The Rugby World Cup has reached the quarter-finals.
On Saturday, it’s Wales versus Argentina and top-ranked Ireland versus three-time champion New Zealand. On Sunday, it’s England versus underdog Fiji and host France versus defending champion South Africa.
The Southern Hemisphere has dominated the Rugby World Cup, winning eight out of nine tournaments and the past four in a row. There have been three titles for New Zealand, three for South Africa and two for Australia. England is the odd one out with a 2003 triumph for the Northern Hemisphere that is a distant memory.
But there’s a strong chance there might not be a single nation from the south in the semi-finals this time and that would be a huge moment for rugby. It’s north versus south in each of the quarter-finals and the team from the Northern Hemisphere is the favourite in each. No. 1 Ireland is on its best winning run of 17 matches, came back to clinch a historic series victory in New Zealand last year and is favoured against the All Blacks this weekend. France is No. 2 and has home advantage – and the best player in the world – against South Africa. England and Wales are higher-ranked and unbeaten in this World Cup heading into quarter-finals against Fiji and Argentina, respectively.
With their joie de vivre and spirit, the Fijians are the darlings of this World Cup. They could also be history-makers.
No Pacific Island nation has ever reached the semi-finals of rugby’s biggest tournament, with Fiji and Samoa getting to the last eight and no further.
This is Fiji’s third appearance in the quarter-finals. It lost to France at that stage in 1987 and South Africa in 2007.
Samoa lost in the quarter-finals in 1991 (to Scotland) and 1995 (to host South Africa). The team was called Western Samoa in those days. The Associated Press