Centre Stage

With only two warm-up matches to go before England jet off down under, it’s safe to say that ‘Johno’ will already know 95% of his final squad. An injury scare to Lewis Moody may lead to a small re-shuffle of the back-row options, but all in all, there are only a handful of places up for grabs; most notably in the back-row and the back three.

In the midfield, it looks like England will take all four of the initially selected centres. However, they may opt to omit one, with Armitage or Banahan able to offer another option in the middle. But what combination will the World Champions of 2003 go for? Tournament talk takes a look at the possibilities.

Hape & Tindall

The partnership used in England’s successful Six Nations campaign. Hape and Tindall give England solidity in midfield. They may lack in creativity as a pairing, but offer a solid defensive game as well as strong and direct ball carrying.

Flutey & Tindall

Ricky Flutey’s early form in Test rugby was fantastic and earned the New Zealand born centre a Lions call-up. His ability to act as a second distributor as well as a hard running inside centre probably put him ahead of Hape in the pecking order. Flutey and Tindall complement each other nicely and I think ‘Johno’ will opt for this combination when England face Argentina on September 10^th.

Tindall & Tuilagi

In Manu Tuilagi, England have found something very different; his South-Sea flair and style in attack and aggression in defence were on show for all to see against Wales. Despite a few defensive frailties, first exposed by O’Driscoll in the Heineken Cup, Tuilagi brings an X-factor to England’s back-line. A pairing of Tindall and Tuilagi would be strong and powerful but in all reality, Tuilagi may have to settle for a place on the bench and a role as an ‘impact player.’

Mike Tindall is almost certain to start the tournament and, with question marks over the fitness of Lewis Moody, the Gloucester man may be asked to captain the side. Delon Armitage and Matt Banahan can also play their part in the centre but barring an injury crisis, won’t be required to start a game there.

Follow the RWC 11 on Tournament Talk. Become a follower and keep an eye out for any new features. 

Photographs from RFU.com.

World Cup fever...

The training camps have been completed, the squads have been cut and the warm-up games have begun. If Rugby World Cup fever hasn’t got you yet, it’s definitely not far away. Well, I’m assuming you are a rugby fan and not just a lost football supporter trying to search ‘Rooney’ on Google.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup has already surfaced many questions; will a smaller nation upset the odds, much like Samoa did against Australia a short while ago? Which players will shine on the big stage? And will the All Blacks finally shift the ‘chokers’ tag from around their neck and exert complete dominance on the rugby world?

On the topic of smaller nations upsetting the odds, Samoa’s barnstorming display against Australia should really concern Wales and South Africa. As with every Pacific Island side, their performance was full of robust and aggressive tackling as well as dynamic ball carrying. But this time it had an added extra; a touch of class and a string of high-class, clinical finishes. Alessana Tuilagi will always steal the majority of Samoan headlines, but in Eliota Fuimano-Sapola they have a centre capable of breaking the down the strongest of defences. His flair and array of unorthodox passes and offloads could well prove to be a key factor in the Samoans’ campaign.

In 2003, a certain Jonny Wilkinson stole the tournament plaudits for a number of flawless displays as well as the winning drop-goal. 2007 was the year of the ‘Bok; Habana top scored with eight tries and Victor Matfield was the outstanding forward, with dominant performances in the line-out as well as strong work in the open. But who will be the star of 2011? Quade Cooper’s impressive performances in the Super 15 competition have certainly made him one to watch when the tournament kicks off in early September. A dominant Six Nations campaign from England’s Chris Ashton has also attracted much attention. But the flying Northampton winger is still to prove that he has what it takes to compete against the best in the world. 

However, in my opinion, it’s difficult to look past Daniel Carter. The Crusaders outside-half is the conductor of the All Blacks orchestra and having watched him during the early Tri-Nations clashes looks in commanding form.  Nine out of ten times, if DC gets its right, so do New Zealand.

In terms of competition winners, the script is written for New Zealand to shake off their doubters and win the Webb-Ellis Cup. The disastrous earthquakes that shook Christchurch and threatened the tournament itself will be sure to motivate the Blacks’. This combined with home advantage, a powerful pack and an elusive back-line could have destructive consequences for the rest of the world.

But we have heard it all before, in 2007 in fact. The French ended the dream that year in Cardiff and left New Zealand open to plenty of criticism; targeted mainly at their lack of ideas once ‘Plan A’ had been disrupted. If you’re looking for a winner elsewhere, England have proven to be a good tournament side in recent years. Australia are capable of tearing apart any side on their day, especially with the options they possess in the backs. But you can also never write the Springboks off, though on recent performances, the chances of them defending their crown look bleak. All shall be revealed come September. One thing is for sure, I won’t be hiding my colours in this blog, Swing low, sweet chariot…

Sign up as a follower of Tournament Talk for a slightly abstract look at the goings on in New Zealand. From match reports to opinion pieces, plus a team of the week page.  

Any comments and feedback are very welcome.