2008 World Cup shaping up to be a Gem!

[Parrasque]

With both 2 and 3(in rankings) in New Zealand and England both producing great young talent, the stage has been set that The Rugby league world cup could very well be Extremly Exciting.

Yes, Australia is without a doubt going to be tough. But just think about it.

Andrew Johns will quit International football by 07.
No Craig Fitzgibbon
No Petero Civenoceva
No Brett Kimmorley(Even though he is 'sh*thouse)
No Ben Kennedy
Darren Lockyer will be much older
Danny Buderas might also be on his last legs by this time.

Australia could very well be limited to teams such as New Zealand's young talent(Sonny bill williams, Benji Marshall, Iosia Soliola, Shontaye Hape, Bronson Harrison, ect)

England will also have a list of young Superstars Emerging(Danny Mcguire, Chev Walker, Stuart Reardon, and with FINALLY Paul Decon in instead of Sean Long.

Then you have teams like Lebanon(sigh), Usa, PNG, Malta, and Wales(who have alot of talent in the ESL) all looking to make an impact. They might not be any chance when facing Australia or NZ, but it should be very interesting to watch them play each other.

Then you have the Wildcard in France. With Perpigan(UTC) getting their own team in the ESL, how many young players are France going to Evolve in a 2 year Time limit. They could be a bolter. They already showed New Zealand(last year) that they are no walk in the park.

In my opinion, 2008's world cup is not going to be a walk in the park for Australia.


EUROPE GROUP A
England
France
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Russia
Scotland
Serbia
Wales

PACIFIC(OCENIA) GROUP B

Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
New Caledonia
Papua New Guniea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
New Zealand
Western Samoa

REST OF THE WORLD GROUP C

Japan
Morocco
Lebanon
Kenya
Singapore
South Africa


As Cocky Australians who know our team is the best, just dont go getting your hopes up. It could very well turn out like the Ashes in the Cricket. By the end of the 2008 season, the Kangeroo's will have lost alot of their Talent, Aged players will retire from Internation football, Our 2 number 1 players will be old(darren lockyer, andrew Johns) They could very well have retired by this stage leaving Way for Nathan Hindmarsh's men to make their mark.

Australia, Be ware. This isnt going to be a walk in the park.


note: found this somewhere on the net

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

Australia could very well be limited to teams such as New Zealand's young talent(Sonny bill williams, Benji Marshall, Iosia Soliola, Shontaye Hape, Bronson Harrison, ect)

Vatuvei, Mannering, Webster, Faiumu and Hohaia will be in their prime.

 

[Parraletic]

Australia will still be too strong, especially at home.

 

[Misanthrope]

I'm not so much worried about the quality of opposition as I am about the poor management that's certain to surround the tournament. Word is they want to do it pre season, which is just stupid.

 

[morri (cWo)]

Vatuvei, Mannering, Webster, Faiumu and Hohaia will be in their prime.

add covell, stosic to that list.

 

[Big Bunny]

With both 2 and 3(in rankings) in New Zealand and England both producing great young talent, the stage has been set that The Rugby league world cup could very well be Extremly Exciting.

Yes, Australia is without a doubt going to be tough. But just think about it.

Andrew Johns will quit International football by 07.
No Craig Fitzgibbon
No Petero Civenoceva
No Brett Kimmorley(Even though he is 'sh*thouse)
No Ben Kennedy
Darren Lockyer will be much older
Danny Buderas might also be on his last legs by this time.

Australia could very well be limited to teams such as New Zealand's young talent(Sonny bill williams, Benji Marshall, Iosia Soliola, Shontaye Hape, Bronson Harrison, ect)

England will also have a list of young Superstars Emerging(Danny Mcguire, Chev Walker, Stuart Reardon, and with FINALLY Paul Decon in instead of Sean Long.

Then you have teams like Lebanon(sigh), Usa, PNG, Malta, and Wales(who have alot of talent in the ESL) all looking to make an impact. They might not be any chance when facing Australia or NZ, but it should be very interesting to watch them play each other.

Then you have the Wildcard in France. With Perpigan(UTC) getting their own team in the ESL, how many young players are France going to Evolve in a 2 year Time limit. They could be a bolter. They already showed New Zealand(last year) that they are no walk in the park.

In my opinion, 2008's world cup is not going to be a walk in the park for Australia.


EUROPE GROUP A
England
France
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Russia
Scotland
Serbia
Wales

PACIFIC(OCENIA) GROUP B

Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
New Caledonia
Papua New Guniea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
New Zealand
Western Samoa

REST OF THE WORLD GROUP C

Japan
Morocco
Lebanon
Kenya
Singapore
South Africa


As Cocky Australians who know our team is the best, just dont go getting your hopes up. It could very well turn out like the Ashes in the Cricket. By the end of the 2008 season, the Kangeroo's will have lost alot of their Talent, Aged players will retire from Internation football, Our 2 number 1 players will be old(darren lockyer, andrew Johns) They could very well have retired by this stage leaving Way for Nathan Hindmarsh's men to make their mark.

Australia, Be ware. This isnt going to be a walk in the park.


note: found this somewhere on the net

Kenya don't play, Morocco are French based with very little domestic development, New Caledonia's best are eligible for France and you've left off a few nations whilst naming Samoa twice (Western Samoa IS Samoa. You're thinking of American Samoa who don't play RL). Also Singapore won't be anywhere near ready as their developments are in the very early stages and will be in 2008 as well.

2008 will be similar to the 1995 WC, the one in which NZ won by a point over Tonga and most games were competitive. This time around though there will be between 8 and 12 hardened teams, none of which are blow-in union types like South Africa were and Fiji will be lightyears ahead of where they were back then. France are already showing signs that they will be competitive, having narrowly lost to NZ and Australia last year, despite the players being part-time compared to 2006 when Les Catalan will be fulltime pros.

 

[Sun_Down]

France, England, NZ and Aus to contest it out.

 

[In-goal]

It will be interesting to see how P.N.G. goes in the upcoming match after a season of the new national comp

 

[League Freak™]

I love some off the tosses up teams in that list. The same old sides rolled out at WC time who only seem to play the game during World Cup time.

Im looking for these great young English players and Im not seeing them. Who are they? IS it Rob Burrow.....is that it?

The Kiwi's have far better players coming through but as an Aussie Im not worried at all. You see, a heck of alot of our good nyoung players are already playing resp footy. The side that will run out in 2008 (If the WC really happens) will have many current players in the side anyway.


Still....anything that can give a bit of hope to England I guess....

 

[aussies1st]

Tim Smith will be at his prime by then. King, Greg Inglis, Slater the same.

 

[Big_Bad_Shark_Fan]

with the likes of sonny bill williams, luke covell and benji marshall, 3 of the nrls hottest prospects, NZ will really really give that WC a shake.

however what kiwis wont be there? cayless? wiki? jones?

 

[bula_stormer]

Wes Naiqama for Fiji

 

[ParraDude_Jay]

Australia have more young talent coming through than New Zealand and they'll all have alot of first grade experience by 2008. It will be closer, but Aus will still win.

Plus if NZ pick Luke Covell then it's game over for the Kiwis :lol:.

 

[aussies1st]

Aus will always have more young talent coming through. We have 14 NRL sides while NZ only have 1.

 

[JoeysWheelchair05]

Alot of NZ players play in the ESL, and at the moment a 'true' NZ side would give Australia a shake, that is for sure.


By that World Cup, it will be similar to the Aussie cricket team. With our best players at the top ageing, there will be an enormous clean out and an unrecognisable side. There will be more talent emerge over the time too.

 

[jimmy_pop]

russia will chop up.
berrick barnes will be back in league by then and playing half back for australia
it's gonna be a grand final between Russian and Australia

 

[dubby]

England on their own won't have a chance. No Farrell, Radlinski, Newton and Sculthorpe and Cunningham will be old by then.

NZ are our biggest threat IF they post a full strength team.

France are up and down, RU steal all their good players anyway. PNG, no hope.
Wales are like France. Forget the rest.

I would love to see it competitive, I really would. But it will be between the same countries (Aus, NZ, England) with the others making up the numbers and the Aus media bagging the absolute crap out of it.

I only hope some serious developement has gone into some of these countries otherwise it will do alot of harm to the credibility to the game of RL, and RU will laugh its snotty nose off and remind us how good their world cup was.

Please IRL, plan this properly. Please.

 

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

yeah i agree, NZ will be a major force by then, but apart from GB, france, wales and Aus, there are no other challengers

 

[bender]

I think that Western Samoa and Tonga will both surprise a lot of people. Wont beat the big 3 but both could easily finish 4th.

 

[carlnz]

Aus will always have more young talent coming through. We have 14 NRL sides while NZ only have 1.

Please tell me one club in the NRL that does not have Kiwi Juniors or Kiwi players in it?