A balanced Aussie Perspective....!!
Finally less than a week to go until Rugby kicks itself into top gear. It's been a tough
wait but it'll be worth it. The Wallabies are well and truly in Dublin and injuries
appear to have come good at just the right time. I've got the special Rugby TV
guide, (full credit to Channel 7 Sydney for having all but two of the games free to air),
the five hour video tapes so I can catch the not quite so important games at more
respectable hours (but Sunday night will involve no sleep with NZ, SA and Oz all playing
on the same night) and a really big sign in the shape of a Wallaby jersey telling the boys
to 'Bring Back Bill' hanging outside my house. I am ready.
What you all want to know I'm sure is why Australia is going to win the World Cup. Never fear as I shall delight in telling you, and you may not like it.
| 1 | We have Herbie and you do not. He will go bananas all day. 'Nuff said. |
| 2 | We have a fly half playing again. Larks will be receiving the ball from Georgie, and this frees up Timmy to play in the centre position he was put on this rock to excel in, instead of battling away in a role he is not suited to. Not only that but we have found a suitable fly half replacement in Kafer, in the too-awful-to-contemplate possibility that Larkham becomes broken again. Larkham should create a little bit of much-needed unpredictability in our backline moves. |
| 3 | John Eales, the man we call Nobody, is back in business. His ability to single-handedly lift his troops and lead by example is, I think, second to none. And his ability to run, kick and jump isn't too shabby either. Let's face it, Nobody really is perfect. |
| 4 | I will see your Lomu and raise you a Tune, who is a brilliant attacking player, and doesn't need Matthew Burke to cover for him every time the opposition put a little chip kick over his head. Incidentally, Jeff Wilson does do a very good job of cleaning up Lomu's scraps while he is looking silly. Believe me, they will do that to Lomu all day. You had just better hope that he scores more points than he gives away... Then again, it is all too possible that I shall be eating these words. I too remember 1995 and the damage Lomu can do (Fear of Lomu and a certain drop goal by a dirty Pom are the two things I remember most vividly from that time). I have to call it how I see it though. The absolute integrity demanded of pieces of writing on RugbyHeads allows me to do no less. |
| 5 | This year's World Cup is looking like it will have some fairly special moments in it, and others which may not be quite so special. The real quest will begin in the quarter final play-offs I suppose, but I am hoping that the decision to again include teams with little to no hope of returning home victorious will pay off in spades, improving the popularity of the game they play in heaven in more locations here on earth. We can only hope. Having said that, there are still enough teams present who can claim the prize so as to make it a really interesting competition in the latter stages, with the probability of at least a couple of surprise results throwing all the 'expert' predictions of who will meet whom at which stage in the tournament out of the proverbial window. |
| 6 | The Kiwis out there (almost everyone reading this) may be surprised to learn that whenever Australia are not playing and indeed, in the most unlikely event that we are ousted from the tournament, I shall be going for the All Blacks. Those of you who read my postings in the public forum section will know that already. If not and you are curious as to why an Aussie would ever contemplate following the All Blacks, you shall have to go and find the posting or die wondering. |
That is probably nearly as much ranting from this side of the
Tasman that you can take for now so I shall wind it up. Expect more soon, however. My
prediction for the World Cup final? Surprise, surprise, Australia to play New Zealand. As
to the victor, I believe you all already know who I am going for. Bring it on.
