Here's why it's not worth betting against the All Blacks
(1) France isn't playing in Europe. When France has fucked NZ in WCs, it's always been Eurocentric tournies. The 1 time France played NZ in a South Pacific based tourney, they got their arses kicked. So the psychological French bogeyman doesn't exist in this tourney for the ABs. That's a big hurdle for them not to have to contend with.
(2) Australia isn't there yet. Australia has a few interesting pieces coming together in crucial positions (esp. Q Cooper), but their posing a real title threat will come at the 2015 WC. So the 1 other team who has Home-ground-advantage isn't at a peak to take advantage of it against NZ. NZ has no fear of the Wallabies - the opposite, at present, can't be said to be the case.
(3) South Africa is the defending champs: No team has ever defended its title, and the reason for this is because either inbetween tournies the winning core of said team retired, or if that core returns they've gotten too long in the tooth. It takes a mature team to win a title, and therefore the 4 year wait for such a winning team to have another crack simply takes a natural toll on it (ie, England only had 4 players start the 07 final, who played in the 03 final). This means that the team who on paper appears to be NZ's biggest threat, is in a huge psychological and physical hole regarding their hopes here. Plus noone is going to be capable of poisoning the ABs food this time round.
I don't need to mention any other team, because the above 3 teams are the only teams ever to have beaten NZ in WC knockout matches. If England was anything like their previous 2 WC tourney teams (Final winners & Final losers) then maybe they'd have to be respected, but - 6 Nations winners aside - they're still refinding their feet, and no team has ever made 3 straight finals.
To me, the stars are aligned for the ABs on this one. That doesn't mean they're a lock, but it does mean, to me, they're going to have to beat themselves, rather than it be the case where they play a knockout match to their best ability, and simply have some other team beat them beause that team proved to be better.
BTW, I couldn't give a toss about the AB's fortunes. I feel nothing if they win or lose, so even thou I'm a NZ, my vision is unclouded. If I saw it any different, I'd say so.
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