Rugby World Cup Schedule 2015: Live Stream Info for Remaining Quarter-Finals
Defending champions New Zealand and South Africa were the first two teams to qualify for the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday, with two more quarter-finals set to be played on Sunday. Australia will take on Scotland at Twickenham, while Ireland and Argentina go head-to-head at the Millennium Stadium.
Six Nations champions Ireland are favourites in their match against the emerging Pumas, and with injuries plaguing the side, an upset could be in the making. Scotland will go for an upset of their own, using the momentum of their close win over Samoa against an in-form Wallabies squad.
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Here's the schedule for Sunday's remaining quarter-finals:
| 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET | Ireland vs. Argentina |
| 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET | Australia vs. Scotland |
Live Stream (TV Info): ITV Player (UK, ITV), Universal Sports (US), Fox Sports (AUS, Fox Sports 2), Sky Go (NZ, Sky Sport 1), SuperSport (SA, SuperSport 1)
Australia vs. Scotland
Most are expecting the Wallabies to emerge victorious over a solid but unspectacular Scotland team.
Australia were fantastic during the group stages, winning Pool A, which was generally seen as the toughest of them all. They've dominated their opponents with quick passing and superb defence, with the latter shining in particular against Wales:
The Wallabies look solid with their set pieces, have plenty of pace in the open field and force a lot of turnovers. Perhaps more importantly, they also have a wealth of experience, with the likes of Matt Giteau having been in similar situations. The utility back was there when England shocked the Wallabies in the quarter-finals in 2007, and he'll be determined to make sure something like that doesn't happen again.
Coach Michael Cheika even refused to call his team favourites. When reporters asked him how his side dealt with that role, he denied it vehemently, via BBC Sport:
"It's pretty easy because we don't think we are. Today is our opportunity to work hard and get better in certain areas that we need to for the Scottish game and we're also acutely aware of the fact that this is really important for our own journey as a team.
I know that that's going to happen, all that talk about who's favourites and who's not favourites but I've seen a lot of the Scottish players saying they can win - and they can, they can. That's the reality of sport, there's two teams on the field, one of them's going to win.
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The Scots received some good news on Saturday, as Ross Ford and Jonny Gray were cleared to play against Australia, having their bans for a two-man tip against Samoa rescinded, per the Daily Mail.
The decision was shocking, to say the least, and coach Vern Cotter was so pessimistic about the appeal he already named a team to play the Aussies, not including either player.
On top of that, Scotland have beaten Australia in two of their last three meetings, and under Cotter, they've quickly become a better, more creative force that uses the offload to perfection. Possession remains an issue, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for Sunday's match.
Despite all of that, former rugby union star Shane Williams believes the Wallabies will win comfortably:
Anything can happen at this stage of the competition, but if Australia play up to their potential, you get the feeling few teams, if any, will be able to beat them.
Ireland vs. Argentina
If there's any team capable of pulling off the upset of the weekend, it's Argentina in their quarter-final with the Northern Hemisphere's elite team, Ireland. The Six Nations holders are the obvious favourites entering the match, but tons of injuries coupled with the Pumas' form should lead to a close match.
Sean O'Brien's suspension only adds to coach Joe Schmidt's concerns, as the flanker was given a one-week ban for punching France's Pascal Pape, via BBC Sport. He's the latest to be ruled out of Sunday's match, with Paul O'Connell, Jonathan Sexton and Peter O'Mahony out with injuries.
Former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara still believes the side will pull through, however, as he told RTE Radio 1's Today with Sean O'Rourke:
"They haven't been tested. I think they will be tested on Sunday but it's an exam they'll pass.
Ireland's pride levels will be matched by the Argentinians and you couldn't say that about the French because the French don't have that unity that the Argentinians would have.
In Ireland, rugby players are a band of brothers and it would be similar in Argentina. They'll go to the end no matter what but the added addition they have is that they're able to score tries.
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As O'Gara would go on to point out, the Pumas have looked spectacular offensively in all of their pool-stage matches save the clash with New Zealand, and judging by the All Blacks' demolition of France on Saturday, that shouldn't be held against the Argentinians.
In fact, that match should send a clear warning to the Irish and their fans. As impressive as their pool-stage win over Les Bleus was, the French team were proven to be frauds against the All Blacks―the same New Zealand team that managed just a 26-16 win over the Pumas.
Traditional Irish power in the form of Robbie Henshaw may be key in this match, along with solid tackling in the open field. Juan Imhoff is a serious threat out wide, and he and his fellow speedsters will have to be contained by an Irish defence reeling with injuries.
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