The utterly disappointing:
Wales, Tonga and PNG.
Before the tournament all of these sides would have been confident that they stood a good chance of advancing from their groups but were pretty much hopeless. Wales being the most disappointing considering that they played a few at home. Shithouse really.
The noteworthy non qualifiers:
Ireland, the Cooks and Italy.
Italy performed admirably in their first World Cup and the Cooks were competitive with a no frills squad. Ireland would still be cursing their luck after being given the worst draw in the comp by far for a minnow, yet fought hard all the way.
Lucky to be there:
USA and France.
While the USA are the feel good hit of the summer geez their draw was friendly. Their loss to Scotland probably shows where they are and they would likely get beaten by Tonga and Italy, who both missed out. The quarter against Australia is a real worry for the tournaments credibility.
France scored 2 tries all tournament despite playing at home, have lost 2 games convincingly and should have been beaten by PNG if Mead wasn't such a spastic.
The question mark:
Fiji.
The Bati Boys are hard to get a gauge on. They look to be playing some quality footy but the results stand at one win and two losses, albeit against quality opposition. Their QF against Samoa is the game of the round with the winner going on to play Australia, and they will be buoyant.
Impressive:
Samoa and Scotland.
Scotland really showed the value of having a hard working forward pack and quality halves coupled with a disciplined game plan. Samoa have grown in to the tournament and look to be playing very well with some genuinely exciting players.
The Contenders:
England: Still behind NZ and Australia for mine. Improving and growing into some form at the right time (the loss to Italy seems months ago). Many predicted Fiji could potentially roll them but that 2nd half was seriously impressive and if they can play like that with consistency, who knows? If they can stay disciplined and get Tomkins, Hall etc a bit of ball on the back of go forward they will fancy their chances. France should pose no problems for them and they will then have to likely play an early final against the Kiwis. Anyone who isn't a New Zealander should be behind them because being in the final would be absolutely classic for the tournament.
Australia: On paper not as dominant as previous Kangaroos squads and as a result don't seem to have clicked into gear yet; but despite this have won their 3 matches with relative ease and haven't conceded a point in 2 outings. Will go into the Semis seemingly underdone with games against Ireland and the USA hardly going to shock them into form. Semi against the winner of Fiji Samoa. Will likely be finalists but I reckon they are as ripe for the pickings as they ever will be.
NZ: Are averaging 48 points per match and are playing dominant, exciting footy. They have a strong, balanced squad that is playing well together. Their only worry is leaking tries against Samoa. They should account for Scotland and face England in a Semi, which will be like a final. Their poor previous form against the Poms and the hostile environment will be a worry. I would have them as favourites if they were on the other side of the draw.
So far it has been a great tournament and exceeded every reasonable expectation. Plenty of exciting, even matches, picking a winner hasn't been as easy as you would have estimated and we haven't even seen a real blow out yet. Well done to the English and French fans who have got out in some poor weather to breathe life into the tournament. The enthusiasm of Vossy and Halligan has also really kicked the experience up a gear for someone who is watching from the other side of the world. Geez if we get sell outs for the Semi and Final, as we are predicted to, this will be some kind of result.
Wales, Tonga and PNG.
Before the tournament all of these sides would have been confident that they stood a good chance of advancing from their groups but were pretty much hopeless. Wales being the most disappointing considering that they played a few at home. Shithouse really.
The noteworthy non qualifiers:
Ireland, the Cooks and Italy.
Italy performed admirably in their first World Cup and the Cooks were competitive with a no frills squad. Ireland would still be cursing their luck after being given the worst draw in the comp by far for a minnow, yet fought hard all the way.
Lucky to be there:
USA and France.
While the USA are the feel good hit of the summer geez their draw was friendly. Their loss to Scotland probably shows where they are and they would likely get beaten by Tonga and Italy, who both missed out. The quarter against Australia is a real worry for the tournaments credibility.
France scored 2 tries all tournament despite playing at home, have lost 2 games convincingly and should have been beaten by PNG if Mead wasn't such a spastic.
The question mark:
Fiji.
The Bati Boys are hard to get a gauge on. They look to be playing some quality footy but the results stand at one win and two losses, albeit against quality opposition. Their QF against Samoa is the game of the round with the winner going on to play Australia, and they will be buoyant.
Impressive:
Samoa and Scotland.
Scotland really showed the value of having a hard working forward pack and quality halves coupled with a disciplined game plan. Samoa have grown in to the tournament and look to be playing very well with some genuinely exciting players.
The Contenders:
England: Still behind NZ and Australia for mine. Improving and growing into some form at the right time (the loss to Italy seems months ago). Many predicted Fiji could potentially roll them but that 2nd half was seriously impressive and if they can play like that with consistency, who knows? If they can stay disciplined and get Tomkins, Hall etc a bit of ball on the back of go forward they will fancy their chances. France should pose no problems for them and they will then have to likely play an early final against the Kiwis. Anyone who isn't a New Zealander should be behind them because being in the final would be absolutely classic for the tournament.
Australia: On paper not as dominant as previous Kangaroos squads and as a result don't seem to have clicked into gear yet; but despite this have won their 3 matches with relative ease and haven't conceded a point in 2 outings. Will go into the Semis seemingly underdone with games against Ireland and the USA hardly going to shock them into form. Semi against the winner of Fiji Samoa. Will likely be finalists but I reckon they are as ripe for the pickings as they ever will be.
NZ: Are averaging 48 points per match and are playing dominant, exciting footy. They have a strong, balanced squad that is playing well together. Their only worry is leaking tries against Samoa. They should account for Scotland and face England in a Semi, which will be like a final. Their poor previous form against the Poms and the hostile environment will be a worry. I would have them as favourites if they were on the other side of the draw.
So far it has been a great tournament and exceeded every reasonable expectation. Plenty of exciting, even matches, picking a winner hasn't been as easy as you would have estimated and we haven't even seen a real blow out yet. Well done to the English and French fans who have got out in some poor weather to breathe life into the tournament. The enthusiasm of Vossy and Halligan has also really kicked the experience up a gear for someone who is watching from the other side of the world. Geez if we get sell outs for the Semi and Final, as we are predicted to, this will be some kind of result.
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