Flair... Fiji are shaping up as the surprise packets of the tournament.

Friday Night kicked off with New Zealand against Tonga; while the score line doesn’t really show it, Tonga played exceptionally well in the first half, holding off a grand New Zealand assault; especially in the first 20 minutes. Eventually I guess they became tired, and New Zealand began steam rolling ultimately leading to a 41-10 victory for New Zealand, expected, but Kudos to Tonga for an excellent performance against possibly the strongest team in the cup.

Group A’s second game was France v Japan. I was really looking forward to this game, I predicted Japan being an upset and for a moment it seemed I was going to be right (an event that doesn’t normally happen!). Japan for quite a while was in the lead and gave a great fight to hold France back. France however pulled away towards the end and slaughtered the scoreboard ending the game 47-21. Japan could quite possibly be the most improved team since last cup and keep an eye on them, I think 3^rd on the table is quite possible.

I unfortunately missed Scotland v Romania, but I think that the score line was mostly predictable. Romania fought hard, represented by putting 24 points on the board against a strong team. Scotland could have probably played better; they’re quite a good team and have been performing well over the last couple of years. Still, for a first round match, a good game; it’ll be interesting to see who performs better over the coming weeks.

England v Argentina was perhaps the most interesting game this weekend, pitting two traditional enemies against each other; and what a game. Argentina began with an upset try and built up their lead against England. In typical English fashion however, they caught up and won the game; somewhat undeservedly. England got a shock, and probably will perform far better in future games. Keep an eye on Argentina though, could very well go through to top 4 if they keep this up!

The game that I think we all watched Australia v Italy! A good victory for Australia, pulling away in the second half to a superb (a tad of bias) lead of 32-6 at full-time; Italy played very well in the first half leaving the scores locked at 6-6, and giving a fight in the 2^nd half. The scores however seem to as the Italian Coach put it “the score reflected the differences between the sides”. I’m looking forward to games in future years from Italy, a team that has been gradually improving over the years, and it looks plausible to see them in 2015 may be near the top of the table.

Ireland v United States looked to be an easy game for Ireland, I think the score was unrepresentative of the strength of the Irish side however, with the US scoring a converted try in overtime making it 22-10. Ireland was one of my predictions for top of the table, and I think they are well on track for that, a bit of a disappointment however not getting the extra points for 4 tries. Keep an eye on the US as well, a good performance from a traditionally weak team.

Fiji, Fiji, Fiji! Topping out France’s performance with the highest score posted by any team this weekend! A game that I had hoped to watch but sadly missed, it has shaped out to be an excellent game, one that was probably a highlight for the weekend. First off though, congratulations to Namibia though for a sterling effort posting scores against the ultimately superior Fijian team. I’m looking forward to more from both of these teams – especially Fiji; they’ll end up in the top 8.

And last but not least, South Africa v Wales. You might disagree with me here, but I don’t think South Africa deserved to win. Wales had a disallowed penalty, and played far better than their opponents. South Africa played well, but not of a calibre of defending champions. Wales can go into their future games well aware that they have had an excellent performance, though I do not think they’ll make it to the top 8.

All-in-all a very interesting opening weekend, and I’ve already made plans to be at my local this Friday night for week 2! Let me know in the comments your predictions; and for those interested here are mine.

Samoa v Namibia
Tonga v Canada
New Zealand v Japan
Scotland v Georgia
Argentina v Romania
Georgia v England
Russia v USA
Australia v Ireland
Italy v Russia
South Africa v Fiji (hoping for Fiji though!)
Samoa v Wales

Group A

Teams:  New Zealand, France, Tonga, Japan, Canada

Can the All Blacks finally live up to the hype?

Colm: It is difficult to see anyone, let alone France, Canada, Japan or Tonga, preventing New Zealand from World Cup glory. Not only do they boast an extraordinary 95% winning record at home, the only team many believe capable of stopping them, the Wallabies, have not tasted success in Auckland since 1986. There are no excuses for New Zealand if they do not win. However, the key matchup in Pool A will be New Zealand vs France. New Zealand have twice been dumped out of the cup by France (1999, 2007) and so will be wary of giving them any leeway. However, they will not meet in the knock out stages of the competition, so don’t expect New Zealand to choke this time. New Zealand and France should go through, although expect Japan to give the French a tough time with their fast running style.

Ed: Group A has two excellent teams, New Zealand and France who will most likely dominate the table. Canada, Tonga and Japan finish up the rest of the group. All of these teams play exceptionally well; all of the games from this group will be excellent to watch! Keep an eye out for the first game of the group between New Zealand and Tonga which looks to be an excellent match up and an excellent way to start the competition. Also, Japan; for a country where rugby isn’t that big, the team has traditionally played well. Japan won the Asian Five Nations this year including a victory over Tonga. If there will be an upset winner of the group, Japan will be it. I think New Zealand will win all of their games easily; the home ground advantage should also help. I expect New Zealand to win the cup this year too – just as long as they don’t follow tradition!

Gordon: Interesting group this. New Zealand should have no problems, it could be an emotional tournament after the disaster in Christchurch earlier this year, but expect that to gel the team together rather than distract. The rest of the field could produce some shocks. I think France are bit overrated at the moment whilst Tonga are not slouches. The islanders are going to have a HUGE fan base in New Zealand so that could prove a vital lift for them. Japan is definitely on the rise and if they get a good start could be a huge dark horse for the group. However, for Canada, I don’t think it will be anything more or less than a learning experience. I think New Zealand and France will qualify, but don’t be surprised to see Tonga go through at France’s expense.

Who’ll go through?

Colm: New Zealand, France

Ed: New Zealand, France

Gordon: New Zealand, France

—–

Group B

Teams: England, Scotland, Argentina, Georgia, Romania

Can the Pumas spring some upsets?

Colm:Pool B is very difficult to predict, as it contains Six Nation stalwarts England and Scotland, whilst it also contains the surprise packet of 2007, Argentina. Georgia and Romania make up the numbers. England have a habit of struggling at pool stages so don’t be surprised if Argentina gives them a hard time. That said, with the form England is in, they should qualify 1st and book a mouth-watering quarter-final with France. The key clash will be Scotland vs Argentina to see who plays New Zealand in the quarters. The conditions in New Zealand are more suited to Scottish rugby so expect a low-scoring penalty-fest here, with Scotland to scrape home.

Ed: Group B really only has England as a team that will shine. Not to say that other teams such as Romania and Argentina won’t perform badly, but don’t expect any big games from this group. That being said, it will be interesting to watch games such as England and Argentina – who fought a war in 1982. Overall, expect big hits and some good tries but nothing more. Still, watch some of the England games, you might be pleasantly surprised. Scotland is a team to watch here as well, if not for any particular result but the possibility of an upset victory. Scotland hasn’t done too well this year and lost to Japan not that long ago, however they have in the past performed very well when push comes to shove. England and Argentina are the teams to watch in this group, both are easily the best teams in the group and should perform admirably.

Gordon: Pretty easy group here for England and really, they should top it without much fuss, with competition from Scotland and Argentina for the second spot. England I believe is one of the four teams capable of lifting the trophy this year and should challenge the bigger boys in the knockout stages. I think Argentina have been the big improvers in world rugby of late and I think they’ll just pip Scotland. The important thing for them will be getting themselves up for and beating the ‘smaller’ opponents. Unfortunately for Georgia and Romania, things could get messy very easily for them in this group.

Who’ll go through?

Colm: England, Scotland

Ed: England, Argentina

Gordon: England, Argentina

—–

Group C

Teams: Australia, Ireland, Italy, USA, Russia

Colm:Despite the Australia-Ireland crunch match, the most eagerly awaited encounter in this Pool is the Cold War, USA vs Russia, a game of nuclear proportions! In terms of a winner, you would be a brave man to bet against the Wallabies, Tri-Nations champions, in their current form. Ireland however, have a history of scaring them and will fight tooth and nail to prevent Australia from finishing first. Despite this, the key encounter will be Ireland vs Italy. Ireland have been in poor form lately and Italy have recently won their first six-nations victory. Expect a passion-filled game that goes down to the wire.

Can the Wallabies continue their strong form and win a third World Cup?

Ed: Group C offers a major contender in Australia and is also the only group to have a team qualify for the first time – Russia. I think that Russia and the United States game will be fun to watch, the US traditionally doesn’t perform well at all. Italy and Ireland round out the group, both are pretty good, the Irish are also fun to watch. It’s a pretty interesting group with a mix of talent, but Australia tops it for me. As for a dark horse, I can’t decide between Italy and Ireland. Both play well and both have good teams. That being said, the US might pull a rabbit out of the hat and do rather well, this group is probably the most likely to have an extra special surprise! I’m not sure just how far Australia will go, but they are in my pick for the top four. Ireland I think will be a good chance to qualify as well, the Italians have a tendency to run out of steam so to speak.

Gordon: Australia is probably the form nation in the world at the moment after winning the Tri Nations, expect some strong performances from them as they look to become the first ever nation to win the cup three times. Ireland worry me, they’re one of the most inconsistent sides in the world and could struggle against the Italians. However, they were the only team to beat England in the Six Nations earlier this year – so anything is possible with them! Italy have a real chance and a great kicking game, however I get the feeling they might come up just short.

Who’ll go through?

Colm: Australia, Ireland

Ed: Australia, Ireland

Gordon: Australia, Ireland

—–

Group D

Teams: South Africa, Wales, Samoa, Fiji, Namibia

Colm:The most difficult pool to predict. With South Africa fielding an ageing team and Samoa, Fiji and Wales slugging it out for a likely 2nd spot three way struggle. Although Samoa recently defeated the Wallabies, it is difficult to see South Africa allowing them the same liberties. Despite their form, South Africa should win this pool. However, if they reach the end of the group stages without injuries from the Pacific Islander bruisers, it will be nothing short of a minor-miracle! Wales have a history of losing to the Islanders at World Cup time (Samoa 1991, 1999; Fiji 2007). Expect lightning to strike again. Samoa should progress using the confidence they have gained lately, although the must see match is Fiji vs Samoa. Fast running rugby, with huge hits and a cricket scoreboard. What more could you want?

Will the Springboks become the first side to win back-to-back Cups?

Ed: Finally group D. Fiji and South Africa look to dominate this table, with Wales, Samoa and Namibia rounding out the group. For a group of good games, this is probably the one to watch. Both Samoa and Fiji play really well, with the Samoa v Australia game earlier this year being exceptionally interesting to watch – with that upset victory to Samoa. Samoa is of course the dark horse here with the upset victory against Australia, playing very well and having quite a good team. It’s debatable however just how much of skill was required to win against Australia, due to benching of players, but still, Samoa, watch them! Fiji and South Africa will most likely top the table. South Africa have always been a top team and have been playing quite well this year, if not a tad patchy. Fiji also traditionally have done well. Their big forwards should help them against teams within this group.

Gordon: I love a speckie and every world cup, no matter the sport, seems to have one. I’m going with Fiji in what is an obvious ‘group of death’ if you like. Wales and Samoa will be in contention as well, whilst South Africa should be fine – although they’ll be tested. I think the Fijians are a real chance with their willingness to throw the ball around and go at the opposition from the start. At the same time it may be an omen for failure, but I’ve got a good feeling about the men in white! In saying that, the Samoans have plenty of form with them and I’ll go as far as saying that the only team the Welsh will finish above is Namibia.

Who’ll go through?

Colm: South Africa, Samoa

Ed: South Africa, Fiji

Gordon: South Africa, Fiji

—–

Who Do You Fancy?

So there are all of our picks as we await the start of what is sure to be another fantastic World Cup! Stay tuned to Injury Time throughout the Rugby World Cup for some great coverage of the tournament and be sure to tell us your thoughts below!

Has Australia's cricket media gone to far with this latest claim?

Sure, they’re still strong in international cricket, but they’re at their weakest point in decades.

During their periods of successive dominance, mainly through the 2000’s, Australia were cocky, arrogant and had plenty of pride. I’m not saying they’re not the same now, but back then they consistently had the results to back up their words.

Yeah, yeah, yeah they beat the Old Enemy 6-1 in the ODI series, but find me one Australian brave enough to say they preferred the ODI series over the Ashes.

And now, the situation of Australian Cricket is so strenuous that the media seem to have also fallen into a hole.

On Sunday 20^th February 2011, leading Australian Sports Brand Fox Sports released an article entitled ‘Even Pakistan Will Beat You Aussies’.

It was written by one Peter Badel. Never have I read such filth and utterly pitiful ‘reporting’.

In the article, Badel writes in short blurb at the top of the page, ‘Sourav Ganguly throws in sledge at Australia by claiming that Pakistan will beat Ponting’s men’.

An amazing claim considering there is not one reference of such in any of Ganguly’s quotes attached in the article.

Normally it’s not surprising to see a person’s quotes to be twisted and turned to make them sound horrible. However, in this case, Badel has not only put words in Ganguly’s mouth but makes entirely false claims.

Yes, the former Indian captain does say he hopes there is a new world champion in 2011 and that Australia is outside the top four ODI teams in the world.

But in all honesty, are such comments totally untrue anyway?

I can’t imagine too many neutrals jumping onto the Australian bandwagon should they reach the later stages of the tournament.

They have a strong ODI team yes, but surely the likes of Sri Lanka, India and South Africa are on par if not better.

Okay Pakistan is probably weaker in my opinion, but look at the way Sri Lanka disposed of the Aussies on home soil last year.

The Australians batted like amateurs in their warm up games, scoring 393 runs total against India and South Africa, who will most likely be two of their main rivals. That’s an average of less than 20 per batsman.

Take Ponting’s contribution away and that average drops to just above 15. Not bad for the world number ones. And he’s supposed to be the one out of form.

Whilst they bowled well against India, when South Africa came calling, their bowlers claimed ZERO wickets.

All in all, the fact is, is this what cricketing journalism is based on in Australia?

Fake claims and weak evidence?

Really?

Badel claims Ganguly’s comments are a ‘swipe’ at the Australian side, but even the Indian acknowledged the Aussie’s ability.

“So, where do Australia go from here? Three consecutive World Cup wins mean they surely have the ability to rise to the occasion in big tournaments. They really have to lift their game to be successful” he is quoted as saying.

Much of the worldwide and certainly Australian public notice improvement is needed if they’re going to win the Cup.

But my word, has this Badel character taken these comments from Ganguly and turned them into a pathetic piece of writing.

I was never really a fan of Ganguly as a player or captain, but this is ridiculous.

The only place where people can openly expect their comments to be turned against them is in the English tabloid, is that what you really want your media to become Australia?

If so, I’m sure us English will gladly add your media to that little urn to the list of things we’ve taken from you this winter.

Anyways, I’m off to go smash a TV after being run out in backyard cricket by my five year old son. Thanks for the tip Punter.

Bangladesh

World Rank: 8^th

TAB: $41.00

We Think: Quarter Finalists

Look out for: Tamim Iqbal

Responsibility will be with the top order and the focal player must be the very talented Tamim Iqbal who has all the shots and has earned respect from all around the world. He has to propel the team with his ability to score quickly.

Chances?

Bangladesh never really used to be taken seriously, but after recent performances, it’s probably a little unfair to call them an ‘underdog’. They improved their reputation after comprehensively defeating New Zealand 5-0 in an ODI series, and thus moved up in the ICC ODI world rankings moving ahead of the West Indies. Although they are not being favoured enough to go through to the quarter finals by most but they have momentum and that’s all you need for a tournament. Their batting has to fire and score big to give them any chance as their bowling is not that strong and will need a few runs to play with. Don’t forget their home advantage either. With England struggling, we think Bangladesh will be the fourth team to go through in Group B.

Ireland

World Rank: 10^th

TAB: $501.00

We Think: Group Stage

Look out for: William Porterfield/Boyd Rankin

The batsman to focus on is William Porterfield; he is the opener, the captain, and is one of the more consistent scorers in this side with a healthy average of 33.43. Meanwhile, Rankin has to lead the bowling attack with his natural outswing which troubled batsmen in the last World Cup.

Chances?

Who can forget St Patrick’s Day in 2007? The Irish team were able to cause the upset of the tournament by getting rid of Pakistan and going through to the next stage. Once again, like last World Cup, Ireland is not expected to get through the group stage but a positive is that they have a few experienced players who were there in 2007 such as Johnston and the O’Brien brothers. Ireland’s strength is their batting with players such as Porterfield, K. O’Brien and Ed Joyce, it’s quite good.  So if you have a bit of cash to burn, bet on the men in green, you never know. Maybe just throw it all on one game rather than the 501-1 chance of winning it!

Netherlands

World Rank: 12^th

TAB: $1501.00

We Think: Group Stage

Look out for: Tom Cooper/Peter Borren

The teams bowling seems to be on the weaker side but the batting has potential, which includes Tom Cooper who played a few good innings for South Australia in the Ryobi Cup in Australia. Peter Borren is a decent all rounder with his smart batting and bustling medium pacers, he must inspire the younger guys around him to make sure Netherlands fights in each game, building character and gaining respect from other teams.

Chances?

Netherlands are probably the weakest team of the tournament and are expected to face defeat in every game. But this is their advantage, they are huge outsiders and for this reason they have nothing to lose and all to gain, and have a licence to cause upsets. With $1501 odds, you can understand that, but a win in general will be seen as a huge success.

Overview

With Netherlands most likely here to make up numbers, Ireland and in particularly, Bangladesh, have will certainly be in the mix come the later stages of the group stage. Bangladesh are the 8th ranked team in the world, but whether they can deliver with home crowd expectations will be vital.

Visit us again tomorrow as we look at the final four teams in Group B, the Big Boys!

Australia

World Rank: 1^st

TAB: $5.50

We Think: Semi Finalists

Look out for: Shane Watson

He is in the form of his life, contributing with both bat and ball. He was clearly the best player of the Aussie outfit in 2010, winning the man of the series award in the recent one day series against England and also won the Allan Border Medal for the second year running.

Chances?

Australia is a side that you can never write off in any tournament. They always seem to click for big moments and that is why they have been victorious in the last three World Cups. However, this fact has been ignored by a lot of pundits and commentators as Australia is not really being mentioned in the top three to win. This is probably due the heavy defeat in the Ashes, but isn’t that Test cricket? Australia are a very good and balanced one day outfit with an extremely good fast bowling attack and some in form batsman. Australia should not be ignored, they’ve won the last two cups after all.

Sri Lanka

World Rank: 3rd

TAB: $5.00

We Think: Winner

Look out for: Angelo Matthews

One of the young and upcoming stars of the game in the last couple of years, he has really shown that when the team needs a saviour in a high pressure situation, Angelo delivers. His batting is very well thought out and he scores at a good rate. Not to mention his more than useful medium pacers.

Chances?

Sri Lanka always seems to present itself as a threat because of its consistency. In recent times they have been very impressive and the reason for this is that they have a fairly balanced team with a strong leader and most importantly key match winning players. Kumar Sangakkara and his gang are always fighting and don’t get much attention. With batsmen such as Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, bowlers like Muttiah, Malinga and Mendis and finally a very talented all-rounder like Angelo Matthews, Sri Lanka will be a tough side to beat. It is also forgotten that they were in the final of the last World Cup and their recent form has been very good with one day series wins over Australia in Australia and most recently a convincing series win over the West Indies. With the mountains of talent and emotion of Murali, we think Sri Lanka can go all the way four years after their World Cup heartbreak.

Pakistan

World Rank: 6^th

TAB: $9.00

We Think: Quarter Finalists

Look out for: Shahid Afridi/Abdul Razzaq

These two could win the world cup for Pakistan. Their explosive batting can be unstoppable and their bowling is very handy and reflects the experience they both have. If Afridi consistently fires and Razzaq wraps up the innings, Pakistan could win the whole thing.

Chances?

The last couple of World Cups for Pakistan have been quite disastrous, and the lead up to this one has been worse with the banning of players. Although with all the off-field drama put to one side, the on field performances have been quite pleasing for the Pakistani fans. Across all formats in the past year have been good and in one day series they have done well, losing to South Africa and England 2-3 which could have gone either way, and most recently winning the series in New Zealand. They are dangerous, mercurial and inconsistent, therefore not stable. Which Pakistan will turn up to the World Cup? With players like Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq and a good batting line up Pakistan is in with a shot.

New Zealand

World Rank: 7^th

TAB: $17.00

We Think: Group Stage

Look out for: Daniel Vettori

Tthe experienced Captain has to inspire his side to get out of the slump they are in and the good thing is he is a very talented bowler and one of the better batsmen in the New Zealand side. Now a genuine all rounder, Vettori will be looking for one final hurrah before he retires from all forms of international limited overs cricket after the Cup.

Chances?

The Black Caps have to improve out of sight to convince the cricketing world that they are still a top side and the perfect way to do that is to do well in this tournament. They have really capitulated in the last year and have been giving below average performances and they know that they are better than that. Losing to Bangladesh 5-0 was embarrassing and since then have done a little better but have not been winning enough. Therefore, on recent form New Zealand are not in the running, but if they can turn it around and their senior players such as Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Scott Styris and Ross Taylor find form then anything is possible. The Black Caps may not be given a chance but they are known for being fighters.

Overview

So now that we’ve looked at each team in Group A, who do you think will be the top four to prevail to the quarter finals? We like the look of all these big boys except New Zealand. Zimbabwe to be surprise packets is our bolter!

Stay tuned as we look at the Group B Underdogs tomorrow!