It’s been very much a case of paralysis by analysis in the last few weeks leading up to the Rugby World Cup. From coaches playing mind games and an unlimited amount of former players being asked for their opinions to article after article about who will shine at the tournament and who won’t from every publication across the world (yes including us!), it’s fair to say we’re all probably very fatigued with the conjecture.
With the Rugby World Cup set to kick off late on Friday, many will just be looking forward to rugby publications shutting up and finally allowing the players to do their talking on the field.
Who will win it? Who’s going to star? Who’s going to exceed expectation? Almost every Rugby World Cup-related question imaginable has been dealt with in some way by at least one rugby publication. But as Shane Williams said it best in an interview a fortnight ago; “the coaches know that talking means very little if it’s not backed up on the field” – so let’s talk turkey and wait for the players to do their talking on the field.
Who will fly, who will falter, who will disappoint, who will surprise, who will win?
1. Who will fly?
Israel Folau will be the star regardless of whether Australia win the tournament. He’s a handful against any time in the world and will be up their with the most try-scorers of the tournament.
2. Who will fall?
Sam Burgess will play a bit part in England’s Rugby World Cup campaign but it won’t be all his fault. Lancaster won’t trust Burgess enough to throw him in the fire when it counts.
3. What team will finish below expectation?
Ireland won’t make it past the quarter final stage again as they will likely fall to France in the pool match which will pit them up against the All Blacks.
4. What team will surprise?
Making an appearance in the Rugby World Cup for the first time since joining the Rugby Championship, Argentina will surprise a lot of people at this tournament. It’s likely that they will lose against New Zealand in their cup opener but they will surprise France in the quarter final.
5. What team will win it?
It’s very tough to go past New Zealand. The team management and the team’s leadership group have all been here before. Envied by every national sporting team in the world, they will be the first to defend the Rugby World Cup.