After the draw, we discovered that Scotland’s biggest challenge is the teams in Pool B with them, where they need to face the defending champions, South Africa, and a familiar foe, Ireland. Scotland’s record against these teams is poor, and if they are going to do anything impressive in the competition, they would have to beat both.
Even though Scotland is improving, we can’t tell how they would fare against these two teams. It is like when we want to place bets on NFL week 5 odds, and we have a team getting better but facing another team that has been better than them for many years.
In this case, knowing which one to go for is difficult whenever they face each other. So, as we prepare for the world cup, Scotland’s main focus would be these two teams, and since they are opening the competition with a game against South Africa, the goal will be to win. If the Scots can win their first game, it would be a massive statement for the team.
South Africa will surely be going to France to retain the title. Meanwhile, Ireland would want to make it to the knockout phase to get another shot at winning the competition. As a result, they, too, would bring their A-game and ensure that every team they would face would succumb to their tactical game and excellent play.
Because of that, the main question is can Scotland overcome Ireland and South Africa once the 2023 Rugby World Cup tournament begins? We understand that there is a possibility because the other teams can face crises before the competition starts. So, if you want to know what we think, you should keep reading this article.
Ireland Overview and Head-to-Head
The Irish team is one of the best in the world. Even though they’ve never won the world cup, they’ve been consistent in the past few competitions.
They’ve gotten to the competition’s quarter-finals but are yet to go past it. The goal for the next world cup would be to go past that zone and do better than before and who knows, they might be next big odds to bet on.
Their first-ever appearance at the world cup was in 1987, and since then, the team has qualified for each one that comes after. However, their record in the competition came in 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2015, and 2019. Therefore, the next world cup would be their chance to go further in the competition.
Against Scotland, the team has a better record. They’ve won 14 matches in the last 18. The team has had five wins in a row, and the last win came in the Six Nations tournament. Therefore, the goal will be to continue this exquisite form against the Scots to give them the chance to get a step further.
The last time the team lost against Scotland was in the 2017 Six Nations competition. It was a close match that ended 27-22.
Scotland was the better team in the first half, but Ireland was the better team in the second half. However, the game ended with Scotland scoring two penalty goals to win.
South Africa Overview and Head-to-Head
South Africa is the team with the best chance of winning the competition in France. They’re the defending champions, even though they lost their first match in the competition. In 2019, South Africa lost to New Zealand in a grueling match, but they soon turned things around by winning their next six games.
Rassie Erasmus has put together an amazing team that can face any team worldwide. They have continued to improve since winning the World Cup.
The team won their first world cup in 1995 and did it again in 2007 before doing it in 2019. Therefore, they would be one of the favorites to win in 2023.
The team hasn’t played against Scotland many times, but in the last seven matches, they’ve won six teams, showing that they are a stronger force against Scotland. In the last five matches, South Africa has been the better team. Therefore, when they meet again in the World Cup, we expect them to go with full force, making them a major obstacle for Scotland.
Our Thoughts
Scotland has massive work to do when the world cup starts. The team has to find a way to play against Ireland and South Africa. It would be hard for the team to overcome these obstacles. However, if they can do it, their chances of 1991’s run.
We think Scotland can only try, but it would be impossible to beat both teams. They would have a better chance of beating Ireland than South Africa. We look forward to the team playing in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.