Rugby World Cup semi-finals this weekend :

Clash of the Titans

Dilanka MANNAKKARA

What an exciting weekend of world class rugby we were just witness to. Wales, France, Australia and New Zealand were all triumphant, and now only one game stands in their way of a spot in the World Cup final.

An interesting stat is that the four sides also fought it out in the semi finals back in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. On that occasion, Australia lost to France 24-30 and on the other side, the All-Blacks destroyed Wales 49-6. New Zealand went on to win 29-9 against France in the final, yet have not been able to do the same since.

[Wales vs France]

The survival of the fittest

Wales has had a tremendous tournament and last Saturday night they took all of the opportunities when they were on offer in opposition to the Irish. The Welsh defense has been strong throughout and again it was dominant against Ireland.

They go into their semi-final clash against the unpredictable French team with a solid x-factor about them with every chance of going the whole way. Players are enjoying the occasion and experience, and coach Gatland has said privately that there is no team that they can’t beat – that’s confidence and we are all seeing that.

This is set to be a very physical match. The difference between the two is that France is a highly unpredictable and an extremely emotional side. Wales, in this world cup, has been incredibly organized and could be too classy for Les Bleus, who if they realize they aren’t in the game could simply fade away.

An area in which Wales could be tested is in the loose forwards. The French loose forwards were very good against England, akin to Wales. Warburton will be a key factor for those in red today. Last time they met the Frenchmen who were far too good for Wales, prevailing 28-9 and at the same time put an end to Wales’ chance of succeeding in the 2011 Six Nations.

[New Zealand vs Australia]

A final one week early!!!

Australia by now have stopped scratching their heads thinking how they won against the Springboks and are getting set for a cross Tasman battle with the All-Blacks.

South Africa did everything they could to win, however the Wallabies were strong and held them off. Referee Bryce Lawrence (currently being damned by the South African and British sports press) let the Wallabies get away with so much and David Pocock took advantage of that – in short, he played the ump well.

New Zealand defeated the Pumas 33-10, but however comfortable the win looked on the scoreboard, it was different to those watching live as the All Blacks were forced to scramble for the points, scoring the majority of their points in the final 15 minutes of the match. New Zealand looked under pressure at stages as the Argentines were physical and fronted up.

Collin Slade was a big problem for the All Blacks and he looked all out of sorts replacing the legendary Dan Carter and fortunately young Aaron Cruden did a fair job after the 32 minute when Slade was out injured.

The other player coming in is Stephen Donald - most New Zealanders hold low disregard for him as a player and Hosea Gear comes in also - he missed out on initial selection. Scrum Half Weepu also would want to continue his magic boot skills in the all important clash.

In the Australian corner, Quade Cooper had an awful match against South Africa and overall, he hasn’t fired to the extent we all know he can.

That is the big x-factor in this clash, because if he turns up, then he could be very damaging. Digby Loane is a massive threat also and the Wallabies are thankful that he is in their line up.

New Zealand will need to mug him quite heavily and lessen his impact on the end result. This is going to be a great game. The last time these two teams faced each other in a rugby World Cup was in the semi-finals - a game which the Wallabies were victorious 22-10, largely due to Flatley’s five penalties.

The last time they played, Australia defeated New Zealand in a rousing effort to win 25-20 after they possessed a 20-3 lead at the break. It was the Wallabies first win in 19 years against New Zealand in Brisbane. Three weeks before the All-Blacks punished Australia 30-14 in Auckland.