Monday 24 September 2007
My World Cup Predictions
Based on the All Blacks' games so far:
- All Blacks lose to France in the quarter-final; a high error rate snuffs out promising attacks and France score intercept tries.
- The international press, who have been praising the All Blacks to the skies, explain how over-rated they always were.
- The rest of the rugby world learns that the way to ensure the ABs do not win the World Cup is to never, ever play your A team against them except in the knockout stages of the WC.
- The press gloats about how the ABs never win the WC, which is the only contest that matters. At the same time, the press complains that no-one takes non-WC games seriously anymore.
- The press complains that conservative, keep-it-tight rugby is boring. At the same time, the press ridicules the ABs for playing a wide game, which everyone knows is not the way to win the World Cup (the only contest that matters, see above).
Comments
They can't afford not to have solid bases, of course, but "keep-it-tight" "down-to-earth" "aim-low-reach-low" rugby is only sufficient to win against Ireland or England (although Wilkinson tends to make his team play wider and more supercool).
Any of Springboxes, Wallabies or All Blacks is far more difficult a team to chew.
[I personally think Chabal is only part of the team, a good player, but Michalak or Ellisalde impress me far more]