Sports After Dark

I usually try not to critique other’s opinions, but I saw this article on Sportingo and Sports Freak and felt I should post a rebuttal.

If RWC 2007 was being played on the high veldt in South Africa there may be some cause for concern however given its not - move on people – there’s no show here !

The All Blacks last 3 trips to the Northern Hemisphere have produced unblemished records and look for the same thing to occur this September.

Not convinced. The All Blacks were practically being crowned World Cup winners in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003 and we all know how those campaigns turned out.

Add to this, the fact that Henry will be taking a freshened, reconditioned, fully fit squad (save 2 locks) which will also provide skipper McCaw with 2 previous All Black test skippers in Rueben Thorne & Anton Oliver means he will be the best supported skipper we have ever sent to a World Cup tournament.

Fully fit squad? Currently we have one fit specialist centre, Isaia Toeava, Conrad Smith is injured; Mills Muliaina, who has played centre, is also injured; and Ma’a Nonu, who was called into the squad as cover picked up an injury at training. Add to that Jerry Collins out with a heel injury, Anton Oliver with a foot injury and Byron Kelleher with a hamstring strain.

Australia have a coach who is neither respected nor liked by half the team, have been forced into a ‘Co-Captain’ situation and haven’t had a tight 5 for the best part of 5 years – the emperor has no clothes on there for sure.

Fair call, but the Aussies have always had a knack for winning the big games. In 2003 the All Blacks were expected to beat them easily, instead the Wallabies dumped the All Blacks out of the competition.

England have a coach with one foot in the grave, are weak beyond No 8 and appear to have put all their eggs in the ‘Jonny’ basket.

It remains to be seen just how good the top England team will be. The team in South Africa at the moment is missing a number of stars and is not a true reflection of the state of English rugby.

France will go into the tournament with 5 consecutive hidings from the All Blacks behind them.

So what? Sure the French team currently touring will get pounded, but they only have five first choice players, the rest are playing in the French club competitions’ play-offs.  We have learned in the past, underestimate the French at your peril.

South Africa appear to be our main threat however the Luke Watson selection scandal (imagine Jock Hobbs telling Graham Henry who he can & cant select) ?! & the fact that the Springboks have a less than enviable track record in Europe means their Super 14 momentum will soon be lost.

The Springboks have shown through their Super 14 form that they will be a force to be reckoned with. To dismiss them so quickly is disrespectful, and to claim their poor touring record will stop all their momentum from Super 14 is laughable.

 Ireland appear to be the only genuine ‘Dark Horse’ however their winless history against the All Blacks surely means they will not progress past us should their paths cross.

Fair call, but like any top rugby nation, on their day they are capable of beating anybody, including the All Blacks.

History can also be a good indicator of the future. 1999 saw 2 NZ sides in the S12 final and we all know what happened on the fateful day in Twickenham don’t we ?!

Cast forward 4 years to 2003 where the Blues & Crusaders fought out the S12 final only to see the All Blacks dumped out at the Semi-final stage by the Wallabies – maybe no NZ sides in the Super 14 final this year must be a positive omen.

The Super 14 final was played in May, the World Cup final will be played in October. A lot can change in five months. In the 2003 World Cup the injury to Tana Umaga in the opening game disrupted the campaign greatly, an injury to Ritchie McCaw or Dan Carter could have the same effect on this year’s campaign.

It is far too early to be writing off every other rugby playing nation before the World Cup. The Northern Hemisphere teams are not even playing their top sides yet. Sure the All Blacks are probably the favourites for this tournament, but they have been favourites at just about every World Cup and have not lifted the Cup in 20 years.

Similar Posts:

• Winners and losers from All Black squad naming
• Carter the key as All Blacks get set for Springbok stampede
• Somerville looking good for World Cup return
• Two late changes as All Blacks prepare for second test against France
• All Blacks Locking Woes

The Let’s not get carried away by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.