New Zealand remain firm favourites to retain the Rugby World Cup title they won on home soil in 2011, a year out from the 20-team tournament in England.
Thursday will mark exactly a year to the day until the first match of rugby union’s showpiece event, which will be staged in the sport’s birthplace from September 18-October 31, 2015.
The All Blacks buried 24 years of hurt by not, for once, choking and deservedly going on to scoop rugby union’s ultimate prize three years ago, although not before a desperately close 8-7 final win over France.
Victorious coach Graham Henry has since passed the reins to assistant Steve Hansen, who has seen fit to hand skipper Richie McCaw and fly-half Dan Carter — ruled out of the 2011 World Cup with a groin injury — sabbaticals to keep his key, albeit ageing, men in prime form for what promises to be a tough finale to their careers in England.
Hansen has also continued the team’s winning ways.
The All Blacks are currently closing in on their third consecutive Rugby Championship, enjoy a 36-home Test winning streak and their sole defeat since winning the last World Cup came against England at Twickenham in December 2012.
New Zealand look certain to dominate Pool B, first up against ever-improving Argentina, but then with three games against second-tier nations Tonga, Georgia and Namibia.
Should they win the pool, they will come up against the runners-up of Pool D, from which a Six Nations team will miss out, with France up against Ireland and Italy, along with Canada and Romania.
The Springboks will certainly be favourites to safely negotiate Pool B, which will likely see Samoa’s final match against Scotland at St James’ Park deciding the runner-up.
Pool A, however, is what Rugby World magazine’s Stephen Jones has dubbed “preposterously strong with Australia, England, Wales and Fiji together, and leaving other pools of laughable weakness”.
England, on home soil, with a hardened pack and a team determined to put the off-field shenanigans of 2011 behind them, should qualify, potentially leaving an Australia-Wales clash in Twickenham as the crunch match.
But who would write off Fiji, who famously beat the Welsh in 2007 and pushed the ‘Boks all the way in the resulting quarter-final?
“South Africa and England are favoured as the next best bets, partly because they are the two nations on Earth not in awe of New Zealand,” Jones said in the Sunday Times.
“Whether that can stop flashes of genius from the likes of Ben Smith, Julian Savea and Kieran Read is a different matter.
“Teams will know that they cannot afford to turn over any ball to New Zealand, and that their own kicking game must be immaculate. If these aspects are in place, New Zealand are eminently beatable next year.”
