Pacific poachers have no right to slate England.

When England named their first training squad for the World Cup it provoked a mixture of reactions in the rugby world. English supporters were excited by the selection of Manu Tuilagi and keen to see how he would fit into England’s solid midfield. European nations talked up the chances of the Six Nations champions in New Zealand after a strong showing (minus the Ireland game) during the competition.

But Southern Hemisphere reactions were far different. Ignoring any recent success, they centred their attention towards the number of players in the England squad that had been born elsewhere. Waldrom, Flutey, Tuilagi and Hartley were all picked out as ‘foreigners’ and many said that England were now relying on foreign imports to strengthen their squad.

Oh how hypocritical. The Kiwis and Australians of all people should keep well hushed on this topic, for the simple reason that they have picked ‘foreigners’ in their rugby sides for a number of years, and have done so in a way that is far more damaging to the game than England selecting Waldrom and co.

Sivivatu: Fiji. Rokocoko: Fiji, Muliaina: Samoa, Toeava: Samoa. Catch my drift? And that’s just New Zealand. Australia used the pace and power of the Fijian winger Loti Tuqiri for a number of years, oh and Quade Cooper, the rising star of Australian rugby; he was born in New Zealand.

The difference between England selecting the likes of Waldrom, Hartley and Flutey and the Trans-Tasman nations picking the players mentioned above (minus Cooper) is a very important one. Waldrom and co. have tried their hand in New Zealand; they didn’t make the grade at the top level. So the fact that they’re now qualified and playing for England through residency is in no way damaging New Zealand rugby; they will not be missed.

But Sivivatu, Rokocoko, Muliaina and Toeava would have been incredible assets to Fijian and Samoan rugby. Imagine a Fiji side with two of the All Blacks’ all-time top try scorers running riot in the backline, or a Samoan side with Mils Muliainia linking up with Toeava at the back. Dare I say that these two nations may well be a lot closer to breaking into rugby’s top tier than they are today?

So before these comments are made, I urge the relevant offenders to take a good, hard look into their own garden before they criticise someone else’s. After all, it’s not England that scout the Pacific, hand-picking the best of the bunch, they simply take the left overs when they’re offered.

I don’t have an issue with players representing an adopted country; in the modern world people travel and may not necessarily have much of a say in where they are brought up. But I do resent the constant barrage of ill-informed criticism that has been branded England’s way in the past few years, right across the sporting spectrum.

One thing’s for sure; whoever wins this World Cup will care little for the birthplace of their players. The Webb Ellis Cup will receive all of the attention.

Talking Points: Day 19

Ball bother: England are waiting to find out if they will be punished for Jonny Wilkinson attempting to change the ball for a conversion during the group game with Romania.

Back up: Thomas Waldrom has officially been added to England’s squad as a replacement for Andrew Sheridan. The kiwi-born number eight is available for selection against Scotland this weekend.

Odds on Ashton: Chris Ashton is still the bookies favourite to be top try scorer during the World Cup. The Northampton wing is at 11/4 with Vincent Clerc his closest competition at 9/2.

Tuilagi to remain a Tiger: Manu Tuilagi has played down reports he is set to swap the Aviva Premiership for the Super 15. England’s rising star says that he hopes to play in many World Cups for his adopted country.

Room for improvement: All Blacks’ Coach Graham Henry has rated his sides’ recent exploits as ‘8 out of 10’ in the group stages. New Zealand have been in exhilarating form so far but Henry says they can still improve…gulp. 

Talking Points: Day 14

Hail Habana: Bryan Habana set a new South African try scoring record as he scored his 37^th international try for the Springboks. The record breaking score came during his sides 87-0 demolition of Namibia.

Tweet or sour: Samoa’s Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu landed himself in hot water following an angry rant which he posted on Twitter. The Gloucester centre accused the IRB of ‘unfair treatment’ regarding his sides three day break between games, in comparison to Wales’ week off.

Parra to the people: France have named scrum-half Morgan Parra at Fly-half for their crunch game with the All Blacks on Saturday. Francois Trinh-Duc drops to the bench despite Parra having less than forty minutes experience in the number ten shirt in his international career.

Ronan to continue: Ronan O’Gara has said that his comments following their win over Australia have been misunderstood. It had been reported that the Irish fly-half would retire at the end of tournament following his comments in a post-match interview.

Want to know why the All Blacks are so good? Have a read of this fantastic BBC blog by Ben Dirs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/2011/09/chasing_the_all_black_dream.html

Round-Up: Day 10-14

Surprise results were well and truly absent from the second round of games as the tournaments giants marched on towards the knock-out stages.

England remain unbeaten in the group stages, despite another below-par performance against Georgia. Two tries apiece for Chris Ashton and Shontayne Hape helped England to a 41-10.

The performance was certainly an improvement on the opening game, but the theme of indiscipline at the breakdown remained, preventing England from reaching anything close to their best.

There were glimpses of it however, Hape’s second try followed some good phase play and was finished in clinical style by the London Irish centre.

Manu Tuilagi burst through untouched to score under the posts early in the second half; the Samoan born centre now has three tries in four international appearances. Chris Ashton’s timely return to form was capped by his trademark ‘Ash Splash,’ and will provide the management with encouragement as they build towards the Tournaments latter stages.

But England will know that they have plenty to work on if they are to reach anywhere close to the heights of 2003. But two wins out of two is all that matters for the Johno’s men, with the stronger performances, hopefully just around the corner. The Six Nations campaign showed that the big performance is in there and is likely to appear as soon as the penalty count is reduced.

Wales got their World Cup up and running with a 17-10 victory over Samoa; Shane Williams scored the only try of the game with just fifteen minutes remaining to boost Wales’ chances of making it into the quarter-finals. James Hook and Rhys Priestland added two penalties each to cap a good performance against a strong Samoan outfit.

Vincent Clerc scored a superb hat-trick as France overcame a resilient Canada 46-19. The Canadians trailed by only nine points at the break and looked to be pushing the French all the way. However, France’s class overpowered Canada in the latter stages as they secured a comfortable bonus point win.

Italy scored nine tries in a resounding 53-17 win against Russia. Giulio Tonialatti and Tommasso Benvenuti scored twice each as the Italians cruised to a bonus point win.

Tonga secured their first win of the tournament with a 31-18 victory over Japan. The south sea islanders scored three tries and Kurt Morath kicked 16 points to keep hopes of a quarter-final place alive, however slim.

Reigning champions South Africa romped to an 87-0 destruction of Namibia. The Springboks scored twelve unanswered tries as they trounced the African minnows. Bryan Habana set a new try scoring record for South Africa as he crossed for his 37^th international try.

In BOD we trust...

The World Cup is the biggest stage in any sport, the pinnacle of a players’ career, the birthplace of legends. You don’t have to win the World Cup to acquire legendary status, but you must leave your mark. Players of the calibre of Lomu, Campese, Gregan and Piennar have all engraved their legacy into the minds of even the most naive of rugby supporters. But what about the players that don’t carry a World Cup legacy? Does this deduct from their reputation or even put into question their greatness?

Brian O’ Driscoll is one of these players. Seen by many as the greatest outside centre of his generation, but yet to eclipse the World Cup in the way that others previously have, but why?

The main reason for his lack of dominance on rugby’s biggest stage is probably down to the mass underachievement of Ireland as a rugby nation. A weakness at World Cups has been characterised by a phobia of the southern hemisphere; up until their recent win over Australia, Ireland had failed to beat a southern hemisphere side on home soil for a number of years.

The Emerald Isle’s lack of success at World Cups has bamboozled many, especially after so many mercurial Six Nations’ campaigns. O’ Driscoll has nothing more to prove in the Six Nations. He holds the record for the most tries in the competition with 26 and with at least one more campaign left in him, no one would bet against him extending his tally.

But he may not play another World Cup. In fact, the 2011 competition is very likely to be his last crack at the Webb Ellis trophy. And while Ireland aren’t expected to win it, their potential amounts to much greater than their three consecutive quarter final exits. This is BOD’s last shot at cracking rugby’s biggest challenge and he’ll be looking to push the boundaries, especially with a quarter final against Wales pencilled in.

So has O’ Driscoll’s nationality held him back from becoming one of the games’ all-time greats? What if he’d been born in New Zealand? Plying his trade alongside the likes of Carter and Spencer, running lines off of Umaga and feeding Doug Howlett; his name would be unforgettable.

The All Black’s recent WC record suggests that he may still be without a winner’s medal, but his reputation would be perched on top of Mount Cook.

BOD has oozed class for all 113 of his international caps; proving to be an inspirational leader as well as the complete number 13. His impact on the 2001 Lions’ Tour of Australia made it clear that a star had been born; his mazy run through the Wallaby defence to score under the posts was certainly a message to the world and he has continued to build upon that.

Unfortunately, the stage fright of one nation is preventing the boy from Clontarf from entering an elite group. In thirty years’ time, will people be talking about BOD as one of the greatest players of all time? I don’t think they will. As disappointing as it is, the Leinster man is probably only one dominant World Cup away from carving his own rugby legacy.

But there’s still time, a favourable draw has put Ireland in a great position to make their first semi-final for some time, and, who knows, Brian O’Driscoll could yet get his hands on the Webb Ellis trophy.

After all, it would be just the luck of the Irish. 

Talking Points: Day 8/9

Sonny Bill-Winger: Graham Henry had hinted that SBW may be used in other positions in the All Black backline; his appearance on the wing during NZ’s thirteen try win over Japan will be strike fear into the rest of the competition.

Irish eyes smiling: Ireland’s win was their first against Australia in World Cup history and blows the draw wide open. We all knew that Ireland had a performance in them, but few expected them to come out on top against the Wallabies.

Moody returns: Lewis Moody returns to captain England in their group stage encounter with Georgia tomorrow morning. England have made eight changes to the side that started against Argentina, with Toby Flood starting at fly-half.

Geographical draw: Ireland’s win over Australia has given the potential quarter final draw a geographical divide. Barring any shock results, Ireland will face Wales/Samoa with England playing France. New Zealand will play Argentina with South Africa facing Australia to complete a northern-southern 

hemisphere divide. 

Round-Up: Day 6-9

Well how about that? Today is the day the World Cup was blown wide open, thanks to an inspired performance from a gutsy and passionate Irish side. Their 15-6 victory over Australia was far from pretty, but all that matters to 

Declan Kidney’s men is the end result; and what a result it was.

It was a try-less encounter, but what it lacked in five-pointers it made up for in drama and physical tenacity. Two penalties apiece for Sexton and O’Gara together with a Sexton drop-goal were enough to cause the competitions' biggest upset so far and put the Emerald Isle in poll position to top the group and avoid the likes of South Africa and New Zealand in the quarter finals.

The normally so fluent Australian side could only muster two James O’Connor penalties, and were far from their normal clinical selves; the Wallabies had many opportunities to create try scoring chances, but impatience proved to be their downfall as they forced the play in the final third. Quade Cooper was quiet and his loose reverse pass in the dying minutes; intercepted by Tommy Bowe summed up the Australian’s overall performance. O’Connor made good ground to haul the winger down metres short, but Ireland had the territory they required to close out the game and earn their first World Cup win over Australia.

In the earlier games, South Africa and Argentina both recorded confortable wins over weaker opposition. The Springboks beat Fiji 49-3, scoring six tries from six different scorers. Argentina got off the mark in the tournament with a 43-8 win over Romania.

Earlier in the week, a hat-trick from Alessana Tuilagi powered Samoa to a 49-12 victory over Namibia. The South-sea islanders looked sharp and clinical and could yet prove to be Wales’ undoing when the sides meet tomorrow in Hamilton.

Canada caused an upset as they beat Tonga 25-20, scoring three tries in the process. A try from Phil Mackenzie eight minutes from time proved to be the winning score as the Canadians secured a famous win.

Scotland secured their second win of the group stage as they struggled to victory over Georgia in Invercargill. In one of the most unattractive games of rugby you are ever likely to see, Dan Parks kicked all of the Scots points to keep their unbeaten record intact. Georgia continued to build on their ever growing reputation in the rugby world with a fighting performance.

New Zealand scored thirteen tries as they hammered Japan 83-7 in Hamilton. Richard Kahui and Sonny Bill-Williams scored twice each and fly-half Colin Slade scored 25 points in a convincing group stage win.

Finally, the USA made sure Russia’s World Cup debut ended in defeat as they ground out a 13-7 win in New Plymouth. Scrum Half Mike Petri scored the games’ only try with Chris Wyles adding two penalties and a conversion.  

Keep up to date with the RWC on Tournament Talk. Become a follower to receive updates from the blog by clicking on the option in the side bar. 

Talking Points: Day 7

Bungees, Bars and…Dwarves?  The RFU have defended the England managements’ decision to allow the squad to take part in a bungee jump during their time-off. The team also went out to a bar to unwind after a gruelling week of training. Can’t see why it has caused a stir, everyone is allowed to let their hair down at some point. Oh yeah, and dwarf throwing? Nope I haven’t got a clue either.

SheriGone: Andrew Sheridan will play no further part in the World Cup after injuring his shoulder. He will fly home in the next few days.

Contepomi KO: Felipe Contepomi is also out of the tournament after failing to recover from a rib injury sustained against England.

McCaw misery: NZ captain Richie McCaw will have to wait to win his 100^th cap after being ruled out of the game against Japan with a calf strain. Dan Carter will also miss the game with a back injury.

Rise of the minnow

Just a week into the RWC and already trends have begun to emerge. As expected the southern hemisphere giants have made strong starts to the group stages and you'd be a fool to look any further than the Tri-Nations as your WC winner. 

But the other noticeable trend was rather unexpected, but it would appear that the once vast gap between the first and second tier nations is now being shunted closer together. Games that would, in the past, have been a walkover have been transformed into battling test matches in which the stronger sides have to grate and grind out a result.

The first example of this closing of the gap came in Scotland’s opening encounter with Romania. The powerful Romanian pack caused the Scots some serious problems up front and their opening try was a prime example of this early physical dominance; Mihaita Lazar crashed his way over following a bulldozing rolling maul. Danielli saved the blushes for Scotland with two late tries, but the Romanians had laid down a marker. Their tenacity in the forwards will make them hard to beat in the duration of the tournament.

The USA also put in a strong performance against Ireland and more recently, Scotland were once again involved when Georgia ran them close in Invercargill. You could be forgiven for citing the Scots as the common denominator in this ‘rise of the minnows,’ but it has been noted throughout that the number of walk-overs continues to diminish.  

Let us compare a few of the so-called ‘minnows’ results from 2007 to 2011.

2007

Scotland 42-0 Romania

Australia 91-0 Japan

France 64-7 Georgia

2011

Scotland 34-24 Romania

France 47-21 Japan

Scotland 15-6 Georgia

This is a clear indication that the days of cricket scores are gone; every game is now a battle, a real tussle for dominance. Now and again there will be a big total scored, most likely during this tournament there will be at least one thrashing. But even then, the bigger sides will have to work hard for their points, much in the way New Zealand had to during the second half against Tonga.

It puts world rugby in a very healthy state and continues to add to the reputation and popularity of the world’s greatest game. As long as England don’t get caught up in a major upset, long may the rise of the minnows continue.

Talking Points: Day 3

Denied: James Hook’s penalty appeared to go over but was disallowed by the officials. Had the referee referred it to the TMO, Wales may have come away with a famous victory.

Classy Cooper: Quade Cooper put in an entertaining and creative performance against Italy, setting up three of the Australians’ four tries.

Drought over: Ireland ended their three match losing streak with a victory over a very average USA side. Brian O’Driscoll has admitted that his side need ti improve when they face the much fancied Aussies this weekend.

Warrior Warburton: Wales’ captain Sam Warburton put in a man of the match performance against World champions South Africa. The open-side flanker was later described as a ‘pain’ by Springbok captain Smit. 

Straight from the training ground: Digby Ioane’s try against Italy demonstrated why the Wallabies are so dangerous. A perfectly executed set piece move put the Red’s winger in under the posts. Have a watch for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYURnww7vGA. 

Scroll down for a round-up of the games from Day 3 of the RWC, or click HOME. 

Day 3 round up

Day three of the RWC saw southern hemisphere giants Australia and South Africa both record victories over their northern hemisphere opponents.

Australia were convincing winners against Italy in Taranaki. Tries from Alexander, Ashley-Cooper, O’Connor and Digby Ioane powered the Wallabies to a comfortable 32-6 victory. Quade Cooper kicked two penalties and provided three assists in a very accomplished individual showing.

Two tries from Tommy Bowe helped Ireland to their first win of the tournament against the USA. Rory Best also crossed for O’Driscoll’s men in a scrappy and error-ridden performance. The wet weather conditions didn't help proceedings but Ireland have work to do before they face Australia at the weekend.

In the reasonably timed kick-off, a late Francois Houggard try broke Welsh hearts as South Africa snuck a 17-16 win over Wales. The Boks took an early lead through Frans Steyn’s first half try, but Wales struck back with a try from number eight, Toby Faletau; his first International try.

Wales put up a worthy fight and on another day, may have walked away with the win, but the 2007 Champions held on to record an important victory. However, James Hook and his teammates can feel hard done by after a penalty by the full-back was judged to have gone narrowly wide. To the naked eye, the kick appeared to go over but the touch judges ruled it out, much to the disapproval of many.

The early pace is certainly being set by the southern hemisphere giants. Although, England, Ireland, Scotland and France all won their first game, the Tri-Nations sides have looked sharp, confident and clinical. England will be desperate to top their group in order to avoid the mighty All Blacks in the quarter finals.

Check out the ‘Team of the week’ from the opening round of matches and have your say on who should be in it. 

Talking Points: Day 1 & 2

Star Man: New Zealand’s Richard Kahui was instrumental in the AB’s curtain raiser victory over Tonga. The winger scored twice and was heavily involved during the build up to three others.

Fiji’s First: Fiji wing Vereniki Goneva crossed the line four times to become the first Fijian to score a World Cup hat-trick in their game against Namibia.

Goal kicking glitch: Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Carter were both out of sorts with their goal kicking in the opening games; Wilkinson missed five penalty attempts.

Bulky Back-line: The All Blacks fielded a starting backline with an average weight of 98.7kgs, that’s 15 stone 7lb in old money. Staggering.

Group C Banana Skins: Both England and Scotland narrowly avoided defeat to teams that they were expected to beat. From that showing, the Argies’ will be handful for Scotland, possibly too much. 

Scroll down or click HOME to read the Day 1 & 2 Round-ups...

Round-Up: Day 1 & 2

And they’re off…

The RWC returned with a bang on Friday night as the hosts New Zealand kicked off proceedings with a convincing 41-10 win over a battling Tonga. The All Blacks were quickly into their stride and two tries each from Israel Dagg and the very impressive Richard Kahui helped the tournament favourites to a comfortable win. Dan Carter had an off night with the boot by his very high standards, but he certainly wasn’t alone in opening days of the tournament. More on that later.

A late try from replacement scrum-half Ben Youngs proved decisive as a sloppy and mistake ridden England fought off an injury hit Argentina to win 13-9 in Dunedin.

England’s first game of the tournament was far from a walk in the park. In fact, it was more of a crawl through a warzone as they came up against a motivated and physical Argentinian side.

The South Americans dominated the early possession and a Felipe Contepomi penalty gave them an early lead. But it was to be Contepomi’s last meaningful act in the game as he was forced off with a rib injury. Outside centre Gonzalo Tiesi followed soon after; feeling the full force of a dubiously late hit from Courtney Lawes.

But it was a game off missed chances with both sides’ frequently floundering opportunities to put points on the board. Between them, the sides missed ten shots at goal with England’s Wilkinson missing five penalties in total. It was a very uncharacteristic performance with the boot from the normally so reliable fly-half.

England’s discipline was their downfall with eight penalties being conceded in an error-ridden first half. Referee Bryce Lawrence finally lost his temper with the frequent infringements at the breakdown and sent Dan Cole to the sin-bin just before the break.

The Six Nations champions struggled to find the magic they had demonstrated during a successful build-up period and continued to force the play, leading to an unprecedented number of turnovers. Ben Foden broke the line mid-way through the first half, but that was as close as the 2007 finalists came during the first forty minutes.

The Argentinians continued in their brutal defensive manner and had the opportunities to cross the line themselves. Some weak first-up tackling allowed wingers Agulla and Camacho to carry the ball fifty metres downfield before being hauled down by the covering defence.

But with thirteen minutes left on the clock, Ben Youngs found a gap around the fringes of the ruck and accelerated in under the posts. It was England’s first real sign of quick-ball and the Leicester number nine showed just why Martin Johnson was so keen to have him on the plane down under.

It was dull and rusty, but most importantly it was a win. Johno’s boys are off to a winning start in New Zealand and with the rust now under the carpet, the Sweet Chariot can swing on to bigger and better things, hopefully.

For those of you that were fast asleep and couldn’t wake yourself up to watch Fiji take on Namibia; you missed the best game of the day. Fiji wing Vereniki Goneva crossed the line four times to become the first Fijian to score a World Cup hat-trick and in doing so, helped his side to a 49-25 win against rank outsiders Namibia.

Seventeen points from the boot of Dimitri Yachvili guided France to a comfortable victory over Japan. The French scored six tries and survived a late Japanese comeback before eventually running out winners 47-21.

Two late Simon Danielli tries saved Scotland’s blushes as a resolute Romanian side pushed them all the way. With twelve minutes remaining, Romania led 24-21, but couldn’t hold on; Scotland won 34-24.

Follow the RWC on Tournament Talk for all the news, views and opinions you need. 

Wilkinson back for the big stage

Martin Johnson pulled few surprises when he named England’s starting fifteen for their World Cup opener against Argentina on Saturday. The only absentee from a full strength side is wing Mark Cueto, who is out with a back injury; Delon Armitage comes in to replace the Sale man. 

Manu Tuilagi starts in the centre with Mike Tindall, who captains the side in the absence of Lewis Moody. Richard Wigglesworth starts at scrum half, with Jonny Wilkinson, playing in his fourth World Cup, regaining the number ten shirt once again.

It signifies an almost miraculous comeback from the hero of 2003, whose international career appeared to be all but over after a disappointing Six Nations campaign in 2010. After spending the previous few years out with injury or sat on the bench, England’s all time record points scorer is the leading man once again.

Wilkinson demonstrated a fresh approach and style during England’s warm up campaign; taking the ball at pace and playing flat on the gain line, allowing the strong running centre combination of Tindall and Tuilagi to pick lines and get in behind opposition. However, it’s not a completely new model, he still possesses two wonderful feet with which to find field position or to dissect the uprights, in whatever form is necessary. In defence, JW is still giving attackers the brick-wall treatment, retaining his mantel as his countries best tackling back.

At thirty-two years old, Wilkinson is still the fittest member of the England squad, eclipsing the rest of the squad during the various boot camps over the summer months. In fact, add all this together and maybe, just maybe Jonny is better now than he was in 2003. There are no doubts over his big-match temperament and an improved Jonny Wilkinson is a scary prospect for the rest of the world.

England team to play Argentina:

Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Manu Tuilagi, Mike Tindall (captain), Delon Armitage, Jonny Wilkinson, Richard Wigglesworth, Andrew Sheridan, Steve Thompson, Dan Cole, Louis Deacon, Courtney Lawes, Tom Croft, James Haskell, Nick Easter.

Replacements:

Dylan Hartley, Matt Stevens, Tom Palmer, Tom Wood, Ben Youngs, Toby Flood, Matt Banahan.

RWC - Ones to Watch

Two days and counting until the 2011 RWC kicks off in New Zealand, with the hosts taking on Tonga in Auckland. Tournament Talk looks at the competitions potential Players of the Tournament in ‘Ones to Watch.’

                    

 Quade Cooper


 Australia’s charismatic playmaker has come of age in sparkling fashion this season with an array of eye-catching performances. His quick feet and eye for a gap are sure to cause havoc in the even the best of defences.

                                           

Conrad Smith

In amongst the All Blacks’ star-studded squad, Conrad Smith often goes unnoticed. Often seen as one of the games’ most under-rated players, Smith oozes class. His gliding running style and clever lines of running make him a sure contender for player of the tournament.

Will Genia

The form player coming into the tournament, Genia is a model scrum-half. Quick around the base with an accurate kicking game and precision passing, the Australian number nine is my bet for the tournaments’ top accolade.

Sergio Parisse

The influential Italian number eight may seem an odd choice to many people as a potential player of the tournament. However, if the Italians can topple the out of form Irish in the group stage and make it through to the quarter finals, anything can happen. If they do manage this, Sergio Parisse is sure to be one of the main reasons.

Dan Carter

Very little needs to be said about DC; New Zealand are odds on favourites to lift the World Cup and Carter will no doubt play a huge part in any potential success. The Kiwi’s talisman has been dominating International rugby for a number of years now and there is no reason to think he won’t continue doing so, come September 9^th. 

Hang your hopes on Hook

As far as World Cup preparations go, Wales’ was better than average. Their defeat to England in the first warm-up match, although disappointing provided a number of positives, most notably a strong second half performance.

The Welsh reversed the previous weeks result when the sides met in Cardiff; with a resolute Wales defence stealing the headlines this time round. The only try of the game was scored by James Hook, playing at full-back but standing in the fly-half channel as he weaved his way through the English defenders and powered over the line. However, the Welsh playmakers’ opportunities to create and finish these chances are being limited by the number on his back. Hook is Wales’ best player; he has a strong running game, good distribution, a solid kicking game as well as attacking flair in abundance. If Wales are to fulfil their potential and upset the odds at the RWC, James Hook must play at fly-half.

Supporters must omit memories and thoughts of interceptions and forced passes from his previous spell in the number ten shirt. Hook has grown as a player in the past few seasons and, if given the chance, could prove to be one of the players of the tournament in New Zealand.

Stephen Jones has been a fantastic servant to Welsh rugby and still has a huge role to play, but not as a starter. Jones’ role must now be as a ‘closer,’ much in the way Ronan O’Gara is. A player that can use their vast experience to play the territory game, accumulate points with clockwork-like goal-kicking and mentor the younger players through tough situations.

Wales should get through their group and on their day, are capable of beating anyone.