With the EMC tests looming and the daily press releases telling us how our players are “harder, faster, stronger” than ever before whilst the players assure us the group has never been so tight-knit, I must ask: how will the warm up games pan out?
The reason I ask this is that everything in training, we have been told, is geared towards rugby specifics.
The Scotland under-20s have already left for their World Cup in Italy. In their ranks they have Duncan Weir, Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg. They also, it must be said, go with mixed expectations.
New Zealand has long been famed for it’s iconic national rugby team, the All Blacks. It’s appropriate that the upcoming Rugby World Cup is to be staged there. To get you in the mood, here are some fun facts about the Rugby World Cup…
Humans are fairly simple creatures. If you compliment someone enough they will believe what you tell them.
So here are the dates of Scotland’s World Cup games and locations for 2011. At least it allows us to start planning already! It looks like we get to go all over, to Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch and then Auckland for the biggie…and perhaps beyond? Although it means back to back matches with the two top seeds, it’s nice of them to put that one last – it could become an all or nothing encounter at the Cake Tin. Imagine the intense craziness of the St Etienne game… versus England? I’m having a panic attack just thinking about it.
10 September:
Scotland v Play-off winner, Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill
14 September:
Scotland v Europe 1, Carisbrook, Dunedin
25 September:
Argentina v Scotland, Christchurch Stadium
1 October:
England v Scotland, Eden Park, Auckland
Quarter-final Two: 8 October
Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
(Christchurch Stadium)
Quarter-final Four: 9 October
Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
(Christchurch Stadium)
In other news, the Evans boys and Euan Murray have just announced the signing of new contracts with Glasgow and Northampton respectively.
Perhaps the 9th ranking was all part of Frank Hadden’s master plan.
Pool A:
New Zealand
France
Tonga
Canada (Americas 1)
Asia 1 (Japan?)
Pool B:
Argentina
England
Scotland
Europe 1 (Romania?)
Play Off Winner (your guess is as good as mine)
Pool C:
Australia
Ireland
Italy
Europe 2 (Portugal, Spain, Russia, Georgia?)
Americas 2 (USA?)
Pool D:
South Africa
Wales
Fiji
Samoa (Oceania 1)
Africa 1 (Namibia?)
No Southern Hemisphere biggie. Argentina, who we have recently beaten. And our cousins from south of the border – currently in disarray and against whom our form is not necessarily an indicator of result – so if we played the World Cup today I’d be quite happy. However it’s still three years away and a lot can (and will) change. At least we didn’t get New Zealand in our group again. Who’s going to upset the home team’s apple cart? Oh look, they got France again…same again, or situations reversed with the plucky home team upsetting the rampant favourites? Seems unlikely given NZ are filling the role of both. Once again Ireland are in a group of if not death then mild trauma with Italy and the Aussies. Italy have recently pushed the Aussies close and could be the Argentina of this tournament, if they continue to mature.
Talk has already begun as to how the draw has been kind to England (which it has). It has also been kind to us, and to Argentina. A lot of people on message boards everywhere are already assuming that this group will go according to the seedings with Argentina coming out on top, and England second. My apologies, but I would say this is one of the few groups that could go in any direction and Argentina on current form would not be favourites against Scotland or England. Scotland are the 3rd seed team England did not want. Because in a Scotland vs England match, even on the other side of the planet and even if England were by that point the top team in the world, anything can happen.
See you in Dunedin? I’ll be there.
UPDATE: updated 13/07/09 as Canada have qualified
