LOWDOWN ON WALES’ BIG RIVALS
POTENTIAL winners without question and even likelier finalists. Eddie Jones’ men, after a disappointing Six Nations, once again look in good shape.
The power they boast is breathtaking, with the likes of Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Ellis Genge and Joe Marler examples of huge men who are frighteningly mobile to go with it.
Having solved their shortcomings at the breakdown, thanks partly to the discovery of openside Tom Curry, the only question mark is their collective temperament. Once Wales got on top of them in Cardiff in February, England imploded, unable to plot their way back into the game. That’s a trick all World Cup contenders must master.
A TOPSY-TURVY year so far for Joe Schmidt’s team who, a year ago, you would have had down as one of THE favourites to win the World crown. Their two wins against Wales have sent them back to the top of the rankings and there’s little doubt, with their watertight defence, immense physical power up front, and Johnny Sexton’s navigational tendencies that they are genuine contenders.
When they play like they did against Wales in Dublin they are very hard to stop, but will they cope if denied the right to shape the pattern – as they were in Cardiff last March – and if the pace and tempo is raised?
Have they got what it takes? I don’t think so.
STILL 11-8 favourites with the bookies but unquestionably the All Blacks are not as feared as they were going into both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, which of course they won.
They’ve been thrashed by Australia and held to a 16-16 draw on home turf by South Africa already this year.
The Boks turned them over in Wellington last September and Ireland did the same in Dublin two months later. So there is an uncommon suggestion of vulnerability around the reigning champions.
It’s hard not to conclude they are at last suffering the effects of losing so many players to overseas clubs in recent years.
What that has done is reduced their previously phenomenal strength in depth. Nobody would be surprised to see them win it again, but a lot fewer would be surprised if they don’t. THE Wallabies have some lovely players but are they champion material? Not in my view, even accounting for that 46-27 win against the All Blacks in Perth last month.
They just do not possess the requisite squad strength. Sure, people like David Pocock and Michael Hooper are world class and, on his day, fly-half Bernard Foley too.
But the Aussies have lost their best game-breaker in Israel Folau and were beaten by Argentina, Wales, England and Ireland during a torrid 2018.
They have held a welldocumented Indian sign over Wales in the recent past, but expect Warren Gatland’s men to beat them in the pool. It would be little surprise to see Australia then come a cropper in the quarterfinals.
TWO years ago you wouldn’t have given the Springboks a hope in hell of winning this World Cup. How times change; they now look equipped to do just that.
It’s what they’ve done off the field that has tipped the scales – scrapping the 30 cap eligibility criteria for foreign-based players and also the controversial racial quota selection policy.
Coach Rassie Erasmus has got them organised and in the last year they certainly seem to have had the measure of the All Blacks. South Africa have proven warriors in all departments of their pack, people like Eben Etzebeth at lock and No.8 Duane Vermeulen.
They’ve also rediscovered control and game-management at half-back via the partnership of scrum-half Faf de Klerk and No.10 Handre Pollard. Once more they have a depth of quality and power.
There may be a slight doubt about their defensive solidity in wide areas, but write them off at your peril.