Crusaders & All Blacks fan Tim Cronin from RugbyShirts.net looks at what’s at stake in 2013.
For my first post of 2013 I thought I’d do a spot of crystal ball gazing, and look ahead to what the year might hold in store for the Southern Hemisphere sides.
The first chance we get to see the Southern Hemisphere’s stars in action will be the Super XV, and there are a number of sides with a lot of pressure on their shoulders ahead of this season’s tournament.
The Crusaders have made the play-offs for the last four years in a row without converting any of them in to titles, and, after throwing Backs Coach Darryl Gibson under the bus last year, Todd Blackadder’s will be the head to roll in 2013 if the red and blacks fall short of the mark again.
In Waikato, the reigning champion Chiefs have a big task ahead of them to retain their title, particularly without their superstar midfielder, Sonny Bill Williams. Like rockstars who bolt to the top of the charts on the back of one sensational hit the Chiefs took the competition by storm last year with their captivating brand of football, but I think they’ll struggle to live up to the hype in 2013.
At the other end of the scale are the Blues. You might think that John Kirwan has nothing to lose given their dismal showing last year, but I tend to think the Blues franchise could write off one year as an aberration, but two poor year’s in a row would be verging on a crisis. Unfortunately for Kirwan I just don’t think they have the personnel, and they’ll be the worst of the Kiwi sides for another year at least.
In South Africa the status quo will remain, with three of their teams, the Sharks, the Bulls and the Stormers all being title contenders, and the other two battling for the wooden spoon.
In Australia things will be much the same as in Africa in terms of the status quo prevailing, with the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies, Force and Rebels all being rubbish.
The biggest talking point in world rugby this year will of course be the Lions’ tour of Australia. When the Wallabies struggled on home-soil against the Welsh 6 months ago I thought the time was ripe for the Lions to sweep the Aussies, but I’ve done an about-turn on this one. While they might be mediocre at best in the Super XV arena, when they get their dozen-odd decent players together the Wallabies are a formidable force, and I can’t help thinking how hungry their stars like Will Genia and David Pocock will be after a season ravaged by injury in 2012.
The dreadful injury run they had gave them opportunities last season which will also benefit them in the long term. Australian rugby has always lacked depth, and when the senior players started dropping mid-season that depth was exposed. But Robbie Deans’ men rallied, and while the season was full of mixed results it gave the ARU the chance to blood some new talent and expose some young up-and-comers to the international stage, and the Wallabies will be a far stronger entity for that experience. Personally I think the Wallabies will beat the Lions.
It’s a big year for the All Blacks, with some monumental questions in front of the powers-that-be. In 1987 the All Blacks were a class above anyone else in the world; In 1991 they traveled to the UK with a team of aging heroes and were shown up by a Wallabies side full of youth and flair. Players like Grant Fox, the Whettons and John Kirwan were just a year or two past their best when the 1991 tournament rolled around, and that could well be an issue for Steve Hansen and his pals come 2015.
The big question is: will McCaw, Carter, Woodcock, Mealamu, Hore, Nonu and Smith still be amongst the very best in the world come the World Cup in 2015? If not they must start introducing new blood now.
All Black supporters must be prepared to loose some games this year. I think it’s inevitable that the gap will close, particularly with McCaw sitting out the season. Personally, I believe the selectors should be brave and give some of the exciting talent which is bubbling away in New Zealand at the moment the opportunity to step up and prove themselves. It’s time to discard Weepu and Williams for instance – long term they offer the All Blacks very little, so why not cut them loose now and start the search for the next big thing,
The clash between New Zealand and England late in the year will be highly anticipated following England’s stunning romp over the world champions in November. The All Blacks will be dwelling on that loss, but already I can see that’s going to be a huge mountain to climb at Twickenham.
All in all, I couldn’t be more excited about the year of rugby ahead. I think the top sides are getting irresistibly close to each other in ability, and that makes the year ahead an intriguing one to say the least.
Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.
