With less than a year to go until New Zealand 2011, Shaun Edwards offers his take on the world's 10 best teams. Check out his thoughts in The Guardian.
"Cast your minds back a year to some advice about what you might do with any spare fiver you had knocking about. Back then you could have got Australia at 10-1 to win the World Cup. Today it's 4-1. That win in Hong Kong last weekend might not have knocked the All Blacks off the top spot in the world rankings organised by the international board, or with the bookies, but I bet it set alarm bells ringing in Wellington and Auckland because while Australia always seem to go to World Cups nearing peak form, New Zealand have a habit of leaving their best behind.
"... New Zealand - World ranking 1 World Cup odds 8-11
Racing favourites and rightly so. After 15 successive wins you shouldn't suffer too heavily because the side you've beaten 10 times on the bounce edges a game you should have won. That said, Hong Kong and the Australia victory once again highlighted the All Blacks' reliance on Dan Carter and Richie McCaw. With Carter off the pitch, they shipped 12 points in 13 minutes and with memories of 2007, Cardiff and France still fresh in the memory, the whole of New Zealand will be praying that their fly-half and the captain both stay fit."
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