Rugby World Cup Schedule 2015: Updated Fixtures, Live Stream Info, Group Tables
Defending champions New Zealand avoided another big upset at the 2015 Rugby World Cup on Sunday, beating Argentina 26-16 after trailing at half-time. Wales and Samoa also got their World Cup bids off to a winning start, beating Uruguay and the USA, respectively, to move into the top two spots in Pools A and B, respectively.
The action resumes on Wednesday, when Japan hope to continue their Cinderella run against Scotland in Pool B. The Brave Blossoms shocked South Africa on Saturday, winning 34-32 and sending a clear warning sign to Scotland, who they'll face at Kingsholm. Australia will start their World Cup campaign against Fiji, while France go up against Romania.
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Live streams for every match are available via the ITV Player (for UK viewers) and Universal Sports (for U.S. viewers)
Here are the results from Sunday's fixtures:
| New Zealand | 26-16 | Argentina |
| Wales | 54-9 | Uruguay |
| Samoa | 25-16 | USA |
The current group standings:
| Team | PL | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +- | BP | Pts |
| Wales | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 54 | 9 | +45 | 1 | 5 |
| England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 11 | +24 | 1 | 5 |
| Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 35 | –24 | 0 | 0 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 54 | –45 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | PL | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +- | BP | Pts |
| Samoa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 16 | +9 | 0 | 4 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 0 | 4 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 34 | –2 | 2 | 2 |
| Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 0 |
| United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 25 | –9 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | PL | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +- | BP | Pts |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 16 | +10 | 0 | 4 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 0 | 4 |
| Tonga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 17 | –7 | 1 | 1 |
| Namibia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 0 |
| Argentina | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 26 | –10 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | PL | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +- | BP | Pts |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 50 | 7 | +43 | 1 | 5 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 10 | +22 | 0 | 4 |
| Romania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 | 0 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 32 | –22 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 50 | –43 | 0 | 0 |
And here's a look at the upcoming schedule:
| 23 September | 2:30 p.m. | Scotland | Japan | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester |
| 23 September | 4:45 p.m. | Australia | Fiji | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
| 23 September | 8 p.m. | France | Romania | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 24 September | 8 p.m. | New Zealand | Namibia | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 25 September | 4:45 p.m. | Argentina | Georgia | Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester |
| 26 September | 2:30 p.m. | Italy | Canada | Elland Road, Leeds |
| 26 September | 4:45 p.m. | South Africa | Samoa | Villa Park, Birmingham |
| 26 September | 8 p.m. | England | Wales | Twickenham, London |
| 27 September | Noon | Australia | Uruguay | Villa Park, Birmingham |
| 27 September | 2:30 p.m. | Scotland | USA | Elland Road, Leeds |
| 27 September | 4:45 p.m. | Ireland | Romania | Wembley Stadium, London |
Preview
Japan's shock win over South Africa ranks among the greatest upsets in rugby history, and with momentum on their side, the Brave Blossoms will relish the opportunity to take on a talented but inconsistent Scottish side.
Austin Healey of BT Sport Rugby isn't too happy with the people in charge of the schedule, as Japan won't have a lot of time to recover from Saturday's brutal match:
Coach Eddie Jones knows the biggest challenge still lies ahead for his team, as he told reporters after the win over the Springboks, via Rupert Guinness of the Sydney Morning Herald:
"We have a fantastic opportunity now, no doubt about it. But the hardest games now are to come up because we did catch South Africa on the hop. Now we won't catch anyone on the hop. They are going to be much more prepared. We are going to see [Scotland] as a must-win game, so it's really going to test us.
I didn't sleep that well because I am worried about Scotland. The whole job now is about getting the team prepared for Scotland. There is no use playing one good game at the World Cup. You have to back that up with consistency, and that's our target ... everyone is slapping you on the back now telling you how good it is, but it is only good if you then beat Scotland.
"
Japan's biggest strength remains the scrum, and that was on full display on Saturday. On top of that, Ayumu Goromaru once again showed he's amongst the most underrated full-backs in the world, scoring five penalties and a try, along with two conversions, to power the Asian giants to the historic upset.
He'll likely be facing one of the world's best at his position on Wednesday, however. Stuart Hogg is the heart and soul of this Scottish team, but he hasn't played since the team's win against Italy in August.
As reported by BBC Sport, he's “hopeful” of recovering in time for Wednesday's match, and if he's not ready to go, the Scots could be in real trouble.
Sports writer Christopher Atkins likes their chances:
The three days' rest will hurt the Brave Blossoms. Coach Jones will be forced into making some changes, particularly given the lengths his players had to go to in order to beat the Springboks, and with Scotland playing a free and fast brand of rugby under coach Vern Cotter, the lack of rest will play a key part.
Fiji face a similar problem, playing Australia just days after Friday's clash with England. The side showed all of its class and talent at Twickenham but tired tremendously toward the end of the match, an ill omen with an eye on the clash with the Aussies, whose legs are fresh.
France also played on Saturday, beating Italy 32-10, but Romania have never won more than one match at the World Cup and shouldn't trouble Les Bleus too much, tired legs or not.
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