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Despite New Zealand being the reigning champions and England having the home ground advantage, the Kangaroos are firm and rightful favourites for the 2013 edition of the Rugby League World Cup.
In a squad that can only find room for two players who won the NRL premiership on Sunday evening, the question that has to be asked is this – can anybody stop the Kangaroos?
While seeing just who of the minnows will swim ahead of the school is certainly of keen interest to me, none of them will push the might of the green and gold.
If they do, it will be nothing short of a Herculean effort.
The Kiwis struggle to perform at their best against England in England, being on the receiving end of 28-6 and 20-12 losses in their last two meetings there, at the ‘09 and ‘11 Four Nations respectively.
Some may argue that New Zealand also perform to a higher standard in longer tournaments, but that is something of a copout now that they have just as stable a 17 as Australia.
Conceding 26 points in the second half of the ANZAC Test is certainly a bad omen for New Zealand and not one that the benefit of a longer campaign will soothe.
England are the most likely for mine to be able to stage an upset victory over the Aussies. The home ground advantage is huge, but not even that is as huge as their forward pack.
James Graham, George Burgess and Sam Burgess are all in the upper echelon of NRL forwards.
From the admittedly small sample space of what I have seen of O’Loughlin, Roby, Hock and Mossop, they are all excellent footballers in their own right.
The backline is not as strong but there is some genuine strike through the likes of Gareth Widdop, Josh Charnley and Sam Tomkins.
A brief glance over the Australian squad, no doubt still hurting from their failure to secure the 2008 World Cup, and any hopes of an English victory are buffeted by immense doubt to say the least.
When the current Clive Churchill medallist is unlikely to force his way into the starting side, the strength of this group is undeniable.
The combinations between the Queensland contingent are impossible to emulate for the other contenders.
These old heads are complimented beautifully by the youth brigade led by uncapped but in-form NSW forwards Andrew Fifita and Boyd Cordner, an absolute smorgasbord of rugby league talent.
My excitement for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup is unfettered by the shadow of a Kangaroo-led massacre hanging over it; I can only build the marvel at any upsets.
But with the weight of the 2008 loss still hanging heavy on Australia and the incredibly talented squad they have assembled, it’s hard to envision the Roos even needing to get out of second gear to regain the Cup.
Twitter: The_Hoss12
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