentina. On paper, these teams are currently ranked by the IRB at 5, 7 and 9 respectively. I bring this up because the Scots were ranked 9 while the Argentinian Pumas were a spot above just 4 months ago. Moreover, the tussle between the Poms and the Pumas (13-9) showed that there is very little to choose between these teams. I’m going to bet on the Pumas to get the better of the Scots.

So, the quarter finals will be: Aus v Wales, Eng v Fra, SA v Ire and NZ v Arg.

The Wallabies, French, Springboks and All Blacks will go through to the next stage.

The grand final will see number 1 and 2 ranked teams face off at Eden Park: Wallabies vs. All Blacks. As the preview showed us, the All Blacks will bring home the Webb Ellis cup.

On a not-so-unrelated note, I will tweeting match updates and thoughts throughout the tourney (allowing for work commitments, baby duties etc.). You can follow them here: http://twitter.com/#!/mithpiya and/or look out for the hash tag: #RWC2011