All of the major teams at Rugby World Cup 2007 have now played one game and, while the quality of opposition varied, some teams have put in very good performances and others will have alarm bells ringing after poor showings. The divide between Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams has been obvious as the Southern Hemisphere teams have all played well, while the performances from their Northern rivals ranged from average to dreadful.

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Rugby’s show-piece kicks off in a week’s time and fans from all around the world are trying to decide who will be the first of the contenders to slip up. Unfortunately any upsets will not be happening in the first week.

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In the final instalment of the Keys to Victory Hamish McBrearty takes a look at some of the tournament’s dark horses and how they could derail some of the more fancied team’s campaigns.

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The Rugby World Cup is just six weeks away and fans everywhere are making their picks for who will bring bome the William Webb Ellis trophy, but the road to glory is a tough one.

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Looking back at the past five World Cups, a pattern among the winning teams emerges, and if that pattern continues this year the play of just one man could decide the winner.
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As Rugby World Cup 2007 draws ever closer and fans wonder which stars will shine and which stars will fall in France, why not take a nostalgic look back at the players who shone at the previous five World Cups?

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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.

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The club season is over and now it is time for national teams to come together for the road to France and the Rugby World Cup. This weekend saw three test matches and a number of other international fixtures.

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Almost a week ago I posted an article to Sportingo saying that the semi finalists were a fore gone conclusion and got quite a bit of flak for it. After today’s win by South Africa, it looks like I was right.

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The schedule tells us this is the final game of the round robin series but in reality today’s Commonwealth Bank Series game is a sudden death match between New Zealand and England. Both teams have 2 wins each, and victory for either will put them through to the final to play Australia.

England come into this game on a high, having beaten Australia in their last outing and now have been given a further boost with the news that captain Michael Vaughan has been passed fit to play. Vaughan’s addition strengthens an English top order that is finally beginning to show some form. England made 292 against Australia on Friday in Sydney with Ed Joyce scoring 107 and Ian Bell 51. The English bowlers restricted Australia to a mere 200 in that game with some accurate bowling, but this has been an inconsistent summer for the English attack and they may struggle to reach those heights again.

New Zealand’s line up has been getting stronger and stronger this summer as players like Jacob Oram and Scott Styris returned from injury. The addition of Lou Vincent has re-energized the top order, allowing the batting line up to post some big scores. Recently New Zealand has been let down by their bowling, giving away too many runs and not taking enough wickets. Shane Bond has looked flat in recent outings and may struggle to back up, having played Sunday night.

England have won the toss and chosen to bat first on a pitch that looks just about perfect for batting. Today is a typical Brisbane day, hot and humid, which will make fielding for the New Zealanders uncomfortable. Traditionally teams that win the toss, bat first and score a lot of runs almost always win at Brisbane, so the challenge in front of England it to score around 280. New Zealand will need early wickets to slow the English run rate, something their attack is capable of if Bond, James Franklin and Mark Gillespie are on their game.

Both teams’ bowling attacks hold the key to this game on a hard and true pitch. On a perfect batting wicket it will be the bowlers who decide which team will go on to face Australia in the finals series.