Rugby World Cup 2011: the big kickoff beckons

It’s that time again. Four years on from the Springboks’ triumph in Paris, the eyes of the rugby world are turning to New Zealand, where the seventh Rugby World Cup kicks off in just over twelve hours’ time.

There has been a lot of talk in the buildup to this tournament. Will the All Blacks be able to shake off their World Cup jinx and triumph on home soil for the second time? Will a maturing Australia side have the fire power to secure a record third win? And how will the Home Nations fare, particularly given the injuries that have blighted their preparations?

Let’s start with the hosts and perennial favourites. Since their triumph in the inaugural competition in 1987, the All Blacks have had an unfortunate reputation for producing great performances everywhere except where it really counts. But this time, we’re told, it’s going to be different. Certainly the signs are good. There’s been more consistency in selection than in the past, and the star turns have kept (relatively) healthy and kept performing. But therein lies a potential problem – what happens when one of their stars, say Richie McCaw or Dan Carter, gets injured? In some positions, particularly the crucial fly half spot, they look dangerously short of cover, with Colin Slade putting in a less than impressive performance in their Tri-Nations clash against South Africa. Will this lack of depth in key positions come back to haunt the hosts as the tournament enters the knockout phase?

If the All Blacks do come unstuck, then Australia are many people’s favourites to lift the trophy. It’s not hard to see why: a Wallabies side that always had plenty of flair has developed in the last twelve months into a unit formidable in both defence and attack. Their forwards can no longer be bullied into submission, while their backs have been firing on all cylinders thanks in large part to a seemingly telepathic understanding between their half-backs. They will have been boosted by their first Tri Nations title in ten years, sealed with a dramatic 25-20 win over New Zealand. Some will believe the Wallabies are still too inexperienced and their forwards still too lightweight to go all the way, but not many would be foolish enough to write them off.

And what of the defending champions? South Africa’s style of play may not endear them to many people, but there’s no denying that it’s often proved effective. Most recently it earned them an 18-5 win over New Zealand. While many (including me) will have found long periods of the match less than enthralling, there’s no denying the magnitude of their achievement. Questions remain, though, over the form of the current crop of Springboks. In particular, you could be forgiven for wondering whether an ageing squad has the stamina to make it through six weeks of gruelling competition. There’s also the uncertainty surrounding John Smit, who has retained the captaincy despite potentially losing his starting place to Bismarck du Plessis. The Springboks will provide plenty of bruising, full-blooded action, and in Morne Steyn they have someone who can keep the scoreboard ticking over. No team has ever successfully defended a world title, though, and it’s still doubtful whether they have enough dimensions to their play to become the first.

Of the Home Nations, England look best-placed to top their group, although they’ll have to overcome first Argentina and then neighbours and fierce rivals Scotland. England have had their fair share of injury problems, with captain Lewis Moody and wing Mark Cueto missing their opening match. Their run-in has been patchy too, with a narrow victory over Wales at Twickenham followed by defeat in Cardiff a week later. They finished on a high, though, with their first away win over Ireland since 2003. England’s midfield has come in for a lot of criticism in recent times, much of it justified, but the new centre pairing of Mike Tindall and Manu Tuilagi looked promising on its first outing. England have always been strong in the forwards and difficult to break down; the question is whether they can show the creativity and clinical execution required to get past the top teams.

Scotland, England’s companions in Pool B, have also had some encouraging recent results. They may only have had two warm-up games to prepare for the tournament, but victories over Ireland and Italy will give them a lot of belief that they can maintain their record of reaching the quarter-finals in every World Cup. To do so they’ll have to overcome either England or Argentina, but on recent form that shouldn’t be beyond them. After that, anything could happen, but they look to lack the attacking firepower to repeat their semi-final appearance of 1991. Meanwhile Wales have shown they have the potential to cause anyone problems, but only if all their key players can find their form at the same time, and if they can find the consistency to navigate the so-called Group of Death. And Ireland have endured a torrid time of late, losing all four of their warm-up games and having two thirds of their first-choice back row sidelined through injury. Some promising signs, then, for the Home Nations, but few will be predicting a Northern Hemisphere champion in 2011.

So, the pundits, the predictors and the ex-pros have all had their say, and everyone’s got their opinion on how the tournament’s going to pan out. The only thing we know for certain is that, at 0930 BST tomorrow, the talking stops, and the rugby finally begins.

Weekly Sports Update: 17th August

Big kickoff leaves plenty to ponder for season ahead

After all the hysterical headlines during the week, the start of the Premiership season actually went remarkably smoothly, with only Spurs’ match against Everton being postponed. It’s always entertaining to check the Premiership table after the first weekend (any bets on how long Bolton will last at the top?), but the opening fixtures can tell us a lot about how the season’s shaping up.

First, it looks like the newly promoted sides are going to struggle. For QPR and Swansea it was a baptism of fire, with both going down 4-0 and QPR having a man sent off into the bargain. Norwich City bucked the trend, though, managing a 1-1 draw away at Wigan. Last season the struggle for survival was at least as exciting as the race for the title – let’s hope it’s another closely-fought contest, and that at least one of the Premier League’s new boys can make the top flight their permanent home.

Second, the eclipse of London by Manchester continues apace. After United’s triumph in the Community Shield, it was the blue half of the city that was celebrating after they thrashed Swansea on Monday night. Combine that with the Reds producing an assured, if less spectacular, win over West Brom, this should be a rivalry to savour.

The London clubs, meanwhile, have found the start of proceedings considerably tougher. While Spurs’ opener has been put on hold, Chelsea could only manage a draw away at Stoke and Arsenal played out a bad-tempered goalless draw at Newcastle. With the loss of Cesc Fabregas now confirmed and the departure of Samir Nasri rumoured to be imminent, it looks like there are tough times ahead for the Gunners. Combine this with an unconvincing display against Udinese in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier last night and it’s not surprising that some have suggested Arsene Wenger’s position may be under threat.

Finally, it looks like there’ll be a few new household names by the end of this season. In terms of new signings, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero made an instant impact, announcing his arrival with two goals in a standout individual performance. Meanwhile, Manchester United are setting the early pace in terms of developing young players. The inclusion of Tom Cleverley in the England squad for last week’s cancelled friendly was fully deserved after his efforts in the Community Shield. How easily new players, whether new signings or products of academies, adjust to life in the Premier League will have a major impact on how their teams fare.

So, the Premier League circus has rolled into town once again. Its opening weekend eventually faced far less disruption than had been feared, and as ever it supplied us with plenty of talking points. Of course, it’s too early to say much consequence about the season ahead, but a few general trends are discernible. Above all, it looks set to be a season full of twists, turns and a few surprises. Just what we’d expect from the best and most exciting league in the world.

A backward step for English rugby?

Being an English rugby fan has always been a bit of a rollercoaster. From game to game, the team’s performances can provoke dizzying elation or gut-wrenching despair, with consecutive performances often differing so widely that it’s hard to believe you’re watching the same team.

The experience of watching England slump to a 19-9 defeat against Wales in Cardiff definitely fell into the gut-wrenching despair category. Or perhaps despair is too strong a word: a more accurate description might be frustration. At times in the past year or so, England have shown glimpses of real flair and ambition, and what’s more, of clinical execution. Sadly, those glimpses have been all too rare, and on Saturday they were almost entirely absent. What we got instead was a reminder of why it’s best to clear the area of breakable objects before watching England play, just in case you feel tempted to hurl them at the TV.

Put simply, England were impotent. Their forwards dominated at the set piece but didn’t have the control to finish off the chances they created, while the back line lacked any creative spark. Take nothing away from Wales, who defended manfully and took their chances well, but England looked clueless in attack and, perhaps more worryingly, were also exposed in defence. Afterwards, Martin Johnson admitted there were things to work on, but it will take more than head-scratching and beard-stroking to make England a force in New Zealand.

Which is not to say that it’s impossible. We should consider the mitigating circumstances which, although they cannot excuse, can at least help to account for England’s poor performance in Cardiff. One is the sheer scale of the personnel changes made between the Twickenham match and the return fixture. No fewer than thirteen changes were made to England’s starting line-up, with only Alex Corbisiero and Matt Banahan retaining their places. It’s hard to achieve consistent results when there’s such inconsistency in terms of selection. England have also been hampered by injuries, most recently to Danny Care, although of course they’re far from unusual in this.

Several factors should also help boost England in the days and weeks ahead. One of the most important is the expected recovery of injured trio Andrew Sheridan, Lewis Moody and Ben Youngs, all surely set for a place in the squad. Another is that, as long-suffering England fans are well aware, a week is a long time in rugby. A good performance against Ireland in Dublin next weekend will see England head off to the World Cup full of confidence, with Saturday’s abject display all but forgotten. But then again, another poor display would see many write off their chances before the tournament’s even begun.

That’s perhaps the most frustrating thing about this England side: you just never know. And in a World Cup, inconsistency can be a fatal weakness. We’ll just have to hope the right England team turns up on the day. And hide anything fragile, just in case.

England's cricketers claim top spot

England’s cricketers are literally on top of the world. A totally dominant performance at Edgbaston, where they won by an innings and 242 runs with a  day to spare, confirmed that whatever the outcome of this week’s final Test at the Oval, England are now the world’s number one-ranked Test side.

And now for the question that inevitably follows: do they deserve it? Has this series been a magnificent English display that would have swept any team aside, or the humiliation of an exhausted and demoralised Indian side who had waved the white flag long before this point?

The truth, as always, probably lies somewhere between these two extremes. There’s no question India were poor at times, but England showed a single-mindedness in the pursuit of victory that has often been lacking in previous sides. They also seem to have moved past relying on just one or two star players to get them out of trouble. If one player has an off day, Alistair Cook in the first two Tests against India being a notable example, there are ten others ready to pick up the slack.

One of the key attributes in England’s assault on the number one ranking has been consistency. After all, this is an England team that has been winning Tests for a while now. They haven’t lost a Test series in over two years, during which time they became the first English side since 1987 to win the Ashes in Australia. There’s also been consistency in terms of personnel, with a well-developed coaching setup and an established core group of players helping to build a solid foundation for success. This also means that any player who does go through a lean spell knows that they’ll be given time to play themselves back into form (witness Cook’s outstanding 294 in the third Test against India).

Of course, there’ll always be those who argue that England have simply profited from others’ weaknesses. It’s certainly true that the Australian side that England defeated Down Under were a far cry from the dominant force of the late 1990s, and the India team that rolled over and capitulated in this series struggled for both form and morale. But you can only beat the team that’s put in front of you, and for some time now that’s exactly what England have done.

Which brings me to the second inevitable question: now that England have made it to the top of the rankings, can they stay there? There will certainly be huge challenges ahead. Winning away will always be a struggle, particularly against South Africa, who they only managed to draw with last time around. And as injuries take their toll, the depth of England’s squad is bound to be tested. One thing’s for certain: England may be on top of the world right now, but to prove they’re really world-beaters they’ll have to stay there. And that’s where the true test begins.

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Weekly Sports Update 4: 02/08/11 Part 2

This week’s top story has to be England’s win in the second Test against India, so I decided to focus on that for this week’s article. Here I’ll look at the reasons behind England’s victory, some areas of concern for the home side and whether England really have what it takes to become the world’s number one Test team. As ever, feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below, and if you like what you see, why not become a follower?

England took a major step towards replacing India at the top of the world Test rankings with an emphatic win at Trent Bridge. It took just four days for the hosts to wrap up a 319-run victory and take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

As clear-cut as this sounds, this was far from being a straightforward victory. England had to be rescued by some individual heroics, notably from Broad and Bresnan, and they were also helped by an Indian side who were poor in several areas. Concerns also remain for the home side, with injuries and a lack of form both having the potential to cause problems. So, essentially, let’s not get carried away and claim this was a perfect performance.

I say that first of all because, to be honest, it’s hard not to get carried away. After all, England have just beaten the world’s top Test side by a huge margin. Yes, there were some major scares along the way. England needed a quick-fire 50 from Stuart Broad to spare their blushes in the first innings. Broad then had to produce some of his best bowling, including a hat-trick, to keep the hosts within touching distance at the halfway stage. But that’s the sign of a great side – when they seem to be struggling, key players are able to lift their game and get things back on track.

It’s this trait that separates the world’s best sides from all the others. And it’s one that England have demonstrated time and again so far in this series. Take the first innings here: England had been reduced to 124-8 at tea on day one before Broad’s 64 helped steer them to a more respectable 221 all out. He then produced a great display with the ball, including five wickets for no runs in sixteen deliveries, to reduce India to 288 all out and keep England in with a chance.

An eventful second innings saw the home side capitalise on that to reach 544, setting India a target of 478 to win. This achievement was even more impressive given the poor form that continued to dog England’s openers, particularly Alistair Cook who made just seven runs in the entire match. Enter Ian Bell, who has struggled when batting at number three in the past, who silenced his critics with a confident and stylish 157. An excellent 90 from Tim Bresnan and some woeful fielding piled on the misery for India, whose bowlers looked to have run out of ideas as England reached a daunting total of 544.

It would be wrong not to pause here and consider the controversy surrounding the dismissal and subsequent recalling of Ian Bell. This one seems to have split the pundits, with some praising Indian captain M. S. Dhoni for upholding the spirit of the game and others criticising his failure to uphold a legitimate appeal. I don’t intend to wade into this debate, other than to express my relief that it didn’t have a significant impact on the outcome of the match. No-one, I would hope, would seriously try to argue that had Bell’s dismissal been upheld, India would have fought back to win the match. It was a confusing and potentially ugly incident, but it was quickly resolved (whatever you think of the decision) and ultimately proved largely irrelevant.

So, on to India’s second innings. The visiting side never looked likely to reach their target, and their hopes of even coming close were dealt a serious blow when Broad removed Rahul Dravid for just six runs. England’s seamers piled on the pressure, and before long V. V. S. Laxman’s middle stump was sent flying by a great delivery from James Anderson. But the day belonged to Tim Bresnan, the Yorkshireman (on Yorkshire day – who knew that existed until yesterday?) taking his first ever Test match five-wicket haul. The one bright spot for India was a half-century from Sachin Tendulkar, but even that brief show of defiance came to an end after a poor leave trapped him lbw from the bowling of Broad. With the great man gone it was simply a question of how long it would take England to wrap things up. Appropriately, it fell to man of the match Broad to do the honours, bowling Sreesanth to leave India on just 158 all out.

There’s no doubt that this was an impressive victory, secured by a team that is staking its claim to be the world’s best. But it was also a sorry defeat for a team that has failed to fire so far in this series. It’s true that India have suffered from injury and illness to key players, but so have England. As I’ve mentioned, it’s how they react in moments of adversity that separates the best from the rest, and India’s response to losing Zaheer Khan, and to poor performances from their leading batsmen, has placed them decidedly in the latter category. It seems highly likely that England will replace India as the world’s top Test team after this series. If that happens, few will deny that they deserve it.