Jenkins hails Wales strength

Wales (15/8 RBS 6 Nations 2013 outright – bet365) coach Neil Jenkins believes the current squad is continuing to make progress ahead of their autumn internationals next month.

The Welsh are getting set to travel to Poland for the training camp which served them so well before the 2011 World Cup, when they reached the semi-finals of the competition in New Zealand.

Argentina, Samoa, the All Blacks and Australia are ready in waiting for the RBS 6 Nations champions, who have called Rob McCusker ,Tavis Knoyle and Dan Biggar back into the squad, whilst Aaron Jarvis is set to earn his first cap next month.

Former Wales (8/1 World Cup 2015 outright – bet365) and British Lions star Jenkins believes the national side have options in all areas of team, which has been one of the reasons for their success in recent RBS 6 Nations campaigns.

He told WRU TV: “The one thing we’ve done over recent years is competition for places, no matter what position you’re in. It’s irrelevant if you’re captain or not.

“I think there’s always been pressure in different areas of the pitch. I think that’s healthy for the squad. I think that’s shown in the way we’ve played over the past few years.”

McCaw set for break

World Cup-winning New Zealand (6/4 2015 World Cup outright with bet365) captain Richie McCaw will take a six-month break from rugby union following the All Blacks tour of Europe this autumn.

The 31-year-old flanker has been a mainstay in the national side since making his debut for the Kiwis back in 2001 and the world-class forward has endured his fair share of injuries.

The Canterbury Crusaders star, who is arguably one of the best captains on the international stage, is hoping to feature in the next World Cup in 2015, as the All Blacks hope to defend their title.

With plenty of rugby to be played between now and the major tournament in the UK, McCaw has decided to take a break from the game, which has been backed by All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen.

He said: “If we want to get him through to the next World Cup, then it would be a good idea if he uses it at some point.

“At the end of the day, Richie is a smart enough man to know what his body needs.”

McCaw and his All Blacks will next be in action on September 30 when they make the trip to South America to take on Argentina (50/1 2015 World Cup outright with bet365) in the Rugby Championship.

Lievremont delighted with players

France (9/1 World Cup 2015 outright) coach Marc Lievremont has revealed his delight at his side’s performance in the World Cup final and admitted that he could not have asked for any more.

The French were massive underdogs going into the final against hosts New Zealand after stumbling through the tournament with unimpressive wins over both England and Wales in the knockout stages.

However, Thierry Dusautoir and his men seemed inspired at Eden Park and came agonisingly close to causing a massive upset, eventually going down 8-7 to the All Blacks in a thrilling encounter.

Despite the result, France dominated large parts of the game. They fell foul to a number of questionable refereeing decisions and could easily have won had they taken more of their chances.

The game was Lievremont’s last game in charge of the side, with Philippe Saint-Andre having been appointed to the post ahead of next year’s Six Nations (France 7/4 Six Nations outright with bet365). However, the former ‘Les Bleus’ flanker was glowing after the match and couldn’t contain his pride at his players’ performance.

“We said the All Blacks were the best team in the world. Today, the French team was great,” he said.

“The players made many promises to themselves, and I think they kept them. We felt we were right in the match at half-time, and the second-half was one-way traffic.”

Moody retires from internationals

Lewis Moody has announced his retirement from international rugby following England’s (5/2 Six Nations outright with bet365) disappointing World Cup campaign.

The courageous flanker has won 71 caps and was part of the side that won the 2003 World Cup, playing a vital role in the final after coming off the bench for Richard Hill.

Moody has had his career blighted by injury and true to form, missed a number of matches in the recent tournament after only just recovering from a leg issue.

Despite his injury problems, Moody is world renowned for his ability on the field, with his tenacious displays earning him the nickname ‘Mad Dog’ due to his never say die attitude on the pitch.

The Bath (9/1 Premiership Grand Final outright with bet365) star was one of England’s stand-out men in New Zealand but believes now is the right time to call a day on his international career. He is now keen to concentrate on his domestic form with the West Country club.

The 33-year-old told The Mail on Sunday: “I realised I might be making this decision before the World Cup started.

“It’s a big decision to make and I feel emotional about making it, but it’s the right thing to do for me and for the England rugby squad.

“My time with England has been unbelievable, even if the last few weeks have not gone so well.”

McCaw treating France with respect

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw insists the All Blacks will be taking nothing for granted against France in Sunday’s World Cup final despite starting as overwhelming favourites (New Zealand 1/10, France 13/2 – Match Prices with bet365).

The majority of the public and media have already written off Les Bleus’ chances of causing an upset against the hosts as they have shown little throughout the event to suggest that they even deserve to be in the final – let alone have a chance of beating the tournament favourites (New Zealand Over 2.5 Tries – 8/13 with bet365).

They were comprehensively beaten by New Zealand in the pool stage, while also going down to Tonga and there was not much of an improvement in the knockout phase.

They sneaked past a dreadful England side and put on a woeful display to beat 14-man Wales to reach the final and have shown none of the flair behind the scrum that has been associated with Gallic sides of the past.

The All Blacks have not won the World Cup since the inaugural tournament back in 1987 when they beat the French to lift the Webb Ellis Cup and McCaw, who has battled with injury for the majority of the competition, has made it clear that nobody in the Kiwi camp is taking France lightly.

“It is an opportunity, but there is absolutely nothing for granted,” he said. “There are two teams on the start line, and it’s making the most of that. It’s about everyone, regardless of what happens, knowing that they couldn’t have done any more.

“But we are up against a team that will be exactly the same, and it is about doing the job for 80 minutes.”

Wallabies too much for Wales

Wales have conceded the first match of finals weekend to Australia. The Reds had been hoping to claim a victory in the third place play-off to expunge the memory of their recent loss to the French, but a rousing second half performance from the Wallabies finally ended Wales’ run in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Australia claimed the first try of the match on the ten minute mark. Wales’ James Hook retaliated six minutes later with a successful penalty, for a scoreline of 3-7, a tally that would persist until the half-time whistle.

Injuries threatened to topple the Wallabies just half an hour into the game, after both Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper were taken off the field, with hamstring and knee ligament problems, respectively. The unfortunate duo was replaced with Anthony Fainga’a and Rob Horn. The changes meant that Australia had replaced much of their back line, within the space of a few minutes.

Wales failed to capitalise on the Wallabies’ confusion, and were, in fact, criticised for their performance, at the break. Fans have questioned the Welsh kicking throughout the World Cup, and this morning’s match heralded no improvements. Those following the rugby world cup betting will know how costly this has been.

Wales opened the scoring just after the whistle blew for the second half, but a counter-attack from the Wallabies quickly took the game out of Welsh hands. The score; 8-13, on the hour mark.

A slew of changes at the 64th minute saw Andy Powell, Ryan Bevington, and Lloyd Williams take the field, at the expense of Dan Lydiate, Mike Philips, and Paul James. Further substitutions occurred at the 71st, as Wales finally broke the scoring deadlock, when Lloyd Burns and Shane Williams were dragged into the fray. People following the Rugby World Cup tips will know the side could have done so much better.

The Aussies took what appeared to be an unassailable lead in the 74th, courtesy of a Ben McCalman try, but a incredible fightback from the Welsh at the death saw Leigh Halfpenny score a try, and Ryan Jones sink the subsequent conversion, for a score of 18-21, as the match drew to a nail-biting climax.

However, Wales’ slow start in the first half ultimately proved fatal for the Reds. The result means that the Welsh have now lost three games by a combined total of five points, with only their quarter-final defeat over Ireland to lift their spirits. Australia return home with the coveted consolation prize.

Henry fears French “bite”

New Zealand coach Graham Henry claims France have the forwards to produce a shock against the All Blacks in the World Cup final (New Zealand 5/6 -7.5 handicap ? 1st Half Betting with bet365).

Les Bleus have stumbled their way into the 2011 showpiece following a pool-stage defeat to Tonga as well as losing to New Zealand while they struggled to contain 14-man Wales in the semis.

But Marc Lievremont’s men are still in with a shout and Henry, who is looking to help the Kiwis win the World Cup for only the second time, is taking nothing for granted (France 7/1 – Match Result with bet365).

Having joined the French in naming an unchanged XV, he said: “This French team, we’re not sure who’s going to turn up. They’re enjoying the underdog tag.

“But we think they’re a pretty good rugby team with some outstanding players.

“Their forward pack is probably as good as any we’ll play in this World Cup.

“They’ve got a world class loose trio and backs that can bite you.”

The All Blacks beat France in the final of the inaugural World Cup final in 1987.

Clerc eying final upset

France try machine Vincent Clerc has insisted he and his team-mates can cause a major upset in their World Cup final clash with New Zealand on Sunday (France 7/1, draw 40/1, New Zealand 1/9 – 80 minutes – bet365).

Les Bleus have been a thorn in the side of the All Blacks in past encounters, especially at this major tournament, with the RBS 6 Nations outfit knocking out the Kiwis back in 1999 and 2007.

This year’s finalists have already met in the pool stages, with New Zealand cruising to a 37-17 victory over the French, who also suffered an unlikely defeat at the hands of Tonga in Pool A.

Despite some less than convincing performances in the competition so far, Clerc (14/1 first tryscorer) is adamant his side still have a strong chance of lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy on Sunday.

He said: “Nothing is written yet… they’re not world champions.

“I don’t feel like a future loser, or someone who has no chance of.

“If we’re here now it’s that we deserve to be here. We’ve said for a while now that we came here to be world champions. Maybe it hasn’t been a dream run, but we’re going there to win.”

Same again for Les Bleus

Coach Marc Lievremont admits keeping faith with the same France XV for the World Cup final against New Zealand was a no-brainer (France 13/2 – World Cup Outright with bet365).

Les Bleus will try to overcome the odds in Auckland although the likes Dimitri Yachvili, Morgan Parra and William Servat are being treated with kid gloves during the build-up, following knocks picked up against Wales.

Flanker Julien Bonnaire was the only player to completely sit out Wednesday’s session, with the coach delaying naming his seven replacements until Friday.

“It is the same as last week with minor injuries,” said Lievremont. “Everything has been more or less the same – our preparation on and off the pitch – and we will use any pressure we are feeling to our advantage.”

The All Blacks have already beaten France during the pool stage but it was arguably a weakened side selected by the northern hemisphere nation, and Sunday could be an altogether different affair.

New Zealand (1/10 – World Cup Outright) cannot call on fly-half Dan Carter or his under-study, Colin Slade, this time, with the playmaking duties handed to Aaron Cruden.

Wales and Australia plan changes

Both Wales and Australia look set to make changes for Friday’s World Cup third-place play-off match at Eden Park (Wales 11/8, Australia 4/7 – Match Betting with bet365).

The two sides will face each other in what is generally thought of as the worst match of the tournament to play in, given that they were just one game away from the show-piece final.

Wales lost 9-8 to France with only 14 men for the majority of the match, while the Aussies were no match for the All Blacks, going down 20-6 on Sunday.

The players will now have to gear themselves up for battle one last time in New Zealand (1/9 to win Sunday’s final), with Wales shorn of their inspirational skipper Sam Warburton, who is suspended following his red card in the semi-final.

Ryan Jones will probably start in the back row at number eight with Toby Faletau being given the number seven shirt, while Paul James is expected to replace Adam Jones, who was forced out of the France match inside the first 20 minutes with a calf injury.

Warburton was devastated to be sent off and to miss Friday’s match, but feels he can still have some input into proceedings.

“Obviously, I am very disappointed,” he said. “But all my attention and focus now goes towards the players playing on Friday and supporting them the best I can.”

Meanwhile, Australia coach Robbie Deans admitted that he will make changes for the Wales match as his men are still recovering after a long and arduous tournament.

“It is very likely there will be change, quite simply off the back of the burden that the core group have had,” he said. “There are some pretty battered bodies.”

And Deans is in no doubt as to who will go on to win the World Cup, adding: “I can’t see anyone stopping the All Blacks now.”