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I can hear the uproar now. What? Encourage the enemy? Yeah. Draw closer to the screen and I’ll tell you why. In the short history of the RWC, England have won once and been runners up twice.
But, maybe you’ve noticed: they’ve fallen on hard times lately, and it would be greatly surprising if they suddenly played delightful and winning rugby in the June tests in Australia and New Zealand.
They’re lumbered with a manager who’s not suited for the job, but the powers at Twickers are sticking with him, and Jonno says he’s sticking with his coaching team all the way to the RWC.
It’s the quality of the RWC that should concern us.
We need a former powerhouse like England to become a powerhouse again to bolster the Northern Hemisphere challenge which, on present form, consists of France and Ireland, as Wales are on the downswing.
We don’t want a Tri-Nations contest with the addition of the Pumas as dangerous floaters.
It would be so much more interesting for everybody if the Northern Hemisphere had at least three teams good enough to go all the way to the final. An offer of hands-on help would be seen as insulting and gratuitous, but if Aussies and Kiwis could shave their traditional enmity for the Mother Country team, and temper their delight if England get shelled in June, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
I’m an Southern Hemisphere fan, and I’ll cheer every win by the All Blacks, the Boks and the Wallabies, but I’m hoping that England can put out a team that can give the Southern Hemisphere a run for its money.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.