Rugby World Cup
Key Stats for Round Two of the Rugby World Cup
Opta Stats
September 23, 2015
Australia v Fiji Preview

As the Rugby World Cup rolls into the second round of the tournament, Opta Stats has compiled some key stats to get you ready for another big round of action.

While Australia, Namibia, Romania and Scotland finally get the chance to kick off their World Cup campaigns, Japan are faced with the hard task of backing up their shock win over South Africa in the opening weekend, while Argentina look to bounce back from their loss to New Zealand with a win over Georgia.

Check out these stats to whet your appetite before the round two action kicks off.

Scotland v Japan

- Scotland faced Japan at the 1991 and 2003 World Cups, winning each game by more than 20 points.

- Scotland's largest Test victory came against the Cherry Blossoms in 2004; they ran out 100-8 winners and scored 15 tries.

- Ayumu Goromaru scored 24 points on his RWC debut against South Africa, the most ever by a Japan player in a RWC game.

- Including their memorable win over South Africa on Saturday, Japan have won just two RWC matches, their other victory a 52-8 win against Zimbabwe in Belfast in 1991.

- Japan won 19 of 20 set piece plays when they had the feed/throw against South Africa, 12/13 lineouts and 7/7 scrums.

Japan will be looking to continue their winning run against Scotland © Getty Images
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Australia v Fiji

- Australia have limited the Fijians to single figures in five of their last eight meetings.

- The Wallabies' last four wins over the Islanders have all been by margins greater than 40 points. They scored 31 tries in those four outings, three of which were since 2007.

- The Wallabies are unbeaten in 15 games against Fiji, and have won their last 12 in a row against the Pacific Islanders.

- Fiji have lost just one of their last six international Tests.

- Fiji have scored a try in each of their last 29 Tests, last failing to score in their final game of the 2011 World Cup against Wales. This is the longest such current run in Test rugby.

Fiji will be looking to bounce back and change their fortunes when they take on Australia © AFP/Getty Images
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France v Romania

- These two sides met in the 1987 and 1991 World Cups, with the two matches producing 100 points in total. France won each of those matches by over 25 points and by a combined margin of 70 points.

- France have won three Tests in a row, their best run since 2012. Romania, however, have won three of their last four Tests and have won six of nine in 2015 overall.

- Freddie Michalak (122) needs three points to overtake Thierry Lacroix (124) as France's top points-scorer in Rugby World Cup history.

- The Oaks are aiming to win their first World Cup game since 2007 having failed to win any of their games in the 2011 tournament. They are currently on a run of five defeats in the Rugby World Cup.

France will be aiming to make it four Test wins in a row © Getty Images
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New Zealand v Namibia

- This is the first meeting between these nations.

- Namibia were on the wrong end of the heaviest defeat in World Cup history (0-142 vs Australia in 2003) while New Zealand were responsible for three of the five largest wins in Webb Ellis history.

- The All Blacks have never lost in the Pool Stage of the Rugby World Cup; winning all 25 games in this round.

- Namibia have lost all 15 of their games at the Rugby World Cup by an average margin of 55 points.

Sonny Bill Williams is unlikely to face much resistance when he plays Namibia © Getty Images
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Argentina v Georgia

- These nations met at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, matches that Los Pumas won by 30 and 18-point margins respectively.

- These two countries also met two years ago in what was their closest clash to date; Argentina winning 29-18 on home soil. The Georgians also led at half-time in this match.

- Georgia have never beaten a Tier One team in the tournament; the only non-Tier One teams Argentina have lost to in the RWC are Samoa (twice) and Fiji.

- Georgia completed 201 tackles compared to Tonga's 51 in their tournament-opening victory, it was the most in a World Cup game since France made 226 in their 2007 win against New Zealand.

Argentina will be hoping history will remain on their side against Georgia © Getty Images
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England v Wales

- England are aiming for three straight victories over Wales for the first time since 2011.

- England have lost two of their last five Tests at Twickenham against their border rivals but prior to that won 10 in a row against Wales at HQ.

- In their last three defeats against Wales (2011-2013), England failed to score a try. However, England have failed to score a try just once in their last 15 Tests.

- Mike Brown gained 191 metres against Fiji, the most of any player across the opening weekend of fixtures.

- Justin Tipuric made 11/11 tackles against Uruguay, and has now recorded 67 tackles in 2015 Test rugby without missing one.

The rivalry will heat up when Wales and England take each other on to top Pool A © Getty Images
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South Africa v Samoa

- The first three meetings between these teams at the World Cup saw an aggregate winning margin of 130 points for South Africa, but they defeated Samoa by just eight points in 2011.

- The Springboks are enduring their worst calendar year in the professional era having lost four of five Test matches in 2015. In a calendar year that has featured five or more internationals, their worst run of form came in 1965 when they won one and lost seven.

- Samoa have not won back-to-back games at a single edition of this tournament since 2003.

- Samoa were accurate with 19 of 20 lineout throws against USA, while their opponents lost four of 13 throws. The Samoans were also perfect at the scrum (8/8).

Samoa will be hoping to pounce on a wounded South Africa © Getty Images
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Italy v Canada

- Italy have won the last four Tests between these nations having lost two of their first three against the North American nation.

- Defeat for Italy would signal their third straight loss at the Rugby World Cup and their worst run of form at the tournament since losing four in a row between 1999 and 2003.

- Canada's last six defeats have come by an average margin of 34 points, while the other three matches since 2007 have produced two draws and a five-point win.

- The Maple Leafs misplaced five of 17 lineout throws against Ireland, while Italy were successful with 13 of 14 throws.

- Canada have lost nine of their last 10 internationals but in their last six defeats they have touched down for 12 tries.

Canada and Italy will both be searching for their first wins of the tournament © Getty Images
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