**The OFFICIAL Rugby World Cup Thread**
Right boys - Friday is the day of days!
RWC 2011 kicks off with The All Blacks taking on Tonga at 9.30am our time.
The groups are:
Pool A
Canada
France
Japan
New Zealand
Tonga
Pool B
Argentina
England
Georgia
Romania
Scotland
Pool C
Australia
Ireland
Italy
Russia
USA
Pool D
Fiji
Namibia
Samoa
South Africa
Wales
Top two from each group going through to the quarter final stage.
Home nations chances...
England have a decent squad but I am not
The OP's come up with the safest set of 'predictions' I've ever seen in my life. He's basically just tipped the favourite for every match. Where's the fun in that, eh?
Right, a few pointers before I go with mine. The first is that, believe it or not, the pre-tournament favourites have never won the Rugby World Cup; the second favourites always have. Yes, I know England were favourites in the UK in 2003; but globally, New Zealand were, by the tiniest of margins. If this event was being held