Rugby World Cup NZ 2011

The match programme is out with 13 venues all around the country.
People coming down will love the rural centres hospitality.
Many of the key games kick off here at 9pm so Europe wakes up in the morning to kick off and coffee by the tv.

The pools are out: http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/pools/index.html

A:
New Zealand
France
Tonga
Americas 1
Asia 1

B:
Argentina
England
Scotland
Europe 1
Play Off winner

C:
Australia
Ireland
Italy
Europe 2
Americas 2

D:
South Africa
Wales
Fiji
Oceania 1
Africa 1

Spaces still their.. Who is going to qualify from the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Asia? Who will take the available Europe spot.
Is it right to have a Eighth team from Europe? I believe that spot should go to Asia where the game is so rapidly developing.

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Spaces still their.. Who is going to qualify from the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Asia? Who will take the available Europe spot.
Is it right to have a Eighth team from Europe? I believe that spot should go to Asia where the game is so rapidly developing.

nice draw for ireland and i LOVE the pool with argentina, simple because we are not in it 😀

i wouldn't be shocked to see an argentina NZ final.

don't know much about the other teams in europe but Georgia, romania and portugal seem to be contenders. i'd like the see a playoff between the eight european team and the next best asian team for a WC spot but i suspect at this time the european league would always come out on top. maybe not as the next WC i don't know.

Originally posted by trev33
nice draw for ireland and i LOVE the pool with argentina, simple because we are not in it 😀

i wouldn't be shocked to see an argentina NZ final.

don't know much about the other teams in europe but Georgia, romania and portugal seem to be contenders. i'd like the see a playoff between the eight european team and the next best asian team for a WC spot bu ...[text shortened]... ime the european league would always come out on top. maybe not as the next WC i don't know.

Japan S Korea and China could be there Samoa will make it for The NZ group.

Any of the top six or so could make the final but Argentina and NZ are more likely to blow it when the pressure comes on whereas SA France Aus and England have reps which go the other way.. they lift for the big ones. Wales for me will make the semis but I couldn't pick the rest
Home games will make NZ very hard to beat.

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Japan S Korea and China could be there Samoa will make it for The NZ group.

Any of the top six or so could make the final but Argentina and NZ are more likely to blow it when the pressure comes on whereas SA France Aus and England have reps which go the other way.. they lift for the big ones. Wales for me will make the semis but I couldn't pick the rest
Home games will make NZ very hard to beat.

em, top 6? argentina a history of flapping? england in this top 6?

out of the top 8 england are by far the worst team at the moment.

They may be the worst in the top 8, but they've consistently performed well above expectation in previous World Cups. I don't pick them to go past the quarters, as the most likely scenario is they come second in their pool and come up against the AB's - but conversely Argentina are underpeformers. Should make for an interesting pool battle to avoid playing us! (Provided we don't choke against France *again*)

I'd love to see Ireland beat Australia in the pool, bringing Oz up against South Africa (most likely) in the quarters! If it then came SA vs NZ in the semi, that would most likely be the deciding match.