World Cup

The minnows of yesteryear have been improving at breakneck speed since 2007 and are no longer the puppy dogs of the rugby world, expected to roll over in awe of their superior opponents

I have to say that I really did think that we had it in us to beat Australia but to be at Eden Park and watch the performance live in front of me, I did not think that we would dominate them as much as we did.

The day Jonny Wilkinson misses 4 consecutive kicks is the day I will I will eat my hat. Just a week ago that was a pretty safe statement.

Well I made it safe and sound to New Zealand after what could only be called a very long and tiring flight where no sleep was taken (well maybe a couple of hours!).

After the opening weekend of the World Cup many sides will now have got an idea of just how difficult it will be to win the tournament in New Zealand.

It's not often that I was awake at 7 o' clock in the morning whilst I was at university and especially not on a Saturday, especially (as I am Welsh) to watch the old enemy play

The Rugby World Cup 2011 kicks off tomorrow and as a rugby analyst of some repute here is my brief guide and predictions for the Rugby World Cup 2011.

The famous Munster Rugby motto reads 'To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible'. There is no player more in sync with this phrase than a 35-year old who has won 72 Ireland caps spanning an 11-year period.

The Wallabies won their first Tri-Nations title since 2001 after a clinical 25-20 victory over New Zealand at the weekend

The history of the World Cup is not littered with upsets, like for example the FA Cup. It is a relatively new competition and rugby is a sport based around the traditional powerhouses of the game

As the teams start to arrive in New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup kicking off on the 9th I am starting to think about my own trip down to the land of the long white cloud and the surprises that it has in store for me and J.

As the world cup draws ever closer, players from each nation are finding out whether they have made the final squads which will compete for rugby's ultimate prize in New Zealand

The 1995 rugby world cup is the most talked about in the competition's short history. It was the first major sporting event held in post-apartheid South Africa and became the symbol of a united nation

A player who might be surprised to be left out is the young Sharks flier Lwazi Mvovo who seemed to be on an upward curve performance wise

So as everyone said Riki Flutey didn't make the 30 to go to New Zealand with Joe Simpson seeming to have took his place after the injury to Danny Care

After Ireland's loss to France at the weekend many rumours were flying around that Tomas O'Leary and Luke Fitzgerald had been dropped from the squad especially O'Leary after his poor performance vs France, of course as seen today it's true both have been dropped

In less than a month's time the 2011 World Cup will kick off in New Zealand, but it is hard to believe that one of sport's most successful global events is not yet 25 years old.

Back rower and occasional second row Gorgodze is one of the increasing numbers of Georgian players plying their trade in France's Top 14 competition

New Zealand will not be surprised to find that bookmakers around the world have made the defending champions odds-on favourites for the Tri-Nations.

With the start of the Rugby World Cup just over a month away my excitement is building. Last week I received my final match day ticket for the Ireland vs. Italy match in Dunedin and that was the key to my kid like excitement going through the roof