PinholeStar
Bluelighter
So it all kicks off on the 7th of September.
I for one can't wait, & it's promising to be a great tournament.
The mighty All Blacks are the odds-on favourites of course, but their aura of invincibility has slipped ever so slightly recently, & they've shown signs of weakness & fallibility this year. Will the enormous expectations be too much for them?
France can lay claim to be the best of the Northern hemisphere sides, have the home advantage, & history on their side too: with the exception of Wales in '99 the host nation has reached the final every time. With a solid defence & match-winners such as the ferocious Sebastien Chabal they'll be a potent threat.
Australia, as always, will be right up there because.......well, they're Australian. Stirling Mortlock has been an inspirational captain of late, they're the only team to have actually beaten the All Blacks recently, & they tend to peak at the right time. The one problem for them, & the one that I think will ultimately be their undoing is the occasional weakness of the front row.
South Africa are the last of the 'Big Four' that have every chance of going all the way. For sheer bludgeoning sledgehammer power no team can match them - see the picture above for an example of what their opponents have to contend with - but is that enough to win the tournament?
Of the other teams I think Ireland are the most likely to produce a major upset, as any team with O'Driscoll & Darcy in the centre is capable of being lethal on their day. As depressing as it is for me to admit, England have very little chance of defending their title, such has been their decline since 2003. This tournament will be a last hurrah for some wily old dogs such as Robinson, Dallaglio & Catt, but not much more I fear.
Argentina are my dark horses. If they can manage to navigate their way out of the pool of death (which means beating one of France or Ireland) then they could cause a real upset in the later stages of the tournament. With one of the most physical & powerful packs in the world they might just be worth keeping an eye on - the opening game aginst France should be a good one.
My overall prediction: a France v New Zealand final, with Richie McCaw lifting the Webb-Ellis trophy.
Anyone else? Thoughts? Predictions? Hopes? Any girls that fancy Dan Carter?
I for one can't wait, & it's promising to be a great tournament.
The mighty All Blacks are the odds-on favourites of course, but their aura of invincibility has slipped ever so slightly recently, & they've shown signs of weakness & fallibility this year. Will the enormous expectations be too much for them?
France can lay claim to be the best of the Northern hemisphere sides, have the home advantage, & history on their side too: with the exception of Wales in '99 the host nation has reached the final every time. With a solid defence & match-winners such as the ferocious Sebastien Chabal they'll be a potent threat.
Australia, as always, will be right up there because.......well, they're Australian. Stirling Mortlock has been an inspirational captain of late, they're the only team to have actually beaten the All Blacks recently, & they tend to peak at the right time. The one problem for them, & the one that I think will ultimately be their undoing is the occasional weakness of the front row.
South Africa are the last of the 'Big Four' that have every chance of going all the way. For sheer bludgeoning sledgehammer power no team can match them - see the picture above for an example of what their opponents have to contend with - but is that enough to win the tournament?
Of the other teams I think Ireland are the most likely to produce a major upset, as any team with O'Driscoll & Darcy in the centre is capable of being lethal on their day. As depressing as it is for me to admit, England have very little chance of defending their title, such has been their decline since 2003. This tournament will be a last hurrah for some wily old dogs such as Robinson, Dallaglio & Catt, but not much more I fear.
Argentina are my dark horses. If they can manage to navigate their way out of the pool of death (which means beating one of France or Ireland) then they could cause a real upset in the later stages of the tournament. With one of the most physical & powerful packs in the world they might just be worth keeping an eye on - the opening game aginst France should be a good one.
My overall prediction: a France v New Zealand final, with Richie McCaw lifting the Webb-Ellis trophy.
Anyone else? Thoughts? Predictions? Hopes? Any girls that fancy Dan Carter?
