Eddie Butler ponders the respective hopes of the Home Unions prior to the arrival of the southern hemisphere's superpowers in The Observer.
"There used to be a digital display at London's Paddington station showing the size of the US national debt. Dollars rose by the fistful, by the nano-second, although I presume the bankers would have reassured us that the numbers that mattered, the trillions owed, moved more slowly. Hell, what did they know?
"The display has vanished, presumably because they ran out of space. It would have been interesting to see platforms 1, 2 and 3, with services to Penzance, Bristol Temple Meads and Swansea, elbowed aside by the General Motors bail-out.
"Still, as one counter stops running up debt, another ticks down time. As the November internationals approach, we are reminded that the 2011 Rugby World Cup clock is now running, with just over 10 months to go before the tournament opens in Auckland. And the question grows more pressing: is anybody in the northern hemisphere in any position to challenge the southern?"
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