Rugby World Cup 2011

Ok, crystal ball time.

South Africa will win the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

In fact, they will play France in the final and the score will be 17 - 6 or similiar.

It will be overcast with a few showers expected. Morne Steyn will kick 4 penalty goals and Schalk Burger will score the only try of the match. France will kick a couple of penalties.

Sorry to burst your bubble and ruin you party All Blacks fans but you will have to wait 4 more years.

South Africa will be too strong in the forwards although France will put up a good fight.

The All Blacks have made a few errors heading into this World Cup. Graham Henry is a great coach but makes the mistake of being too controlling. It works for the most part but not for a World Cup. You need a different approach and not 1 that he is capable of. You need an inside out approach not an outside in approach.

Simply pick the best players in their respective positions and allow them to flourish. Allow them to grow and give them room to express themselves.

He treats the players like factory workers off a production line and he turns them over until he has the right fit. Almost robotic in nature where 1 player could virtually be replaced by another without much disruption.

This is ok to a point and will win you most games but not when it comes to a World Cup unfortunately.

Maturity, depth and human spirit needs to be appreciated and valued in a World Cup. Each position should be highly valued and not given up lightly. If you lose your starting player it should be a massive hole to fill and not easily replaced.

Under GH's style any player can be replaced by another without much difference.

The top side should be far superior than the rest and that's not the case with All Black Rugby. The NZ 3rd side would be full of All Blacks and almost capable of beating the A side at the moment.

There is something called the human spirit which he fails too embrace. Like a hovering parent often deciding what's right for the child rather than just let them be. He often decides on the best approach or game plan and then selects the team accordingly. This approach won't work come World Cup time. It's the outside in rather than the inside out approach.

The inside out approach means you select the best players in their respective potions and formulate a game plan around it, not the other way around.

He also plays too many players out of postion to make it work rather than just pick the next best player in that position. If you can't get your plumber to do the job, you should call the next best plumber, not your carpenter.

With regards to the team itself, Rene Ranger should be on the RW, Piri Weepu should be starting, a genuine number 8 needs to be selected and the tight 5 is not up to it (apart from Tony WoodCock perhaps).