The nightmare draw could work in our favour -
1. Talk all one likes about NZ, But ask any Wallaby what he enjoys more than anything else - Trouncing the English. Even though they are not in the top 3 or 4 teams in the world - they are still the Poms... I would TRADE MY SOUL to be part of a Wallabies Team that put England out in thePools of their OWN World Cup!
Yes, I know that intellectually, and from a Rugby perspective, a win over a quality All Blacks side is a much greater achievement - but beating a Kiwi is NEVER going to be a substitute for an Australian, to compare to giving a Pom a good seeing-to... Not. Ever.
2. The two teams that emerge from this Pool - whoever they are - will come out feeling pretty good about themselves... Tournament Rugby is a Specific Beast, and top teams come out of Pool rounds usually feeling quietly confident, but still sparring - mentally trying to sort out where they sit in the Business Rounds.... The two teams that come out of this Pool, will be like a Fella 6 Good Punches into a Fight - Feeling like he is still standing, in it for keeps and landing blows to order; "Come and Get It"...
I didn't mind Oz not winning the World Cup last time, I didn't expect them to... What I minded - and deeply resented - was the timid way they ultimately capitulated in that last match against New Zealand - it was much like they were in a Semi-Final and still hadn't really got their heads into the fight, yet...
Then of course, they did what Wallaby Teams have done so regularly in recent years - come out in the dead rubber against Wales, and played like champions... with nothing at stake. The (frankly apalling) record Wales has against Australia cannot continue indefinitely, surely?
If the Wallabies can put England out in the Pools, put some sly money on them for the whole box & dice -If they can't, then I would not want to rely on our recent good record against Wales lasting all the way through 2015...