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Heading into the final weekend of the Rugby World Cup’s pool play, there are several matches coming up that could have astronomical consequences for the knockout rounds. This isn’t one of them. With Tonga and Romania both winless so far this tournament, the only thing on the line here is pride–and plenty of it. Read on for our Tonga vs Romania predictions.
Tonga vs Romania – match predictions
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Romania have been the Rugby World Cup’s whipping boys so far, getting thrashed in all three of their games. While Tonga haven’t quite been so bad, they’ll be disappointed not to have been more competitive over the last month. With both heading into this match eager to salvage something from their trip to France, here are our top predictions ahead of the Tonga vs Romania this weekend:
Prediction 1: Romania +37 handicap @ 1/1 (2.00)
Romania have been given a +37 handicap in this match, and on the one hand, it’s easy to see why the bookies have given such a generous margin. Romania have lost 82-8, 76-0 and 84-0 across their three matches this Rugby World Cup–not exactly inspiring stuff.
However, they will have had this match circled from the day the tournament’s draw was realised (about 14 years ago it feels). This is why they’re here. This is the one game they can cause a boil over. And by all means, that’s what they’ll be trying to do. We think they’ll fall short, however, we think this still means they’ll get within 37 points and make a decent match out of this final fixture.
Prediction 2: Tonga to win 1-12 @ 9/1 (10.00)
Following the line of thinking above, a riskier bet would be to back Romania to get all the way within 12 points of Tonga. It’s a little tougher to see this happening, but there is definitely a world where Tonga turn up discouraged from their disappointing campaign, and don’t give it everything on Sunday. In this world, Romania could get close to them, and there would be a healthy reward of 9/1 (10.00) for anyone who was brave enough to take the wager.
Tonga vs Romania preview: Bonus points could be crucial
Heading into this match, here’s a look at how both teams’ tournaments have gone so far at the Rugby World Cup 2023:
Tonga
Many hoped that Tonga would be more competitive than they have been this Rugby World Cup. With rugby’s eligibility laws loosened, they have some exciting stars in their side such as Charles Piatau and Ben Tameifuna. However, a lack of time together has meant cohesion has been absent, causing Tonga to lose by considerable margins in their first three games. Surely they’ll be wanting to put a big score on Romania, and prove they’re still a decent team.
Romania
Sadly, Romania have taken a step backward from previous World Cups. They’ve not been anything close to competitive, and have been soundly beaten in all three of their matches so far. It’ll be back to the drawing board in terms of Romania’s rugby development ahead of the next World Cup cycle, but they’d dearly love a win here to give them a platform to launch from.
Tonga vs Romania head to head
The head to head between these two sides is as close as can get, with Romania and Tonga splitting four meetings 2-2. Last time they played, Romania came out victorious, winning 32-20 in 2021.
Tonga vs Romania match details
- Date and time: Sunday 8 October, 4:45 PM GMT
- Venue: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, France
- How to watch: ITV, ITVX or SC4 in the UK
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