Now, it's not that I've been locked up by NZ Immigration for the last 4 weeks, or busy at work, or even that I (for once!) don't have an opinion about the World Cup so far. No, it was always my intension to stay underneath the radar until the start of the Quarter Finals. When we all knew the REAL World Cup would start.... (Plus, after the disappointment of 2003, I wanted to see how the Boks perform against England, before I REALLY started talking up their chances...)
In saying that, it's not that I haven't enjoyed watching Portugal (Eddie Andrews take note: THAT'S how you sing your National Anthem!!) or Georgia running the (useless) Irish close. But, I just couldn't sustain the excitement levels when I knew the All Blacks were scheduled to play Italy, Portugal and wait for it.... that power house of Eastern European rugby, Romania...
The most frustrating bit, I guess, was having to sit through the game against the Scots in Edinburgh. (I'm not talking about the quality of rugby, but there I was under the impression this year's World Cup was played in France!! Silly me....) Mmmmm... YAAAAAAWN... So, on the eve of the first quarter final, I can finally say: BRING IT ON!!
First up we have France vs All Blacks: Sorry, but I won't be caught with my pant-sssssh down this time, romanticizing about the possibility of an upset. This (unfortunately) is like predicting WP will smash the Bulls at Loftus. (or, it seems even at Newlands nowadays... eisssshh!!)
Bottom line is France haven't beaten the All Blacks since 2000, when they met in Marseille, and although you can argue "but, surely it's gotta change at some stage", I just can't see it be any different this weekend in Cardiff. It's just too much like the period between 2000 and 2004 for my liking. That was the period when the Springboks couldn't buy a victory at home against the All Blacks... The players just didn't have the belief or actual experience of winning against their opponents dressed in black. We had to wait 4 long years for a bunch of Springbok youngsters to run an established All Black outfit close in the opening game of the 2004 Tri Nations in Christchurch, before they realised their opponents weren't invincible. The rest is history... 40 -26 at Ellis Park two weeks later... Order restored, 'nuff said!
Now, I'll admit: I was hoping for an upset, but that hope was quickly chucked aside yesterday, when I saw the make up of the France team... Laporte just doesn't get it, hey!! He played a wing at fulback in the opening game against the Argies, and one would've thought he learned his lesson after that embarrassing defeat.... But noooooo!! This week he's opting for an inside centre at fullback.. Traille was disappointing at flyhalf against the All Blacks last year, and I just can't see him redeem himself, by playing out of position again...
Make no mistake, the Frogs will be up for this one, but I see the AB's run away with it in the last 15 minutes.. (again!)
All Blacks by 15 points
Then, we have England vs Wallabies. I must admit, I'm in a bit of a spin here... I don't really want either of them to reach the semi finals, to be brutally honest with you!! But, I just can't see England giving the AB's a decent work out in a semi final, so it's gotta be the Aussies then, I guess... (some more crying in the shower scheduled for me tonight!!)
To me it's quite ironic how everyone reflected on England's pi$$poor performance against the Boks, by simply saying "they're the worst England team ever", but now John Connolly and co wants to claim the underdog status for this weekend's fixture against the Poms... Aag sjym, John!! How stupid do you fink we are???
Yes, Johnny and Jason Robinson are playing.. and yes, Andy Farrell's injury can only be an advantage to the England backline, but's quite simple, really: England's not good enough to win this World Cup! They're exactly like the Boks of 2003: Second in their pool, looking ok at times against average opposition, but only to crash out in the quarters, when the heat's on.
Wallabies to take this one with 7 - 12 points.
Scotland vs Argentina: Argentina's undoubtedly been the stars of this World Cup. No real surprise, really... Their recent record against France speaks for itself. Hell, they even secured a victory against the World Champions at Twickenham before the Springboks managed to... It's a pity they haven't played that often against their Southern Hemisphere counterparts in recent years... Maybe we're a little bit scared of losing against these boys??
Scotland couldn't score a try against Italy.. Do I need to say more? Against the Argies it won't be any easier.. Sure, Chris Patterson will kick the points when they're on offer, but oportunities might be limited. To win this one, they're gonna have to create tries, and I just can't see that quite happening against the Argenitian defence.
Argies by 15
Then, the Boks vs Fiji: All I have to say about this one, is to add a quote from Jake White: "if the Springboks can't beat Fiji and possibly Argentina to reach a World Cup final, they don't deserve to be here".
They won't be complacent, they won't underestimate the Fijians. Don't try to win the crowd over by playing a loose, sevens type game. Play it structured, strangle the life out of them the first 50 - 60 minutes, and then things might start opening up...
Boks by 20...
I'll sign off this week, by commenting on the following. I've been copping a fair amount of abuse from my Kiwi mates (surprise, surprise... yes, I do actually have friends... I have to pay most of them, but still..) this week, about my sudden love for the French. They're saying "you just want France to beat the AB's, because you're jealous and scared".. My reply to that: Spot on, I couldn't agree more with you, mate!!!
Why did the whole of South Africa enjoy the result of the 2005 Currie Cup final, when the Cheetahs came from behind to upset the Bulls??
Why did we enjoy it when Zimbabwe beat the Aussies in the recent 20/20 Cricket World Cup?
Or, why did the locals here in NZ start jumping up and down when Tonga was only one bounce away from upsetting the Boks?? Not because "it would've been great for world rugby had they won the game"... Kak man!! No, my chaainas - You know that would've put a serious dent in the Boks' title aspirations if they lost that one! And that's the truth, and that's all that matter!
At the end of the day, we're not all that different, it seems...
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