Wednesday 19 November 2014 09:40, UK
England face an onslaught from a proud Samoan side while Ireland look to finish their Autumn International campaign unbeaten when they take on the Wallabies in Dublin.
Italy v South Africa, 1.30pm, Sat, Sky Sports 2 HD
Italy beat Samoa in comfortable fashion in their opening November fixture but narrowly missed out on an impressive unbeaten run when they fell 20-18 to an Argentine outfit that had beaten Australia earlier in the year. The Italians had not won in 2014 prior to the match-up with Samoa, but the close nature of their losses will be critical in motivating the Springboks to avoid becoming the second side to fall to Jacques Brunel’s men. South Africa answered their critics from the Dublin loss with a far more clinical display against England at Twickenham on Saturday. Despite the win, Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer still has some selection dilemmas on his hands. Against England he opted for the experience of Pat Lambie over young fly-half Handre Pollard - the latter having enjoyed a remarkable start to his international career with a two-try contribution in a rare victory over the All Blacks. Who will start this weekend? The South Africans arrive in Padua with plenty of desire to build on last weekend’s win over England, and won’t be taking Italy lightly in the build-up to their third November International.
Ireland v Australia, 4pm, Sat, Sky Sports 2 HD
Ireland enjoyed a scintillating victory over Georgia on Saturday, one which saw them run in six tries in the second half alone, but it was their win against the world’s second best team that has earned them the real plaudits this November. The victory over South Africa was widely regarded as coach Joe Schmidt’s most valuable result since taking over Ireland's coaching reins early last year, and was even more impressive when considering his side managed to do so by dismantling the revered Springbok pack in Dublin. Australia on the other hand lost their coach last month and the man tasked with leading the team - Waratahs mentor Michael Cheika – now has the unenviable task of building a World Cup campaign within less than a year. Despite the difficulty that faces Cheika in turning around a squad that has struggled in recent times, he has at his disposal some of the most exciting players in world rugby, including the electric Israel Folau as well as Kurtley Beale, who joined the squad this week. The Wallabies only recently relinquished third place in the IRB world rankings, and the men from down under will be eager to reclaim that spot from the team that took it from them when they arrive in Dublin on Saturday.
England v Samoa, 6.30pm, Sat, Sky Sports 2 HD
The Samoans arrive in London with a point to prove. Concerns over the governance of the Samoa Rugby Union were voiced by the squad but the team received no sympathy from their governing body who questioned their loyalty, which led to the players pledging to play for pride against England. Stuart Lancaster's side will already be wary of the size and strength of the Samoans - extra motivation in the form of their pledge will be the last thing England were hoping for as they search for their first win in November. England’s coaching assembly is under immense pressure having failed to register a win since their side beat Italy in March. A 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand in June and a loss to the same team at Twickenham earlier this month was capped off by hosting a victorious Springbok outfit on Saturday. Much talk has surrounded Lancaster’s position as coach but of all five losses to the southern hemisphere pair, only one game was lost by more than five points. Is England turning a corner? Regardless, Lancaster and his captain Chris Robshaw will see this game as one they desperately need to win if they’re to build the right kind of momentum for when they host the World Cup next year.
France v Argentina, 8pm, Sat, Sky Sports 2 (via the red button)
France endured a difficult tour to Australia in June, losing all three matches against the Wallabies, but November has seen a much more promising set of results for Philippe Saint-Andre’s men. Earlier in the month they put in a strong performance to beat Fiji 40-15 and over the weekend they survived a late comeback from a familiar Australian team to win 29-26 in Paris. This weekend they face an Argentine team who will be in full attendance to consolidate what has been a mixture of results for them. They lost to Ireland and Scotland twice each this year, despite an historic win against Australia and one particularly narrow loss to the Springboks in the Rugby Championship. When the Pumas joined the southern hemisphere competition they pledged that their inclusion promised big results from them in the future. While the victory over the Wallabies was a delivery on that promise, the same cannot be said of their overall results. A win over Les Bleus, however, will go a long way to proving that they deserve to be in the same bracket as the three southern hemisphere giants.
