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What do France, South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand have in common? There are numerous answers you could provide.
However one you cannot dispute – from a rugby perspective – is that they are the only teams to have ever made a World Cup final.
You could argue that the reason why other teams have come close but failed is because they lack the depth in their squads to absorb the inevitable injuries that occur during and indeed before that event.
Ireland is a team capable of upsetting the big teams, as we saw in the last World Cup with their win over Australia. There is talk in Ireland that they are afflicted with such a long injury list that we should not put much stock in their results this November.
Such talk is not hyperbolic. Take 15 frontline players out of most teams and you notice a big drop off in performance.
However, when you consider South Africa are also afflicted with a terrible injury toll and lined up against New Zealand without many of their stars, it is scary to think how far the top teams can dip into the well to cover for injuries.
In the professional era injuries are like substitutions. It is not a question of whether they will happen but, rather, when they happen. In New Zealand, the prospect of losing star players like Richie McCaw and Dan Carter used to send much of the nation out in a cold sweat.
A shift in thinking has occurred in the professional era, where injuries are no longer used as an excuse or justification. Why? Simply because every team has the same problem.
It is generally expected that you will be without some players for each game. It is how you manage the injury problem and the eventual return of those injured players that sets teams apart.
In a way, injuries can be a blessing – particularly if they are only short-term ones. Rotation came to be a dirty word in New Zealand rugby parlance. Yet you cannot expect to play your best team match after match throughout the calendar year. Injuries provide an opportunity to test other combinations or blood new players like Malakai Fekitoa standing in for Ma’a Nonu or Wyatt Crockett in for Tony Woodcock.
It took time in the professional era to come round to this way of thinking. The England team of 2003 rode their luck with injuries and attributed their success to building combinations and experience in their senior players. It was a similar occurrence in other teams. Nick Evans went to England to play club rugby because he could not get a game with Dan Carter running the ship.
Only in relatively recent times has club or provincial rugby expanded aggressively and with it has come an increase in the number of injuries. Not only that, players are playing when clearly not 100 per cent or in dire need of a rest. You simply cannot endure a full club and international schedule.
England is a curious example of when injuries can be seen as both a blessing and curse. Ben Foden’s injury brought Mike Brown off the wing into his better suited fullback position.
In other instances, it is not so clear cut. Manu Tuilagi is out for the rest of the year after not taking part in the Six Nations. As destructive a player as he is, I remain unconvinced whether he is the best fit for the outside centre position.
Luther Burrell seemed to bring the wingers more into play during the Six Nations in Tuilagi’s absence. Early days yet but I have the same impression with Christian Lei’ilifano. Matt Toomua’s concussion brought Leifi’ilano into the side, and he deserves another shot with Tevita Kuridrani.
England have tried so many different centre combinations, it hurts my head to think of them all.
This seems a distinction with a side like New Zealand that considers injury not a barrier to being picked again. Aaron Cruden was far from at his sharpest when he played England in June and there were calls for Beau Barrett to get a start. We are now in a position to know Steve Hansen was right to bring Cruden back up to speed after his injury lay-off.
Other teams do not tend to show so much faith in their injured players – mainly due to the pressure to get victories – and, like form, tend to be more fickle in their selections, often to their detriment.
It is true you can be unlucky accumulating injuries in the same position. I dare say if New Zealand had suffered the same problems at hooker as Australia, things might have turned out differently in the Bledisloe matches this year. You never know as New Zealand seemed to cope admirably with its fly half problems, as they did in the World Cup.
I guess that is the point I am trying to make. Injuries are always unfortunate and disruptive but it is how you manage those injuries in many ways determines the quality of your side.
You want a big pool of players on which to call but you also want to have a clear idea what your best side is when fully fit and look to get that side out with as few disruptions as possible.
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.