Rugby World Cup Fixtures 2015: Key Battles in Week 2 Matches

One round of fixtures into the Rugby World Cup 2015 pool stage and it's safe to say the tournament has held nothing back in entertainment value, with fans only hoping to see more of the same in Week 2.

From England's essential bonus-point win against Fiji to Japan's head-spinning 34-32 victory over South Africa and every Week 1 result surrounding, the drama has been built on the efforts of each individual star.

And Week 2 doesn't promise to let up anytime soon as we see Wales travel to take on the Red Rose at Twickenham, London, while Australia get their tournament under way against Fiji.

Those are just some of the more appetising fixtures on the card in Week 2, with a selection of key battles poised to take place discussed in further detail ahead.

1. Israel Folau vs. Metuisela Talebula

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There may not be a head-to-head collision between two electric full-backs more mouth-watering than the one set to unfold between Australian arrowhead Israel Folau and his Fiji counterpart Metuisela Talebula on Wednesday.

The Wallabies open their World Cup campaign on the back of a morale-boosting Rugby Championship title win, and while Folau is poised to take his first steps in the competition, Talebula has a slim advantage in having already featured.

Granted, the latter's own World Cup debut didn't go to plan as he was part of the Fiji team that fell to England on Friday, where Talebula was one of those severely restricted from getting a full head of steam. 

The neutral can hope that a more attack-minded Australian team will leave more holes for Fiji to make a game of things in midweek, giving Folau and Talebula in particular their chances to have the run of the field.

With 10 tries in 17 Test appearances, Bordeaux's Talebula is one of the most prolific assets among John McKee's squad, but Folau has a similar scoring rate with 18 tries in 33 international outings, making for a heated duel of pace and power.

2. Courtney Lawes vs. Alun Wyn Jones

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Alun Wyn Jones was among the key figures Wales coach Warren Gatland chose to rest for Sunday's 54-9 win over Uruguay, giving the veteran lock plenty of time to gear up for a vital clash against England's Courtney Lawes this Saturday.

Jones sits as one of those ever-reliable figures one can count on to seldom make a mistake under clutch conditions, but it doesn't change the fact Lawes offers a titanic task even he might struggle against.

We didn't see as much prominence from Lawes against Fiji as the blood-thirsty out there might have hoped—he made just four tackles and just eight metres from his six runs in total.

However, the Saints second-row did match Jonathan Joseph in making a joint-high of three turnovers for England, which is to be applauded considering it was Fiji who did most of the possession-stripping at headquarters.

Wales' supreme fitness will demand a lot of Lawes, and the brunt these two offer their sides at the scrum and lineout will be a huge factor, as will any useful yardage either can make as accomplished carriers.

3. Stuart Hogg vs. Ayumu Goromaru

Scotland are used to looking upon Glasgow Warriors marvel Stuart Hogg as one of their game-changers, but Japan full-back Ayumu Goromaru earned a victory of his own with a steadfast display against the Springboks on Saturday.

Goromaru was solid under the high ball, rejecting any and all enemy advances, which the Cherry Blossoms must replicate against Vern Cotter's side on Wednesday if they're to hold onto the new hope of topping Pool B.

BBC Sport Scotland reported in mid-September that Hogg was on track to recover from an ankle knock and make his World Cup debut on Wednesday, where his rare talent holds the key to succeeding in a now-wide-open pool.

One area in which he and fly-half Finn Russell could look to excel comes through the aerial channels, with Cotter possibly identifying Japan's stingy defence against South Africa as an avenue worth avoiding.

4. Marcos Ayerza vs. Davit Zirakashvili

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It may not be as glamorous as those other battles mentioned on our list, but the scrum technicians among us will be smacking their lips at the prospect of seeing Marcos Ayerza meeting Georgia's Davit Zirakashvili on Friday.

Argentina prop Ayerza couldn't help avoid a 16-26 loss to New Zealand in their opener, but like Zirakashvili did in the win for Georgia, he took care of business at the individual level—all one can really ask of any player.

Former England international turned ITV pundit Ben Kay pointed out Ayerza as "the best loosehead in the world" during Sunday's defeat to the All Blacks, while the Independent's Jack De Menezes agreed the veteran was superb.

With a combined age of 63 and 110 caps between them, front-row master Ayerza and tighthead Zirakashvili are on course for an almighty collision in midweek, one that's likely to have no small impact by any definition of the term.

5. Bryan Habana vs. Alesana Tuilagi

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From one meeting of old minds to another, Bryan Habana and Alesana Tuilagi are taking part in their last World Cup tournaments and face off on Saturday willing to lay it all on the line.

In what's likely to be the last time the two wingers scrap under competitive circumstances, Habana will hope his advantages in speed and guile are enough to skirt outside Tuilagi's mammoth reach, and South Africa need that to be the case.

Samoa come into the weekend clash having beaten the United States to start their competition with a win, while Heyneke Meyer's Springboks will be deflated, but Test centurion Habana needs to be one of those picking his men back up.

He could barely get into the game against Japan and made just 16 metres from six carries altogether, while 34-year-old Tuilagi beat five American defenders to make 64 metres on Sunday, buoying his confidence to boot.

The pair have been hailed as two of this generation's most entertaining wingers for wholly different reasons, and Saturday's head-to-head may be about as close as one can get to the proverbial unstoppable force meeting the immovable object.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.