England put in such a controlled performance when beating New Zealand in the World Cup semis that they are hard to oppose against South Africa in the final. The Springboks managed to grind out a scrappy win over Wales in the other last-four contest but have not shown the same class.
Stellar coaches Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland will move on after New Zealand face Wales and we reckon it is the former who will sign off on a high note. Both teams have made changes for the Rugby World Cup third-place play-off and that should bring the All Blacks’ greater strength in depth into play.
Boston Celtics will continue their home campaign with another tough encounter at TD Garden when Eastern Conference rivals Milwaukee Bucks look to maintain their early season form. The Bucks and Celtics both boast 2-1 records to be among the front-runners of a congested Eastern Conference, where only the Philadelphia 76ers hold a 100 per cent record after three games.
Wales made hard work of reaching the last four but are now just one win away from their first Rugby World Cup final. The Six Nations champions were in danger of elimination last weekend but came from behind to claim a 20-19 victory and set up a showdown with South Africa.
England head into Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final in Yokohama as big underdogs to cause an upset and halt New Zealand’s defence of their title. The All Blacks are looking to win the tournament for a third successive time and the way they blew Ireland away in the quarter-finals showed they are clearly the team to beat once again.
The excitement of the NBA season continues into night two when there is a huge Atlantic Division clash at the Wells Fargo Center between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Boston took the four-game series 3-1 during a productive season as they made the play-offs alongside Philadelphia but both crashed out at the Eastern Conference semi-final stage.
Los Angeles will host one of the most eye-catching NBA matches of the season on opening night as the Lakers take on city rivals Clippers at the Staples Center. The Clippers took the series 3-2 during the 2018-19 season but after a busy summer for both teams, the Lakers and the Clippers will be desperate to get off to a perfect start by defeating their their bitter rivals.
Japan will have fond memories of facing South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, when famously pulling off a stunning upset to prevail 34-32. The Brave Blossoms have been superb on home turf this time around, claiming the scalps of Ireland and Scotland, so they could well test the Springboks again.
The new NBA season gets under way with defending champions Toronto Raptors opening the campaign against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Scotiabank Arena. Toronto secured their maiden NBA crown last season after defeating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the Finals.
Ireland have won two of their last three games against New Zealand and can be competitive in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash. The All Blacks are still the team to beat as they chase a hat-trick of titles, but no longer seem able to totally dominate other top nations at this level.
England were beaten by Australia at the last Rugby World Cup but have won all six meetings since then and look in better shape at present. Eddie Jones’ side cruised through the group stage as Pool C winners, albeit without having to face France, whereas the Wallabies laboured to second place behind Wales.
With the typhoon-battered pool stage of the Rugby World Cup now over, attention has turned swiftly to the knockout rounds where the eight remaining teams are vying for glory. We’ve analysed every full international match since the tournament was established in 1987 for clues about how the rest of the competition will pan out.
Scotland are fancied to keep their World Cup hopes alive by seeing off tournament hosts Japan. Gregor Townsend’s men must come out on top to qualify for the quarter-finals, but can take heart from having prevailed in all seven past meetings with the Brave Blossoms.
All eyes will be on Enable as she bids for a historic Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe treble but we’re taking a look at the full field for Europe’s richest race. John Gosden’s superstar is an odds-on favourite to claim what would be a momentous success under Frankie Dettori and is set to face 11 rivals.