Stuart Lancaster’s England side will get the 2015 World Cup underway in front of a sell-out crowd at Twickenham Stadium on 18th September. England supporters are hopeful of World Cup success on home soil and will be expecting their side to get off to the perfect start with victory over the South Pacific minnows. England are currently odds on to beat Fiji with Coral and should not find the opener too much of a strain, winning the tournament on the other hand could be a bigger ask with current favourites New Zealand hard to look past. England finished second in the Six Nations for the fourth consecutive year but Lancaster’s side will be looking to get over that disappointment with an excellent performance in the World Cup. Their squad for the Six Nations tournament was severely depleted and the likes of Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchberry all missed out on the action. Ahead of the opening match of the World Cup, England have no fresh injury concerns and Lancaster will have the tough choice of selecting his final 31-man squad later this month. With two warm-up fixtures against France to come, England’s coach will have two more opportunities to assess his players before finalising his squad. From what we already know, a number of England’s places have already been taken. Lancaster will select five props for the squad, with Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola and Dan Cole all guaranteed a place in the side. The final two places are reportedly up for grabs, and David Wilson, Kieran Brookes and Alex Corbisiero are set to compete for those slots. There is some debate over whether Stuart Lancaster will select rugby league convert Sam Burgess in the squad. The England coach has given the Bath star an opportunity to prove his worth in the friendly matches with France and one would assume that, if he impresses, he is one of the favourites for a surprise inclusion. Meanwhile, Fiji have also announced their preliminary 38-man Rugby World Cup squad ahead of next month’s competition. Veteran utility back Seremaia Bai has returned to the side after a spell out with injury, while danger man Nemani Nadolo has also been included in the squad. Fiji’s coach John McKee has selected a solid, reliable team that could surprise a few throughout the tournament. The Pacific Nations Cup winners are a hardworking side and can play some exceptional attacking rugby on their day. After being paired with England, Australia and Wales, Fiji have nothing to lose and will be eager to enjoy their group stage matches. While England won’t find it easy to break down a confident Fiji side, Lancaster’s side should be too strong in the tournament’s curtain raiser. The likes of Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes and Jonathan Joseph ended the club season in fine form and will be looking to continue their excellent performances in the World Cup. The South Pacific side will prove stern opposition but England will be too strong in front of a sell-out crowd. Continue reading →
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