Tectonic plates are shifting but All Blacks for the hat-trick

THREE of the top four teams on the World Rugby rankings hail from the Northern Hemisphere and there is no doubt that the tectonic plates are slowly but surely shifting.

But the northern teams will have to replicate the form they displayed during the Autumn internationals at the World Cup next year to stand a chance against the All Blacks.

At the last World Cup, there was a Southern Hemisphere monopoly, with all four semi-finalists hailing from the south.

While Australia and South Africa have dropped down the rankings, I feel you would still put your best bet on New Zealand winning the Webb Ellis trophy. However, with two wins against the All Blacks in the last three matches, it seems Ireland have got their number. Their success in Dublin proves that the All Blacks aren’t invincible and they will take a lot of heart out of that.

Ireland might feel like they are on top of the world having beaten New Zealand, but we cannot discount the fact that they are reliant on key figures in their team to stay fit. I think the All Blacks would be happy to have Ireland named as World Cup favourites, but the smart money would still be on New Zealand getting their third straight win come next year.