-
Wales make strong start in France
-
Wallabies on brink after Fiji shock
-
Scotland to get off mark
Wales v Australia
Sunday, 20:00
Live on ITV
Wales face wounded Wallabies
Wales face Australia on Sunday night in a match with huge consequences and the stakes could not be higher for the Wallabies. Australia must beat Wales or their tournament is effectively over and they have never failed to progress from a World Cup pool.
Eddie Jones' return to Australia has not gone to plan and there were warning signs with his failure to win any of their warm-up matches. An opening victory over Georgia in France papered over the cracks and their 22-15 defeat to Fiji last weekend leaves the Wallabies with an uphill task to reach the knockout stage.
Wales still have work to do but bonus-point wins against Fiji and Portugal have put them on the path to qualify from the group. Warren Gatland was unimpressed with their performance against Portugal and has reverted to the team, captained by Jac Morgan, which edged out Fiji in a thriller.
Although Australia won the most recent match last year, Wales have won three of the last four clashes between the teams. This includes a tense 29-25 victory over the Wallabies four years ago at the pool stage of the World Cup in Japan.
The betting is hard to split the teams, with Wales the narrowest of favourites. Everything points to a tight match, with the last four contests between them settled by no more than five points. But Australia are not the force of old and this inexperienced team could be facing an early exit, with Wales fancied to edge them out with a victory by up to seven points worth backing at a generous [3/1].
Scotland v Tonga
Sunday, 16:45
Live on ITV
Scotland to hit back with win
Scotland have had a fortnight to respond to their opening defeat against South Africa and Gregor Townsend's team can rebound with a confident victory against Tonga. Scotland still have a chance to qualify but will need to win their remaining matches including against Ireland next month.
Townsend has promoted wing Kyle Steyn and left plenty of attacking options on the bench including Darcy Graham and Huw Jones. Their opponents Tonga were beaten 59-16 by Ireland last weekend and could struggle to keep out Scotland's attacking threats.
A bonus point win is essential for Scotland and a fast start can be expected in Nice. Tonga are given a 25-point handicap advantage but the best bet is to side with Scotland to race out of the traps. Well rested after a week off from playing, Scotland can cover an 11-point first-half handicap on their way to a convincing victory.
Who will win the Rugby World Cup? Latest betting odds
France are 13/53.60 favourites to win the Rugby World Cup after their promising start to the tournament. Defending champions South Africa are 11/43.75 with their next opponents Ireland 7/24.50 in the betting.
New Zealand are 4/15.00 to win the World Cup and there is a big gap to the next team, with England available at 11/112.00. Australia face a battle to qualify for the knockout stage with the Wallabies 25/1 and their next opponents Wales are 30/131.00 in the outright betting.
Follow Simon's bets on Twitter @watfordtipster