World Cup Daily: September 25 Preview

Total Sport takes a look at what day six has in store at the Rugby World Cup, as Argentina return to action following their opening clash wake-up call with New Zealand.

Their opponents in pool C cut the shape of Georgia, ranked 13th in the world and returning to action after defeating Tonga 17-10 in their first game of the tournament... 

Today at the World Cup

Just the one locking of horns on day six, as Argentina and Georgia meet at Kingsholm. The venue played host to Georgia's opening game victory, taking the scalp of Tonga and producing a few gasps from the rugby world.

The sides have met previously on three occasions, with Argentina taking the victory each time. Undoubtedly the favourites for this clash, they will be hoping to bring some of their anguish from the New Zealand defeat to the table, and use it in their favour.

Argentina will however be with lock Mariano Galarza, who has been banned for nine weeks and will miss the remainder of the World Cup after making contact 'with the eye or eye area' of New Zealand's Brodie Retallick in the opening fixture. Georgia have room to be confident.

Their opening performance gave them their third ever World Cup win, was solid, and, in past encounters, Georgia have shown they can put 18 points past their Argie counterparts.

Who to watch

Guido Petti started brightly for Argentina in the clash against New Zealand, scoring the only try for his nation in the first period. For Argentina to be effective and take the game to Georgia, Petti will need to be gifted the room to work in by the players around him. Despite taking a big hit against the All Blacks, Petti should have recovered sufficiently by the time Georgia come knocking.

In the Georgian ranks, captain Mamuka Gorgodze ran the show in the opening game from number eight, and will need to call upon similarly inspired form if his nation are to pull off a shock defeat of New Zealand. The 31-year-old has plenty of experience from the French professional top flight, and will have to guide those around him for maximum results.

When to watch

The game kicks off at 4.45pm on Friday, broadcast live on ITV. Gloucester is the destination, with Kingsholm charged with the responsibility of hosting the sides.

World Cup meal

Starter: Matambre arrollado. The Argies are renowned for their meat, and this main is no different. This super slim cut of beef, like a flank steak, is thinly sliced then stuffed with vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, herbs and olives. The meat is rolled around the filling, then boiled, baked or grilled. Matambre translates literally to “hunger killer” and arrollado as “to roll-up.” The story goes that owing to the thin cuts of meat, these are often the first meats ready on the grill, staving off hunger while waiting for the rest of the asado to catch-up. Main:

To continue, a small dish of Khinkali. You know what that is, right? A very popular Georgian dumpling made of twisted knobs of dough, stuffed with meat and spices. It is considered to be one of the national dishes of the region. Khinkali in all it's... glory. Khinkali in all it's... glory.

Dessert: Chocotorta - As the name suggests, this is indeed a chocolate cake, although quite unlike any other. This ubiquitous sweet treat is a chocoholics dream: a multilayered cake with an Argentine twist. One layer of dark chocolate biscuit is followed by a layer of dulce de leche mixed with a cream cheese equivalent, followed by another layer ofdulce de leche, and on and on it goes…

Predictions

It would be huge for Georgian to go on and pull off another landmark victory, and we just cannot see it happening.

Argentina have to put right a few wrongs and get points on the board, and that is something they will certainly be looking to do in this encounter. It remains to be seen how Argentina will set up, perhaps favouring a more conservative approach so as to safely see the win away with minimal fuss.

That said, all out attack could also be preferred - we're going for a win by around 14 points. Ladbrokes also look favourably upon the Argentinians, and a list of their best odds can be found here.