UK Daily Telegraph predicts Wallabies winning World Cup

Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand is ready - let the World Cup party begin at last
New Zealand is not a place where you might mistake the message.

At the end of a very interesting article assessing the chances of all the teams, Mick Cleary from the Dauly Telegraph writes:

"It is so hard to go against New Zealand, but that is what we must do. England to reach the semi-finals but Australia to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup."


Here is the beginning of the article. Click on the link above to read the whole thing and keep abreast of Telegraph reports. Best IMHO.

When billboards preach the World Cup mantra at you from every street corner, when the in-flight safety video has All Blacks coach Graham Henry as the headline act and when the haka can break out on any street corner, you might well believe that this is a country fixated with rugby.

And so it is but the mood has not always been one of sweet harmony. When the World Cup was last staged in New Zealand, in 1987, rugby was not the unified entity it is now, on the eve of the seventh edition of the tournament. In fact, rugby had split the country following a poisonous row over New Zealand's dealings with apartheid South Africa, with the All Blacks billeted around farming communities during the tournament in a bid to connect with their roots and heal those sores.

In 2011, the country is at one with its sporting heroes and, for the most part, with the event itself, even if there have been legitimate grumbles about the hike in prices for tickets and services – 1,000 tickets remain for the first night extravaganza in Auckland, with the All Blacks top-billing. As ever, it is the poor old punter who gets rear-ended at these global events. 

@Kelvinator Think you may be on the money mate.