new zealand

The Autumn international Rugby matches come to a conclusion on Saturday, with Ireland, Scotland and Wales all in action. The most exciting game will be happening in France though, as the New Zealanders see what they can do against the French, who pulled out a big win over Tri-Nations winners South Africa a couple of weeks ago. After beating Samoa in the interim, one of the favourites for next year’s Six Nations, France will want to test themselves again against the unbeaten tourists. The All Blacks have beaten England, Italy and Wales on their tour this year, and will look to head back down under with a four game victory by beating the French. This should be a well contested match-up, with the French looking very good at the moment. France of course, have a reputation of being hit and miss, but if they can add the consistency to their game, they will be a dominant force alongside Ireland in the forthcoming Six Nations.

Ireland are the next team to take on South Africa, and the Irish will be looking to build upon the last gasp draw they managed against Australia at Croke Park. The Irish and the French are the best of the Six Nations teams at the moment, and some of the familiar names were rested for last weekend’s 41-6 rout against Fiji, Ireland should be somewhere near full strength to take on the Springboks. This should be one almighty clash of two good teams, and France have already shown that the South Africans are vulnerable. The one surprising factor in the South African game is how easily their scrum has been destroyed by France and then Italy. It is one area of their game that needs work, while the Irish are very strong up front.

Meanwhile, brave Scotland, who pulled off a famous win over the Australians last weekend, will look to build some momentum themselves, by beating Argentina. After giving England a good game, the Pumas didn’t play very well in their defeat against Wales at all. The Scot’s 9-8 win over Australia was a backs-to-the-wall rear guard action for sustained period, and they actually made a lot of errors which would have made their life a little easier had they been more composed. The result, surprising probably to even the Scots, was hard fought for, and only a failed late kick at goal from Australia’s Matt Giteau secured the win for the Scottish. Their forward pack will be tested again this weekend by Argentina, who are a rough, raw power house up front. They simply never turned up for some mysterious reason against Wales though, losing 33-16.

Wales, after losing to New Zealand and beating Samoa, go in search of their third win, and a chance to get some more practice in the scrum. That is Wales’ weak area at the moment, but they have enough in the backs with their running game to gloss over the cracks a lot of the times. They could get dominated by the Aussies in the pack, and one thing is for sure, is that the defeat against the Scots will have hurt the Wallabies. They came on tour looking for a Grand Slam against the four home nations, and that loss rained on that parade for them, along with the draw against Ireland. Wounded Wallabies are not to be taken lightly, and while they have been looking ok, they definitely have looked the weakest of the Tri-Nations teams. If Wales manage to beat them, then it will only serve to leave England with further egg on their faces, being the only team that Australia managed to beat on their Autumn tour, and that would leave Martin Johnson’s England reeling even further behind the progress of the other home nations.

France to win: 5/4 at SkyBet
Draw: 20/1 at Paddy Power
New Zealand to win: 4/5 at Stan James

Ireland to win: 6/5 at Stan James
Draw: 20/1 at Paddy Power
South Africa to win: 10/11 at SportingBet

Scotland to win: 4/7 at Boylesports
Draw: 20/1 at Bet365
Argentina to win: 15/8 at Totesport

Wales to win: 11/10 at ExtraBet
Draw: 20/1 at Paddy Power
Australia to win: 10/11 at SkyBet

Saturday, November 21
Tickenham
Kick Off: 2.30pm

With the turgid victory over Argentina lingering in the annals of history as one game that definitely wants to be forgotten, England turn their attention to the might of the All Blacks, as the Kiwis visit Twickenham on Saturday. England’s first half performance in the 16-9 win against Argentina was regarded as one of the most dire and dismal that Twickers has witnessed. If this is a team which is going forward and building for the future, then it is hard to see where that is happening, or the logic behind some of the selections.

Coach Martin Johnson’s latest selections will not take many steps towards mending the views of the disgruntled fans, as he has gone for brawn over brains to face New Zealand. Johnson has called up Ayoola Erinle, Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley to the starting fifteen, in order to try and bring a more physical edge to the home side’s game. Out goes the creativity of Shane Geraghty in midfield, replaced by the much bigger physical presence of Erinle. The returning Matthew Tait, a dangerous runner sits on the substitute bench. The changes by the England management are designed to slow down the New Zealand attack, and to be able to put up a stronger fight around the breakdowns, an area in which the All Blacks flourish.

The All Blacks themselves are undergoing some changes, and are in a transitional period. The main difference is that despite that, they are still sitting at the top of the World Rankings, while England are languishing behind in creativity and apparent direction. The Kiwis haven’t lost in their last seven outings against England, but are not at the pinnacle of their games, because of the new faces which have come into the line-up. For the All Blacks, this game may be seen as more of a warm up for next week’s game against France, who will be toughest opposition which the New Zealanders will see on this tour.

The lack of creativity and any invention by England to get over the gain line was apparent in last Saturday’s fixture against Argentina. With that game following a defeat against Australia in which England ran out of steam and imagination, England have only mustered up one try in two games. Josh Lewsey, a former international has lashed out at the England set-up and has called into question the quality and suitability of England’s specialist coaches. Now, instead of being brave and taking on one of the best teams in the world with some spark of forward thinking, Johnson has likely slowed down England to a physical game, instead of trusting the changes that need to come to build on a running game.

As stale as England may look, they are still missing a lot of key players through injury. That is no excuse though for the poor showing, as fringe players should be keen to put up a game which challenges the selectors. Perhaps then, it really is all down to the style of coaching, something then, which may seriously need looking at. It’s hard to point all fingers of accusation at Martin Johnson, although everything will ultimately come back on his shoulders. Perhaps it is the falling down of systems behind the scenes, maybe it is the cautious game-plan that is England’s biggest downfall, much like the cricket team. The fear of failure backs them into a corner where they play conservatively from the outset. Maybe there is something to the claims that the Guinness Premiership is not as competitive as it was, or that the Golden age of English rugby really has gone, but it is surprising, with having one of the biggest bases of eligible players in the world, that the English seem to falling further behind the other home nations.

England to win: 7/1 at SportingBet
Draw: 40/1 at Boylesports
New Zealand to win: 1/7 at SportingBet

Betting advice: New Zealand will have a fresh Dan Carter back to compound England’s woes in midfield. Do not expect any razzle-dazzle when it comes to England’s game on Saturday, for they will simply be set up to lose by as few points as possible.
New Zealand 13+ win Margin: 8/11 at 888Sport

Millenium Stadium, Cardiff
Saturday, November 7
Kick Off 5.15pm

Wales have the formidable task of trying to overturn over 50 years of history, by beating the All Blacks at the Millenium Stadiium. It has been that long since Wales recorded a victory over the Kiwis. Wales coach, New Zealander Warren Gatland, has poked holes in the might of his native country, stating that they have lost four of their last ten games. Six of those games though were in the tri-nations, facing off against South Africa and Australia, the best teams in the world. That is a huge difference to playing nations like Italy and Scotland. The four New Zealand defeats total up as three against South Africa and one against France.

The New Zealanders will be cheered by the news that superstar centre Dan Carter is back fully fit after some injury worries. Carter, one of the world superstars of Rugby Union, is a key player for the All Blacks, and has the ability to win a game on his own. Wales won’t be happy to see him, as Carter alone in just five matches against the Welsh, has scored 92 points. The Kiwis are in Europe for four tests, including France, Italy and England. They will be hoping that they are not too game rusty ahead of the tour, but whenever a Kiwi side

Wales will be missing winger Mark Jones, as it was announced this week that the Llanelli Scarlets captain will not see any action for a good three months after undersigning surgery. One thing that is not on the Welsh side, is the size of their backs. When you line up against a New Zealand outfit, you know that you are going to be faced with a brick wall of black. With neither winger nor full-back scaling the heights of 6 foot, the return of Dan Carter to the All Blacks team is all that more important. Carter can kick the ball and land it on a dime, and he will certainly test the vulnerability that Wales will have aerially at the back.

James Hook will be playing at full-back, not his normal position, and that will make him even more of a target. The strength of Wales will come into play when they start running with the backs, and using their speed to get wide. It is unlikely that they will have the power and skill to take on the Kiwis up front. But the Kiwis can hurt teams from all angles of the pitch, with their running, their kicking and control up front. While it has been a long time since they have won the World Cup, another point Gatland stresses which shows that New Zealand are fallible, the Southern Hemisphere games is still a lot more explosive and dynamic than that of the Northern Hemisphere. There will be a class difference, and it could all be seen in the shirt worn by Dan Carter.

Wales to win: 9/2 at SkyBet
Draw: 28/1 at Paddy Power
New Zealand to win: 1/5 at Coral

Wales: J Hook (Ospreys); L Halfpenny, T Shanklin, J Roberts (all Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), G Cooper; G Jenkins (both Blues), M Rees (Scarlets), P James, AW Jones (both Ospreys), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), A Powell, M Williams (both Blues), R Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: H Bennett, D Jones, B Davies, D Jones, M Roberts, J Davies, T James.

In two acts of fate, one unexpected and one very familiar, New Zealand reached the ICC Champions final and England crashed at the hands of Australia. England crumbled miserably at the batting prowess of Australia. Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson both hit heavy centuries as they cruised to a nine wicket win. The old batting problems came right back to haunt England, with only a determined stand by all rounder Tim Bresnan getting them towards a reasonable total. Bresnan hit a swashbuckling 80 (from 76 balls) out of the 257 total, with only Luke Wright really adding any kind of decent contribution with a handy 48. While the batsmen again couldn’t handle the Aussie bowling attack, the England bowling attack without Stuart Broad only made one significant breakthrough, with Graham Onions taking out Tim Paine. So desperate was Captain Andrew Strauss to take a wicket that he used seven bowlers, but it was all in vain, as the Aussies strolled into the final.

Joining them will be neighbours New Zealand, as they pulled off a momentous win against Pakistan. No-one would have given the Kiwis much of a chance coming into the tournament, and added to that the injury problems they have had, they deserve much credit for their fine battling displays. In contrast to England’s batting display, the top order of the Kiwi’s all contributed well, with Grant Elliot’s rather dull, but unbeaten 75 being the highlight. Pakistan never really looked as fluent as they could be, with Kiwi bowler Ian Butler taking an impressive 4-44 to keep Pakistan’s innings to a moderate 233.

This sets up the clash between Australia and New Zealand in Monday’s final, and there is no surprise who the favourites will be. Australia, the defending champions, will definitely start as strong favourites to retain the title, as their batting looks in consummate condition. Do the Kiwis have enough in the tank to take down the Aussies? That will be the all important question ahead of the game. In retrospect, the Kiwis, despite reaching the final, struggled to beat a hopeless England, lost to South Africa and made hard work of the run chase in the semi final. Their one all round solid performance came in their win against Sri Lanka.

The Aussies on the other hand just look dominant whenever they stride onto the pitch. They looked set to bat India out of the game, beat Pakistan comfortably if not spectacularly, and then disposed of England without so much as lifting a finger. If you are looking for some proof of dominance by Ricky Ponting’s men, then they have won 80 out of the 117 ODI meetings between the two nations.

Australia to win: 4/9 at Boylesports
New Zealand to win: 7/4 at William Hill

Betting Advice: If you are going to go with form, class and ability, then your money will be going down on the Aussies to retain the title.

The final group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy lived up to its expectations, as Australia nervously beat Pakistan, taking it all the way to the last ball of the match. In the low scoring match, Pakistan, batting first, appeared to have lost their chance of a victory as they only just edged their way over 200. But one thing Pakistan does possess is an awesomely diverse and potent bowling attack, and after initial resilience by the Aussie top order, Pakistan took control. The Aussies were crumbling, but tail enders Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz managed to get them home, needing 18 runs from 18 balls at one stage. It took a last ball run on a bye to get the crucial victory, which sees the Aussies go into the semi finals against old foe England.

It is a sudden return to a ODI clash between England and Australia, who came together seven times during the Ashes series, of which Australia won the first six. England rallied to a last match win to save some embarrassment of a series white-wash, but since landing in South Africa have found a new lease of life. They somewhat surprisingly beat two of the competition’s favourites in South Africa and Sri Lanka to guide them into the semi final. However, a last group match failure on a bowler friendly wicket against New Zealand, meant that the Kiwis topped the group. England will have been keenly watching the Aussies in action against Pakistan, and will likely have seen signs of encouragement that they can make it to the final.

For England to win, the bowlers will need to get into the top order as soon as possible. That’s no easy task with the likes of Ponting, Watson and Hussey. But the middle order collapse will have given the England bowlers something to look at. It is arguable that England do not have the same quality of bowling attack which Pakistan do, and that may count for a lot. There is also the downside that the Aussies batsmen have seen so much of the England attack, that they can comfortably cope with them. On the reverse side of that, England even through the 7 ODI games, could still not get to grips with the Australian bowlers. The New Zealand loss, may have served a good purpose in bringing the team back down to earth after their two impressive wins.

One bad game doesn’t make for a bad team. Two good games does not make for a good team. England are no better than they were two weeks ago when they were facing the series whitewash. With the Australian game washed out against India, it has been hard to judge just how good the Australians really are against top quality sides. They looked set to post a big total against India, but they didn’t look overly convincing against Pakistan, who showed that they had the edge over India. The state of the wicket could make a huge difference, and the semi final against England is back at Centurion Park where they played Pakistan.

The Centurion wicket should be fairly predictable, yet able to offer seamers and edge with the moisture that it holds. This could be a key factor for Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, England’s main bowling threats. But where England bowlers can flourish, so too can the Australian pace attack, which can be lethal. Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson will be tearing in, and captain Andrew Strauss will need all of his batting order to stand up and be counted.

England have late fitness concerns over Stuart Broad, who has a torn muscle in his backside. They will also be closely monitoring the health of wicket-keepr Matt Prior who was absent from the last two games due to illness. England have already flown out Steve Davies as cover, for batsman Eoin Morgan has been filling in as keeper. There is a strong chance that either Davies or Prior will just come back into the side, and out will go the struggling Ravi Bopara. There will be anxious breaths held over Broad’s fitness, and if he cannot make it, then they will have to pick from Tim Bresnan or Adil Rashid. Australia will be without stand in skipper Michael Clarke as he’s gone home with a lower back injury. They have called up David Hussey as cover.

Betting Advice:
England v Australia
The defending champions will start as favourites against England, just as South Africa and Sri Lanka did. These two sides are probably sick of the sight of each other, Australia perhaps less so because they know they should have the comfortable beating of England. Unfortunately it is hard to see the England bowling attack making a huge dent in the Australian batting order. All to often Ponting has virtually scored more than the England top order put together. This should be the difference on a good bowling track, and while the England batsmen have had a little resurgence, the game against New Zealand showed just how fragile they really are.
Australia to win: 8/13 at SportingBet
Top Batsman: Ricky Ponting – 11/2 at Blue Square

Pakistan v New Zealand
The Kiwis have been ravaged by injury, yet still managed to top Group B, thanks largely to an impressive win over Sri Lanka. However, Pakistan will be a different kettle of fish for the battling New Zealanders, and they will meet their match in them. Pakistan probably have the best bowling attack left in the competition, simply because they have sheer pace and guile with their spinners. The Kiwis are always humble and know they are the underdogs. Can they rise to the occasion? Unlikely.
Pakistan to win: 8/13 at 888Sport

One Interesting bet: Pakistan/England Final – 3/1 at BetFair
Why? Neither side have won the tournament, and this is the perfect opportunity for a new name on the trophy.

To Win ICC Champions Trophy Outright
Australia: 6/5 at BetFred
Pakistsan: 12/5 at Blue Square
England: 9/2 at Boylesports
New Zealand: 5/1 at Stan James

England will look to cement their place at the top of Group B, making it three wins out of three when they face New Zealand on Tuesday. Although he’s likely to not be around for the next six months or so, talisman Freddie Flintoff announced that he will be available for his country in the short form matches once fit again. Flintoff, who retired from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes series, is currently under rehabilitation in Dubai with his family, after an operation on his knee.

Meanwhile, the surprising resurgence of the England ODI cricket team has taken the ICC Champions trophy by storm. Even though they have qualified for the semi finals after wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa, the game against New Zealand will be just as important as the others. They will want to keep up their winning ways, and build momentum ahead of the semi’s. It is looking possible that they could face Australia there after their game against India was rained off. But anything could happen, and whether it is Pakistan or India instead, England will need to be revelling in their new found confidence. Adversely if New Zealand win, it will put Sri Lanka out of the competition.

England completed victory over South Africa without a recognised wicketkeeper as Matt Prior has succumbed to illness. Eoin Morgan filled in the role and did OK, while Ravi Bopara was relegated to nothing more than a fielder after being dropped out of the top six. Owais Shah found a bit of form again as he cracked off 98, but he dropped Graham Smith, which set nerves a-jangling. The reintroduction of Jimmy Anderson into the England bowling attack, soon whittled away Smith’s support. Anderson put on one of his magical spells of world class bowling, while partner Broad was expensive again, but took wickets.

New Zealand, who like to pull of a big upset in tournaments, played their best cricket for some time in their victory over Sri Lanka, which kept them in the competition. They now need a win to claim second place. However, as much as England are missing arguably their top two stars in Flintoff and Pieterson, the injury bug has gripped New Zealand. All rounder Jacob Oram had already flown home, and now their top batsman Jesse Ryder has gone the same way after suffering a hamstring injury. Those are major blows to skipper Daniel Vettori. There is a chance that they can get through if they lose, but in a high scoring match, they could surpass Sri Lanka’s run rate.

Who fancies now an England v Australia final? What a match that would be. There is much to be decided however in Group A between Pakistan, India and Australia, with the Aussies and Pakistan looking favourites, but it could all change. Incidentally, Pakistan and England are the only two nations never to have won the ICC Champions Trophy. England coach Andy Flower now has the decision whether to rotate his bowlers to give Sidebottom, Bresnan and Rashid some action, or stick to the team that has succeeded so far. Including Bopara.

England to win: 4/5 at BetFred
New Zealand to win: 11/10 at Totesport

Betting advice. With England you just never know. The type of thing they would do, is beat two world class sides and then go and lose against the weaker team in the group. Will this happen here? One would seriously hope not, especially not with the missing star Kiwis. You feel New Zealand had their day against Sri Lanka, and England should cope with their bowling attack.

ICC Champions Trophy
As the group stages of the ICC Champions Trophy near their completion, the only team who have definitely booked their place in the semi finals is, somewhat surprisingly, England. It has been an exciting tournament so far, and with upsets and some fine batting on display, the touranment, if nothing else, should allay any fears that the 50-over format is under any threat from its younger brother Twenty20.

Champions Trophy Outright
Australia – 11/4 at Coral
Pakistan – 3/1 at Coral
England – 9/2 at ExtraBet
Sri Lanka – 7/1 at Victor Chandler
England – 8/1 at Victor Chandler
India – 8/1 at at Victor Chandler
New Zealand – 9/1 at SkyBet
West Indies – 250/1 at BetFred

GROUP A
The definite highlight of Group A so far, was the heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan. These old rivals brought out the very best of the game, with Pakistan outplaying the more favoured Indians. A classy ton from Shaoib Malik helped Pakistan, who batted first, towards a good total, with Ashish Nehra being the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking 4 for 55. India, who were missing a couple of key batsmen, struggled, and even the iconic figure of Sachin Tendulkar went very cheaply for 8. That was the big scalp for Pakistan, who had a nervy opening game against the West Indies. India now, need to turn over Australia in order to keep their semi final hopes alive, but having only played one below par game themselves against the Windies, no-one is sure which Australia has arrived in the tournament. Will it be the one full of potential, or the one that possess a lot of potential? The Aussies will be powerful in batting, it will be down to the Indian batsmen to attack what is considered to be a weaker than in past tournaments, Australian bowling attack. The West Indies are already out of the tournament, as expected. Their lack of experience, because they are missing their star players over a pay dispute, has lacked the quality to compete, but haven’t been short on gusto.

Results
Pakistan beat West Indies by 5 wickets
Australia beat West Indies by 50 runs
Pakistan beat India by 54 runs

Remaining Fixtures
28 Australia v India
30 Australia v Pakistan
30 India v West Indies

GROUP B
Talking of upsets, than no-one coming into the tournament would have booked England a semi final place above everyone else. But that is what has happened, after Andrew Strauss and his men knocked off two of the favourites for the trophy. First they beat Sri Lanka by a healthy six wickets, before toppling the host nation, South Africa in a thrilling match. That defeat meant that South Africa have been knocked out of the tournament at far too early a stage on their home soil. The Proteas went into the tournament as strong favourites, and the bookies will probably be rubbing their hands. The much maligned England batting order have actually produced two decent scores, and should be brimming with confidence after their series embarrassment against the Aussies. Perhaps it has all been down to facing a new challenge against some fresh opposition. South Africa’s fate was also undone when they lost to Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament. Quite how Sri Lanka went on to lose their next two against England and New Zealand, arguably the weaker two in the group will remain a disappointing mystery. Their place in the tournament hangs in the balance, and will be hoping that New Zealand suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of England. If New Zealand win, they will join England in the semi finals.

Results
Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 55 runs
South Africa beat New Zealand by 5 wickets
England beat Sri Lanka v 6 wickets
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 38 runs
England beat South Africa by 22 runs

Remaining Fixtures
29 England v New Zealand

South Africa will be looking to get their ICC Champions Trophy campaign back on track, as they take on New Zealand on Thursday. The host nation suffered a rain-inflicted defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the tournament’s opening fixture, and now look to keep their trophy challenge alive. New Zealand will be aware that the Proteas will be hungry for success and could take out their initial frustration on the Kiwis. New Zealand Captain Daniel Vettori is aware that the South Africans will be strong favourites to win the game, but he will have confidence in his own team, especially after they racked up 300 runs in a victory against India recently.

However, this is now tournament cricket and everything is on the line. The South Africans need a win, while this is New Zealand’s opening fixture. Sri Lanka, albeit with a genuine world class batting order, probably the strongest in the tournament, showed that the South African bowling attack can be got at. This game will be important to England, as they are in the same group, and open their account on Friday against the victorious Sri Lankans. South Africa were pre-tournament favourites, and will have been rocked by their opening defeat. This means that will be seriously all fired up against the Kiwis, who, on paper are a lot weaker.

South Africa to win – 4/9 at Stan James
New Zealand to win – 11/5 at Totesport

Fixture Guide for the ICC Champions Trophy

The eyes of the Cricket world are on South Africa at the moment, as the 50-over One Day format ICC Champions Trophy gets underway. The eight participating teams will all be vying for glory, and there is not much room for error as only the top two teams in each group go forward to the semi final stages. Hosts South Africa start as favourites, while England are languishing down the odds. Remember that cricket is an ideal sport with which to take advantage of live in play betting with your favourite bookie. Follow the action with this schedule and odds for the group outrights.

Group A to win:
Australia – 7/4 at BetFred
India – 15/8 at Stan James
Pakistan – 11/4 at 888Sport
West Indies – 25/1 at SportingBet

Group B to win:
South Africa – evens at Victor Chandler
New Zealand – 9/2 at Victor Chandler
Sri Lanka – 9/4 at Victor Chandler
England – 13/2 at Victor Chandler

FIRST ROUND GROUP MATCHES
September
22nd: South Africa v Sri Lanka
23rd: Pakistan v West Indies
24th: South Africa v New Zealand
25th: Sri Lanka v England
26th: West Indies v Australia
26th: India v Pakistan
27th: New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Wanderers, Johannesburg
27th South Africa v England
28th: Australia v India
29th: England v New Zealand
30th: Australia v Pakistan
30th: India v West Indies