"Make or Break Time" - Top 5 Rugby World Cup Matches to Watch This Weekend

The action will commence in Pool A on Wednesday afternoon, with Italy taking on Uruguay in Lille (16:45 KO UK time). France are then again playing on Thursday night (20:00 KO UK time), as they take centre stage in Marseille. Les Bleus are looking to be the first side to record three wins at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as they take on the Pool A underdogs Namibia.

The Southern African side have taken heavy defeats so far, with a 52-8 loss to Italy and a 71-3 defeat to New Zealand. A France win is more than expected to start us off for round three, if Fabien Galthie's men get back to their best after an underwhelming performance against Uruguay. However, the ultimate upset could be on the cards, if France again take their minnow opponents too likely, as Namibia eye up their first ever Rugby World Cup win.

Here are the top five Rugby World Cup matches to watch this weekend, for match-day three.

This match could go a long way in deciding who progresses out of Pool D. Argentina and Samoa are set to battle it out on Friday evening in Saint-Etinne, with both sides setting their focus on joining the expected England in the knock-out stages.

Argentina are searching for their first win of the tournament, with this clash with Samoa being a must win match for Los Pumas. Argentina missed the second round with a bye, whilst the Pacific Islanders began their Rugby World Cup campaign with a 43-10 win over Chile. Samoa are the dark horses to progress from Pool D, and enter the tournament full of confidence after recording a Pacific Nations Cup win over pool rivals Japan, back in the Summer.

Samoa have also recently bolstered their ranks with some ex-All Blacks and Wallabies, as the likes of Christian Leali'ifano and Steven Luatua join up with Manu Samoa. Michael Cheika's Argentina bring a high-octane tempo, and when coupled with the Pacific Island flair of Samoa, we are in for a treat in for Friday's late kick off. This one will be close, but the experienced and established Pumas look like the favourites to take run away with the match in the latter stages, and build towards a quarter-final spot.

2. England vs Chile - Pool D

England fans will need to set their alarms, as Steve Borthwick's men run-out against Chile with a earlier start time than their past two matches. England look to win their third consecutive match in Pool D, and all but confirm their spot in the knock-out stages. Chile entered their first ever Rugby World Cup with the added element of surprise, however, Los Condores have had their wings clipped so far in the competition.

England fans will take comfort in knowing that Japan recorded a 42-12 win over Chile, in the opening weekend of action. Borthwick's side despatched of the Brave Blossoms last Sunday night, with an albeit slower performance than hoped for in the 34-12 victory. Chile are searching for their first ever Rugby World Cup win, as they took a subsequent 43-10 defeat to Samoa in Round Two. Currently sat at the bottom of Pool D, you would be hard-pressed to find a player, pundit or fan who sees Chile recording the most unbelievable of upsets in this first time encounter.

Borthwick has the unenviable task of selecting his back-line, with his captain Owen Farrell eligible for selection. Farrell has now served his four-match ban, after his shoulder charge to the head of Taine Basham, in England's Summer Nations Series win over Wales at Twickenham. George Ford has been in inspired form as England's fly-half, with Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant running out well in the centres.

It's certainly a tough call to predict, but the leading option sees Farrell return at inside centre, with Tuilagi outside him. This will re-unite the Ford-Farrell partnership that took England to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, and won them the 2020 Six Nations title under Eddie Jones. Marcus Smith's position is also in contention, with England Assistant Coach Richard Wigglesworth backing the Harlequin as a fullback option.

The most hotly anticipated match-up of the weekend, sees two titans of international rugby collide in Pool B. If you watch any match this weekend, make sure it is this one, as Ireland and South Africa are sure to put on an absolute blockbuster to close out Saturday's action. The number one (Ireland) and two (South Africa) sides in the world, have been brought together due to the lop-sided early draw of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

With just 0.15 points separating the two sides in the World Rugby rankings, this one can truly go either way. The Springboks had a far more testing start to their Rugby World Cup campaign, with a competitive 18-3 win over Scotland getting them up and running. However, they followed suit with Ireland by recording a landslide win over Romania, with both the 'Boks and Ireland recording a points difference of more than 70 (Ireland 82-8, South Africa 72-0).

An unfortunate injury to Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx, has allowed South Africa to call fly-half Handre Pollard into the squad. However, Springboks Director of Rugby Rassie Erasamus has insisted that Pollard will play no part in the match against Ireland, unless the 'Boks suffer more injury blows. "He will definitely not be selected for this, apart from if we get two or three injuries." Erasamus said.

This match truly could be decided on a coin flip, with two sides at the very top of their games set to collide on Saturday night. There is no clear indicator towards an advantage, with Bongi Mbonambi being a more than capable replacement for the injured Marx. Ireland's strong performance against Tonga has further raised confidence, with a 59-16 win over an ex-All Blacks reinforced Sea Eagles side. With national pride set for an almighty crescendo, we favour Ireland in this one... just.

The overlooked match-up in Pool B this weekend with all eyes on the Springboks vs Ireland, Sunday's clash between Scotland and Tonga could be nothing short of a firecracker. Scotland do still have it all to play for to progress out of the pool, despite the heavy expectations of South Africa and Ireland reaching the knock-out stages from Pool B.

Gregor Townsend's men can improve their progression chances through a high-scoring win over Tonga, with an underdog victory against Ireland standing in their way to the play-offs. Tonga put on an entertaining performance against the world number ones last weekend, with the additions of ex-All Blacks Malakai Fekitoa, Charles Piutau, Augustine Pulu and George Moala all having their own explosive moments. Scotland are favourited to come away with the win in Nice, but Towsend's men will have to fight tooth and nail for the victory.

This match is expected to see Tonga come out of the blocks on fire, but eventually burn themselves out for a Scottish win. Tonga could well take a lead into half-time, yet we believe that the men from North of the border will claim the victory in this Pool B encounter. The sharpshooting of Finn Russell will be utilised, to keep the Scottish points tally ticking over for the win. Regardless of their choice of kit, Scotland will leave the ground black and blue, after an expected hard-hitting battle with the Pacific Islanders.

Eddie Jones' Australia have an true 'do or die' contest to round off the action on Sunday, as they take on Wales in Lyon. After the Fijian heroics handed the Wallabies a 22-15 defeat in Saint-Etinne, Australia must win against Wales if they want to keep their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages alive. Warren Gatland's side are two wins from two, and can all but stamp their spot in the next round if they defeat the Wallabies.

The unpredictable nature of Pool C continues, after Wales' dramatic win over Fiji came down to the wire a fortnight ago. Gatland's side then bounded together for an underwhelming win over Portugal, yet they did secure the bonus point with four tries scored. Australia took a losing bonus point away from last weekend's defeat to Fiji, in what could prove to be an all-important asset if the Wallabies and Pacific Islanders finish the pool stages level on points.

Australia Head Coach Eddie Jones faced criticism on his selection choices after the defeat to Fiji, notably from Wallabies legend Michael Hooper, who has been testing out his punditry after missing out on the Rugby World Cup. "When you are a television commentator, you are always right,” Jones said. 

“Maybe I need to become a television commentator then I’ll be right all the time. Look, we’ve gone with a young team, I’ve got no regrets at all. We are building a team for the future and we are going to go through some pain." This match will surly generate some fireworks, with current momentum swaying towards a third Welsh win in, to close out the weekend with high-scoring action from Pool C.