White backs All Blacks for RWC

28 Apr 2011

THE ALL BLACKS will win this year’s Rugby World Cup, says former Springboks coach Jake White.

The 2007 World Cup winner was yesterday confirmed as Brumbies coach for the next four seasons.

While he is busy trying to figure out how he will transform the Canberra-based franchise from Super Rugby chumps to champs, that did not stop him wading into the debate as to which team will lift the Webb Ellis Cup later in the year.

He feels the Men in Black will end their 24-year drought at rugby’s showpiece event.

“I've got no doubt the All Blacks are favourites. They've got a wonderful group of players, they've got a coaching staff that stayed on, they've got a settled squad unlike the rotation policy they had in '07, and they've got some wonderful players coming through,” he said.

“The laws are definitely going to suit the All Blacks and the way they play.

“One of the things they've got, and has always been a bonus, is that everybody in New Zealand plays the same style of rugby.

He believed home advantage would also work in the All Blacks’ favour.

“Any person who understands rugby will know it's very difficult to win in New Zealand, New Zealand are the form team, New Zealand want to win the World Cup, and it's about time New Zealand won the World Cup.

“Whoever is going to go there and try to win the World Cup in New Zealand is going to have to be very, very good to take it away from a country like New Zealand in New Zealand.”

White also wasn’t interested in any theory that the All Blacks’ mental fragility would be exposed under the pressure of expectation.

He reckons any team that goes to New Zealand banking on that will be on a fool’s errand.

However, despite the attacking nature of the modern game, White still believed defence was “vitally important at World Cups”.

“Big calls get made by refs, and there are not a lot of tries scored from the halfway line, and not a lot of tries scored from your own tryline.

“You've still got to get field position, still got to hold on to the ball, and still get points on the board with good goalkicking.”