England vs Australia will be the match of the third week of the 2015 Rugby World Cup as the momentum of the quadrennial tournament slowly hits fever pitch.
The hosts completely lost their bearings in the second half of their match against Wales on Saturday, allowing their opponents to manage a tremendous comeback, which has pretty much made their third 2015 Rugby World Cup match in Pool A – against the Wallabies – a must-win.
If England are to stay in contention for a place in the quarterfinals, a victory over Australia will be necessary, something the coach Stuart Lancaster is well aware of.
"It does feel like a World Cup final," Lancaster said. "Everything rests on this. It's knockout rugby and we're playing against a high-quality team.
"We have beaten them twice in the last two years, but we will have to be at our best. I was impressed by what they did in the Rugby Championship and how much they've improved."
There is plenty of buildup time for that mega contest, though, with the first match of the third week of this World Cup to be one between Tonga and Namibia, two teams who are not exactly expected, and haven't, set this World Cup on fire.
With a rest day scheduled for Wednesday as well, we have two matches on Thursday, as Wales target a third consecutive win when they host Fiji at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while another of the favourites – France – play Canada.
The defending champions New Zealand take the spotlight on Friday, when the play Georgia, before a triple-header is scheduled for Saturday.
Samoa play Japan in the first match, with both teams looking to bounce back from losses, while South Africa will want to build on the momentum from their victory over the Samoans when they face a tricky match against Scotland, who will fancy maximum points against the Springboks as well.
Two matches are scheduled for Sunday, as Argentina play Tonga, while Ireland will want to keep their unbeaten run going when they face Italy.
2015 Rugby World Cup Week 3 schedule: Tuesday, September 29: Match 20: Pool C: Tonga vs Namibia (4.45 pm BST, 9.15 pm IST, 11.45 am ET) at Sandy Park, Exeter.
Thursday, October 1: Match 21: Pool A: Wales vs Fiji (4.45 pm BST, 9.15 pm IST, 11.45 am ET) at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
Match 22: Pool D: France vs Canada (8 pm BST, 12.30 am IST, 3 pm ET) at Stadiummk, Milton Keynes.
Friday, October 2: Match 23: Pool C: New Zealand vs Georgia (8 pm BST, 12.30 am IST, 3 pm ET) at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
Saturday, October 3: Match 24: Pool B: Samoa vs Japan (2.30 pm BST, 7 pm IST, 9.30 am ET) at Stadiummk, Milton Keynes.
Match 25: Pool B: South Africa vs Scotland (4.45 pm BST, 9.15 pm IST, 11.45 am ET) at St James' Park, Newcastle.
Match 26: Pool A: England vs Australia (8 pm BST, 12.30 am IST, 3 pm ET) at Twickenham, London.
Sunday, October 4: Match 27: Pool C: Argentina vs Tonga (2.30 pm BST, 7 pm IST, 9.30 am ET) at Leicester City Stadium, Leicester.
Match 28: Pool D: Ireland vs Italy (4.45 pm BST, 9.15 pm IST, 11.45 am ET) at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
