England
Lawrence Dallaglio, World Cup winner in 2003
Knowing Martin Johnson [coach] he will play the World Cup game by game. Everyone says to win a World Cup you must win seven games of rugby, and when your first one is Argentina then don’t worry about the knockout stages. It’s not a question of playing a particular style: World Cups bring their own style and some of the greatest teams forget how they’ve played for the past two or three years. This is because there is pressure, there is a different quality of opposition and it is not like you can save your best rugby to the following week. Can I see beyond a southern hemisphere winner? Well, other than 2003, the winner has been a nation from that part of the world (New Zealand in 1987, South Africa in 1995). Prediction: A semi-final berth would be a relatively successful return
Scotland
Scott Hastings, former Lions centre
The key to progress is winning Pool B [which includes England, Romania, Argentina and Georgia]. Do that and Scotland have the thought of playing France in the quarter-finals and when you are into knockout rugby anything can happen. All Andy Robinson [coach] has ever said is that he wants the team to play with consistency and eliminate mistakes. They will not shy away from England at Eden Park in Auckland [on October 1], as I think they showed at Twickenham in the Six Nations, they have the ability to raise their game. At the 1991 World Cup I experienced momentum with Scotland and we got through to the semi-finals and a missed kick in front of the posts by my brother, Gavin, was perhaps the key factor. We were beaten 9-6. Scotland have always played as a unit and if they can do that [coupled] with a consistency, you never know. Prediction: Quarter-final, then it’s knockout rugby
Ireland
Alan Quinlan, tough-tackling flanker
The danger is that what happened in 2007 will happen again [Ireland did not emerge from their group after defeats to France and Argentina], so they will have to try to learn from that. Declan Kidney [coach] is really good at getting heads right. He needs to mix up the team, possibly against Russia and the USA [in the group], because that’s what Eddie O’Sullivan did in [the] 2003 [World Cup] against Namibia and Romania in Australia. Everyone got game time, everyone was in good form and everyone felt they had a chance of pushing for a place. The other key is not to get any injuries to the top players. Then they need a good start, they need to show their intent early on. The quality is there: they just have to bring it out. Prediction: Minimum requirement is quarter-finals
Wales
JJ Williams, speedy wing with 30 caps
Shane Williams [wing] said that this is the best Wales squad he’s been a part of. I have my doubts about that but the side have had a good summer so far. Their fitness seems excellent, which will keep their spirits high. They’ve improved their training camps and seem well prepared. The first game against South Africa is huge. I don’t expect Wales to win but I expect them to be competitive. If they are not, then the second game against Samoa will be very difficult. It is a tough group, as you don’t know what Fiji and Samoa will turn up, while Namibia will be physical. The team will remember the defeat to Fiji in 2007, and will not be as complacent this time. Prediction: Wales to qualify from the pool as runners-up
New Zealand
Sean Fitzpatrick, All Blacks legend
It’s very hard as a fan of the All Blacks to criticise anything they’ve done over the past three years. They rebounded pretty quickly from the disappointment of the 2007 World Cup [they lost in the quarter-finals to France]. They have, arguably, the best coach in world rugby, Graham Henry, arguably the best captain, Richie McCaw, and a good mix of youth and experience. I don’t see the World Cup being on home territory as any kind of a disadvantage. The whole nation will be speaking Rugby World Cup and that’s good. I played in ’87 there [New Zealand won the tournament] and we loved it. What did we learn from 2007? We need to play our best 15 players week in and week out. It’s only once in four years that we play knockout rugby. Prediction: If we don’t win it we will have given it a good shot
Australia
David Campese, cocky genius of the wing
Australia are coming to boil at the right moment and it has been a long time coming. It has taken Robbie Deans [coach] three years to understand that Aussie rugby is very different from New Zealand rugby. Let’s hope that with the team he has got now they have finally arrived at the right place at the right time. The main thing that concerns me is — do we have enough experience to perform when the pressure is on? New Zealand and South Africa have this in abundance. Defence always wins World Cups. The most important aspect in World Cups is to pick the same team week in and week out.
The more you play together the easier it is to perform when the pressure is on. Also, is there a danger that winning the Tri Nations will make us overconfident? The modern rugby player is a lot more confident and he expects success now. Sometimes when winning you create an expectation of winning which gives the opposition the chance to lift their game.
It’s great for Australian rugby but it has probably really shaken up the All Blacks. The Wallabies’ strength lies in their attack with the backs. But as previous years have demonstrated, our forward pack have been the weak link. It is important that the Wallabies focus on scrumaging and lineÂ-outs, especially if they are to meet England or Wales in the semi-finals. The Poms are our biggest nemesis. In the final Tri Nations game against the All Blacks the Wallabies played a very physical game for the first 40 minutes and then struggled in the second half as the All Blacks changed the game plan and starved the Wallabies of possession. This demonstrates the need to play the full 80 minutes at 100% effort.
Prediction: An All Blacks vs Wallaby final. But to win seven Test matches in NZ without injury to key players is going to be tough. It seems like the world is hoping for an All Black vs Wallaby final. This year has been a devastating time for the Kiwi nation, with so many disasters, and it would be great to see the All Blacks bring their nation together by making the final
South Africa
Gary Teichmann, one-time Bok captain
If I look at it from an optimistic viewpoint then I’m hopeful that the Springboks will do very well. There are a few factors in the Springboks’ favour. First, they’re going in as underdogs. Second, they’re in a tough pool so they’ll have to consistently play their best team. That can either hurt by causing too many injuries, or make them a hardened team used to pressure when the knockout games come. They will play in a way that works for them, they’re not going to play open or expansive rugby, so that shouldn’t tire them out too much And there are some younger guys around who they can bring in to add that extra bit of flair or energy.
Prediction: They’ll certainly be in the semi-finals — from there it’s hit and miss. —