By Howard Salkow

Newsport contributor Howard Salkow reviews the Rugby Union World Cup quarter-finals in the UK and concedes predicting winners can be a tricky business.

“It is what it is.” The commonly used cliché aptly describes what occurred in the Wallabies’ nail-biting 35-34 quarter-final victory over Scotland, earning them a place in the semi-final against Argentina who accounted for Ireland 43-20 in their quarter-final.

And the cliché refers to a questionable refereeing decision in the dying minutes of the game when the Wallabies were behind. The controversial penalty – which many felt should have been referred to the Television Match Official (TMO) for review – decided Scotland’s fate when Bernard Foley made no mistake with the kick.

Scotland’s captain Greig Laidlaw said afterwards: “It was such a big decision, why wouldn’t you go to the TMO?” We can replay this moment countless times, and emotions will continue to dog the Scottish, but it is now part of the history of the Rugby World Cup.

It is what it is.

The Wallabies, who produced a sub-standard performance which included an unimpressive scrum, now need to put this behind them and concentrate on the Pumas who will be extremely tough opponents in the semi-final. The dynamic duo of eighthman David Pocock and fullback Israel Folau are likely to return from injury, but in this 15-man game, any mistake will be pounced upon by the Argentinians.

Predicting Ireland to beat Argentina showed that you can never underestimate the Pumas and the big question is whether they can produce another solid 80-minute performance against the Australians.

South Africa, who will meet arch-rivals the All Blacks in the other semi-final, snuck home in the dying seconds thanks to a brilliant try in the corner by scrumhalf and captain Fourie du Preez. Like Scotland, Wales were leading with time running out (19-18) and an upset was on the cards. The five-pointer gave the Boks a 23-19 win.

It’s still an unknown whether the French players rebelled against their coach Philippe Saint-Andre in the lead-up to the All Blacks match, but their performance was below par and they had no answer to a New Zealand team and a nine-try haul.

The 62-13 margin was an embarrassment, especially when you consider how many times Les Bleus have shocked the All Blacks at previous World Cups and making the final in 2011, losing 8-7 to the Kiwis. The All Blacks led 29-13 at half-time and scored an incredible 33 points in the final 40 minutes as France looked on, bewildered and badly beaten.

The semi-finals await. The Wallabies-Argentina match is hard to predict, however, if the Pumas are physical at the breakdowns, commit the Wallabies into making basic errors and stifle their backline, this match could produce a semi-final disaster for Australia.

The Springboks and the All Blacks have a long history that goes back to 1928 and during the Apartheid years and since their return to the international arena, every Test match has been a do-or-die affair. It’s an 80-minute physical battle and no quarter is given. This Test will be no different.

The Boks have made a dramatic rebound after their shock loss to Japan in the Pool stages, while New Zealand have gone about their business out of the public eye. And when they turned up to meet France, they showed why they are the top team in the world.

But no team is unbeatable and in the words of legendary All Black and 55-Test veteran Colin Meads, this match is going to be “hard, bloody hard”.

Predicting the finalists maybe as tough as choosing this year’s Melbourne Cup winner.
Let’s put it this way. If Argentina and the All Blacks can maintain their momentum following their impressive quarter-final triumphs, they could find themselves in the final. Is this a prediction?

Quarter-final results:
South Africa 23 Wales 19
Argentina 43 Ireland 20
Australia 35 Scotland 34
New Zealand 62 France 13

Semi-finals:
New Zealand v South Africa
Australia v Argentina