Signs that point to a Wallabies WC win.
1. Worlds best halves combination. The Cooper/Genia combo is streaks ahead of the rest. This year they have demonstrated that they have matured as rugby players, being able to change tactics, play field position and play under pressure. They will ensure that we don’t struggle to score points.
2. Will Genia has surpassed FDP as the world’s best halfback.
3. A real kicker in O’Connor. Giteau cost us some famous victories over the last few years (most memorably against Scotland 2009 and England 2010) we needed a more reliable kicker and we have that in O’Connor. The Force have relied solely on O’Connor to score points for them this year and he has been bang on the money most of the time kicking 43 penalty goal (more than any other player)
4. David Pocock. There are very few genuine world-class fetchers in world rugby and we have arguably the best playing for us. Is sure to get us out of a few sticky situations.
5. A solid front row. I think we would be remiss to expect us to be able to dominate the top sides with our scrum, however this year we actually look like we will have a strong group of front rowers to take to the WC. Robinson is competitive at the top level, Slipper appears to cope with the pressure, and Kepu has emerged as a genuinely strong option in the scrum. Add to that group Even Alexander can be effective with the right front row partners. Add to this the fact that we have two world class hookers, both of whom are particularly strong in the scrum, and you have what is building as a competitive scrum.
6. Potentially a full strength line-up for the first time since 2009. Last year, the list of players that were unavailable at times for the wallabies was long. Horwill, Palu, Robinson, TPN, Moore, Alexander and Ioane all unavailable. This year, they all are on course to be available for the WC. Mitchell is the only real injury but we have an effective replacement in ioane. And with a bit of luck Mitchell may recover. Deans will even have the option of choosing Dan Vickerman in his squad if he so wishes. A world class 2nd rower.
7. Robbie Deans. Lets face it the man has a good record at winning tournaments. His job over the last 4 years was to try to win this tournament. He did the hard yards, built a new team from the ground up, brought in the players he thought had potential and threw them in the deep end. Many people would point to his less than perfect win/loss record, but 4 years on he has a team full of test match experience with an average player age of less than 25 years old. Last year he used the opportunity presented by player injuries to try to create some depth, which has worked with players like Horne, Slipper, McCallmun showing they have what it takes to play at test level. The team is finally starting to reap the rewards of Dean’s work and the WC could be the pay-off.
8. Quade Cooper!!! Yes Dan Carter is the complete package, but he cant do what Cooper can. Cooper provides the wallabies with the attacking edge that no other player can. Say what you want about his poor defense, but this man will win you a game in a split second. Keep this lovely statistic in mind Quade has a 50% win loss record against the All Black (a 1 point loss, and a 2 point win)!!!!
