Round 3 of the Universities World Cup will kick off under perfect Queensland weather tomorrow, with Saturday’s games to be played away from Griffith University for the first time.

The tournaments third round kicks off at Pizzey Park in Burleigh at 11am tomorrow morning, with the opening match set to decide which Pool B team moves through with New Zealand to the tournaments semi-fianl series.

The second batch of Round 3 action kicks off at Brisbane’s Langlands Park at 4pm after the televised QRL match of the Easts Tigers versus the Northern Pride.

Saturday 12th July
Pizzey Park, Burleigh Heads

France v Wales kick off 11:00
The French won a spiteful encounter against the Irish in freezing conditions last Wednesday, and don’t be surprised if their match against Wales will be any less volatile.

The deadeye kicking accuracy of French winger Frederic Marcerou has kept the scoreboard ticking over for France all tournament, and France’s mobile forward pack continues to impress with their steely commitment against much larger opponenents.

The Welsh almost pulled off one of the tournaments upset victory’s against New Zealand last Wednesday, with the zippy Welsh backline cutting swathes through the Kiwis for most of the match. Welsh winger Rob Worrincly continues to menace with his size and pace, and the dummy half running of the zippy Welsh unit continues to keep their opposition on the back foot.

In a tight affair, the match may well come down to a goal-kicking battle between Marcerou and Welsh super boot Gareth David.

New Zealand v Ireland kick off 12.45
Big things were expected from the 2005 world champions, but so far New Zealand has struggled to two victories over France and Wales. There is no doubting the Kiwis have the size and skill to go all the way in this tournament, but they will need to improve on their defensive efforts if they hope to reach the final.

The Irish have displayed plenty of heart in their opening two matches, but just lack that spark of creativity to mix it with

the tournament big guns. The Irish boys know how to make a break, but have got to learn to hold the ball rather then trying to push that miracle pass.

Given both teams current form, the Kiwis should have way too much power for the boys from Ireland.

Saturday 12th July
Langlands Park, Brisbane

Australia V Greece kick off 16:00
A big crowd is tipped to stay on after the televised QRL match to watch the electric Australian backline rack up another big score against the tournament surprise packets, Greece.

Yet to have a point posted against them, the Aussies are slowly warming into some red hot form, with their 24-0 shutout of England in Round 1, followed up by a 58-0 demolition of Scotland on a much drier track. With Langlands Park set to be in pristine condition, another cricket score for the Aussies looms.

Having not played together as a squad since 2 days before the tournament began, the Greeks have showcased some entertaining, free flowing rugby league that has made a lot of their opponents sit up and take notice. Greece will need a huge defensive effort against the Aussies to keep their second position in Pool B secure.

Scotland v England kick off 18:00
The Scots will leave no stone unturned as they attempt to record their first points of the tournament against their English counterparts.

After being towelled up by a rampant Aussie squad, Scotland will be hoping that the English take them lightly. Still searching for their first match points, you can be sure that the Scots will be hell-bent on producing an attacking fiesta in their final Pool match.

But England will be out to make sure that their defensive line is not breached, as they need a comprehensive victory to secure second position in Pool A, and a semi-final spot. The Poms should have too much size, skill and power for their Scottish counterparts, and should only need a victory to secure a semi-fianl berth.

article by Travis Meyn and Steve Petroff
11 July 2008