August Internationals: Round 3 Predictions

We have just two matches to pick in this weekend's round of our August Internationals predictor. Excitement for the World Cup continues to build with the tournament now less than a month away! Here are Hutch's picks for the Round 3 fixtures:

Scotland v France

The Scots were well-beaten in Nice last weekend, but this will be a completely different team with 14 changes and only Stuart Hogg retained. The likes of Hamish Watson, Ryan Wilson, Finn Russell and Tommy Seymour all return, and they’ll be a much stronger side as a result.

France have only made 4 changes, and will be looking for some winning momentum ahead of the Rugby World Cup, but in Edinburgh, I’m picking Scotland to win. Scotland by 4

England v Ireland

England return to Twickenham this weekend, with several more of the first-choice lineup set to feature against Ireland.

It’s a strong Ireland team, save for Ross Byrne in the key fly-half position who makes his first start, auditioning to be one of Jonny Sexton’s understudies. Otherwise the likes of Tadhg Furlong, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Garry Ringrose and Jacob Stockdale could well cause problems.

I fancy England to win though: the personnel changes should ensure a significant improvement on last week, and with home advantage in a match with little at stake, hopefully England will prevail. England by 7