After the Rugby World Cup draw, Scotland is set to play in Pool B against the tournament’s defending champions. That matchup would be one of the toughest ties the Scottish team would have to face during the first stages of the tournament. Unfortunately, they would have to start the competition facing the Springboks.
Looking at their impressive run throughout the preliminary round, we expect the team to do wonders, just like when we want to back a team in our NFL week 3 odds. We have an exciting team that would do wonders in the Rugby World Cup. However, being drawn in Pool B means they must do plenty of work.
Scotland would kick off their campaign against South Africa, a team they’ve met twice in this tournament. After that, they would go to Nice to face the team that makes it from the Asia/Pacific qualifying rounds. Then, they would go ahead to face Romania, the most recent team, to secure their spot in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Finally, they would end their Pool B games in Paris when they face Ireland. Even though they have shared history, both teams have only met once in the Rugby World Cup. Undoubtedly, these fixtures look tough and exciting, which is why the World Cup is the highest competition in Rugby.
The goal will be to take the top two spots to qualify for the knockout rounds. The team would love to do better than they did in the last world cup. It will take some commitment for any team to make it out of Pool B. However, Scotland has the chance to do that. Head Coach Roger Townsend needs to figure out his team.
As we wait for the competition to start properly, let’s look at the team, the contenders in Pool B, and the major challenges they endure throughout the competition. Without wasting much time, let’s get into it.
Overview of the Team
Scotland sealed their spot in the Rugby World Cup for 2023, and they have the chance to do better when the competition starts. In the last competition, the team was drawn into Pool A. Their first match was against Ireland, and unfortunately, they were bettered by the Irish team, which didn’t work well for the team.
They did turn things around, winning the next two games and beating Russia and Samoa. However, they lost when they faced Japan in the last tie for a chance to secure the second spot.
As a result, they crashed out of the competition. Recently, the team also lost three of their Six Nations games.
The team hasn’t turned up for competitive games, and we can only see how they would perform in the World Cup. We expect to see the team do better as Townsend has said that his squad is shaping to contend against the quality teams they are set to face in the competition.
Contenders in Pool B
Since the team is set to play in Pool B, two more teams have been confirmed in the Pool. As we wait for the Asia/Pacific 1 qualifier to conclude, let’s look at the other two teams in Pool B that can stop Scotland from going into the knockout rounds.
South Africa
Scotland and South Africa haven’t played many matches together. However, they’ve played twice in the Rugby World Cup, and the Springboks have been the better side on both occasions. Since 2010, the team has played seven times, and the SA team has won six times. Scotland hasn’t won a game against the Springboks since 2012.
Ireland
Ireland and Scotland are familiar foes playing in the Guinness Six Nations competition. In addition, both teams met once in the Rugby World Cup. And in the last 18 games, Ireland had won 14 times, including when they met in the World Cup. The team is now on a six-game win streak against Scotland. Ireland is certainly a major contender in the competition.
Major Challenges
The Rugby World Cup is filled with many challenges; any team that wants to go far would have to overcome these challenges. In that case, we would love to see how Scotland overcomes their main challenge of playing against Ireland and the defending champions. Undoubtedly, beating either team would give them the chance to get into the knockout stage.
Our Thoughts
Scotland at the Rugby World Cup is a good way for the team to face major teams in the Rugby world. However, if they would go far in the competition, they have to find a way to overcome South Africa and Ireland, which would be difficult going by their h2h records against both teams. Therefore, we look forward to how Townsend will shape the team once the competition starts.