Weight of history makes Ricky a nervous favourite

Australia’s domination of the Rugby League World Cup is fast closing in on death and taxes as one of life’s certainties. No nation has been able to wrestle the trophy from the Kangaroos since rugby league Immortal Arthur Beetson held it aloft for the first time as skipper of the victorious 1975 squad.

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In all, Australia has won nine of the 12 tournaments contested, tightening their stranglehold since that ‘75 campaign - withstanding format changes, bigger tournaments and even the Super League war to win six straight titles and stand alone as the undisputed No.1 team in the world.

It’s a record unmatched by any nation in any major sport, and it’s why Australian coach Ricky Stuart is approaching the 2008 version with such trepidation despite his Kangaroos being installed as $1.18 favourites by bookmakers to make it seven cups in a row.

Ever the realist, Stuart knows all streaks end sometime. He wants to make sure Australia’s reign does not come to a crashing halt with him at the helm.

His concern is evident in his selections and his responses, as evidenced by his bristling reply when asked whether there would be any side capable of challenging his team in the tournament.

“Yes there will be,” he said before the reporter had even finished the question.

“I got that question before the Tri-Nations a couple of years ago and before every Test match and yes there will be.”

In an effort to guard against complacency, he has ushered in a new era of Kangaroos, with seven of his 24-man squad yet to wear the green and gold.

Despite having suffered just one loss as coach of the Kangaroos, Stuart knows of the dangers that lurk, having inherited the job on the back of Australia’s shock 24-0 loss to New Zealand in the final of the 2005 Tri-Nations series.

Australia were also pushed all the way before beating the Kiwis in golden point extra-time in the 2006 version, the home side going down to Great Britain in the preliminary rounds.

Unfortunately for the sake of the World Cup, the Kiwis seem to have gone backwards since then.

First came the representative retirements of greats Stacey Jones and Ruben Wiki, followed closely by the resignation of coach Brian McClennan.

A 58-0 flogging by the Australian’s in last October’s Test in Wellington did little to bolster their confidence, which was shaken further by the loss to injury of skipper Roy Asotasi, powerhouse backrower Frank Pritchard and elusive fullback Brent Webb, all following the loss of the country’s best player, Sonny Bill Williams, to rugby union.

Their greatest asset coming into the tournament may well be former Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett, who will oversee the Kiwis’ campaign from his role as coaching director.

Head coach Stephen Kearney said that despite the absence of some of his star attractions, his squad was capable of doing some damage in the tournament.

“We’ve got a lot of players who have been involved in finals football in the NRL and the English Super League, so that’s a real positive,” Kearney said.

“What we do have is more options than Kiwi teams have had for some time in the key positions of fullback, in the halves and hooker.”

The England side is seemingly the only other capable of upsetting the Australians, though they remain something of an unknown commodity under new coach Tony Smith.

Smith has selected a squad he hopes will adapt to conditions in this country better than touring sides from the northern hemisphere have in the past, the Australian-born coach choosing a host of backrowers rather at the expense of depth up front.

Of the rest, Tonga look favourites to grab the one semi-final position open to the emerging nations, their match against Pacific rivals Samoa at Penrith’s CUA Stadium expected to be one of the tournament highlights.

Unfortunately Tonga’s hopes of challenging the big three took a major hit with backrower Anthony Tupou switched to play for Australia after a first training session with the Tongans then the game’s governing body ruling former New Zealand Test stars Taniela Tuiaki and Fuifui Moimoi ineligible.

Still, coach Jim Dymock has a powerful side at his disposal, but the former Australian representative says he won’t be taking a semi-final spot for granted with the winners of pool 2 to meet the winners of pool 3 for the right to join the top three sides from pool 1 in the semis.

“All we’re worrying about is the Ireland side at the moment, our first match,” Dymock said.

“We’ve got some big boppers, probably we struggle a bit around the halves - trying to get a halfback in Tonga is like trying to pick diamonds.”

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