‘Dark day’ if England win the World Cup
Having won the 2015 Rugby Championship, which included a rare win against New Zealand, Michael Cheika’s men will arrive in England in a confident mood. There’s genuine quality in all positions, with their set-piece game coming good at just the right time while at the back, Israel Folau adds the spark in attack. It’s the “Group of Death”, with their last two games against England and Wales. They’ve got the quality, but can they produce the goods over an extended period? England They’re certainly a team for the big tournament. Winners in 2003 and finalists in 2007, England will be among the favourites, but will they be able to deal with the pressure of challenging for the title on home soil? Stuart Lancaster’s men will back themselves at Twickenham, and after a fairly good build-up will be in confident mood. But the media in England can be very harsh and if the team don’t fire from the off, will feel the heat from several sides. Good enough to win. Wales For so many years they’ve promised so much, but this is perhaps one tournament where not too much is expected of Warren Gatland’s men. They haven’t been too convincing in 2015 and with some key men missing through injury, may find the going tough. It’s a helluva tough group and they’ll need to beat England and Aus- tralia to qualify. They’ll be passionate and fired-up, but they’ll need a minor miracle to get out of their group. Fiji Some pundits have gone so far as to suggest Fiji will be one of the teams to qualify from this very strong “group of death”. They’ve got some quality players – like powerhouse wing Nemani Nadolo – and we all know what they’re capable of in the Sevens game, but actually qualifying for the quarters... I don’t think so. They’ll always be physical, but there’s no way they’re going to beat Australia and England, who they face in the opening game. Uruguay One’s got to feel for the men from South America. They’ve got no chance of progressing, let alone winning a game. They were humbled 40-0 by Japan in their last warm-up game before heading to the tournament and they’re set to cop even bigger hidings in England. The 19th best team in the world failed to qualify for the last two tournaments, in 2007 and 2011. KEY GAMES England v Wales (Sept 26): The Six Nations rivals will square off in the first big match of the group, with the winner taking a giant leap towards qualifying for the quarters. The last time the teams met, in this year’s Six Nations, England triumphed 21-16 in Cardiff, and on home soil at Twickenham. Lancaster’s men will certainly start as favourites. Writing off Wales, though, would not be a wise decision. England v Australia (Oct 3): Australia v Wales (Oct 10): A massive match to end group play, with the winner – depending on who beat who earlier in the tournament – likely to progress to the quarters. The loser could even head home. Australia, simply because of their ranking and history against Wales, will be the favourites. The Wallabies also won their last meeting, a 33-28 win in Cardiff in November.
ISRAEL FOLAU: Adds the spark in attack. LONDON: Former All Black lock Ali Williams has hit out at England in a bizarre attack before the start of the Rugby World Cup.
The World Cup-winning second-row forward, who was part of the All Blacks successful side in 2011, blasted England’s rugby team as a relic of the British Empire.
And Williams also berated the Twickenham crowd, describing the atmosphere as “vindictive” and said it would be a “dark day” if the hosts won the tournament.
“The English always carry this consciousness of their grand past and would like to be reminded of their great empire,” Williams told French paper L’Equipe.
“It’s this that explains why all the big rugby nations want with all their heart to beat them: Australia, France, New Zealand, South Africa.
“The Welsh hate them and I’m not going to mention the Irish. They create a consensus against them. The worst defeats are those against the English. Perhaps because they lack nobility in their victories.”
Williams was equally scathing about the English fans, describing Twickenham as the worst stadium in the world to play at.
“It is the most hostile stadium there is,” he continued. “It’s actually worse than Pretoria. The atmosphere is really vindictive.
“The supporters sing and applaud when we miss a penalty, and whistle us if we do something they disapprove of in terms of playing style.
“If the English, the only team nobody wants to see win, win this World Cup, it will be a dark day.” – Daily Mail