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Half empty ? eh the bloody things overflowing at present ! If RWC 2007 was being played on the high veldt in South Africa there may be some cause for concern however given its not - move on people – there’s no show here ! The All Blacks last 3 trips to the Northern Hemisphere have produced unblemished records and look for the same thing to occur this September. Add to this, the fact that Henry will be taking a freshened, reconditioned, fully fit squad (save 2 locks) which will also provide skipper McCaw with 2 previous All Black test skippers in Rueben Thorne & Anton Oliver means he will be the best supported skipper we have ever sent to a World Cup tournament. In addition to this, the All Blacks have 2 players who can command the title ‘best in the world in Mc Caw & Carter plus a host of others who would command a starting place in any World XV line-up. I haven’t even started to mention the fact that every other major test playing side in the world at present is in relative disarray:
England have a coach with one foot in the grave, are weak beyond No 8 and appear to have put all their eggs in the ‘Jonny’ basket. France will go into the tournament with 5 consecutive hidings from the All Blacks behind them. South Africa appear to be our main threat however the Luke Watson selection scandal (imagine Jock Hobbs telling Graham Henry who he can & cant select) ?! & the fact that the Springboks have a less than enviable track record in Europe means their Super 14 momentum will soon be lost. Ireland appear to be the only genuine ‘Dark Horse’ however their winless history against the All Blacks surely means they will not progress past us should their paths cross. History can also be a good indicator of the future. 1999 saw 2 NZ sides in the S12 final and we all know what happened on the fateful day in Twickenham don’t we ?! Cast forward 4 years to 2003 where the Blues & Crusaders fought out the S12 final only to see the All Blacks dumped out at the Semi-final stage by the Wallabies – maybe no NZ sides in the Super 14 final this year must be a positive omen.
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