Just thought I would start a thread about who will finish where? Will make for interesting reading when it comes the end of Nov and see how close, how far we were. I think the top three there wont be many surprises but from 4th to 10th will be very interesting. This is what I think but i hope that I am wrong. Im sick of seeing Australia win all the time, even though im an aussie.

1. Australia

2. England

3.New Zealand

4.Tonga

5. France

6.PNG

7.Samoa

8.Fiji

9.Ireland

10.Scotland

I just think that the nrl talent will get home the pacific teams ahead of the european teams. As i said i hope im wrong.

You can't really tell where 4th in pool A finishes. I'll say 6th since I think the groups were done to ensure 1,2,3 get through from pool A and 4 and 5 (France and Tonga) play off for the other semi spot.

1. New Zealand - When at full strength have a great team, If they can stay relatively injury free then this could be their first WC win.
2. Australia - Obvious favorites and deservedly so, I'm an Aussie but if they don't win I wouldn't be dissapointed because it would be great for IRL.
3. England - Same as NZ, could struggle so far away from home, hope they do well though.
4. France - Don't read too much into June's result, they will be a much better side when full strength and will have 3 games under their belt when they take on the winner of Pool A.
5. Tonga - Will have a team full of NRL and Sl players with a few real quality players like Mateo, Jennings, Talanoa etc. Should do well.
6. PNG - Hopefully can compete against the big 3 and spare embarasment. If they beat one of the big 3 the PNG locals would party for weeks on end.
7. Scotland - Will have a decent side, even though it will be a bit of a joke that Wallace, Robertson etc,. will be playing for them. Wallace and Brough would be a deadly halves combo.
8. Ireland - Same as Scotland, I hope these two teams give their locals and de3dicated players (that helped them qualify) a good run.
9. Samoa - Will be a strong side but I can honestly see Tonga and Ireland beating them.
10. Fiji - Probably the least NRL and Sl players to call up[on and I hope their locals shine on the big stage.

It's hard to say this far out without knowing exactly who will play for who but it's exciting times. All I hope is that Australia don't win it but that may be wishful thinking. I think Papua New Guinea wil come bottom of their group but I'm not sure where that would leave them in the overall standings. I believe the group with Ireland, Tonga and Samoa is very strong and any of them teams would top the group with France, Scotland and Fiji. But all that said here is how I think it will finish:

 1: New Zealand - They have some of the best players in the World and if they click on the day can beat Australia no doubt. Frank Pritchard is a big loss but so long as they have Sonny-Bill Williams, Benji Marshall, Roy Asotasi, Setaimata Sa. etc. they can do anything

2: Australia - Everyone knows about their strengths but if Lockyer doesn't make the World Cup they may come up short in the Final.

3: England - Have lost their boom youngster in Sam Burgess but still capable of causing a lot of trouble if everyone gets up for it.

4: Samoa - Their playing roster looks awesome and that could get them home but I just think they may lack the creativity and direction in the halves to turn any of the Big 3 over in the semis

5: Scotland - This was the hardest position to pick but Scotland will have a very smart halfback pairing if they get Peter Wallace to partner Danny Brough. I think France have a great set of forwards but don't have enough craft just yet to carve out tries in the big games. Fiji are relatively unknown so could easily come 5th as well depending on who is fit for them.

6: Tonga - Will have an awesome team and could easily come 4th but I think they will just miss out against Samoa in qualifying. Feleti Mateo is awesome and will be a star.

7: Fiji - Again a bit of an unknown quantity but have some great backs in Akuila Uate, Semi Tadulala, Darryl Millard so can score tries from anywhere

8: Papua New Guinea - I just hope they are competitive, I think they will come bottom of their group with England, Australia and New Zealand.

9: Ireland - I hate to say it but Ireland are in a very tough group and just winning one game would be an achievement. Rugby League Ireland have a policy of taking some Irish bred players and while I can understand the thinking those players are simply nowhere near ready and so the squad will lack depth.

10: France - They have some very good players but their French players are still getting used to Super League and I think they may lack some creativity but they have a very good forward pack with players like Jamal Fakir, Jerome Guisett, Remy Casty etc.

Um wow Londonleaguer, that has to be one of the most controvercial lists to date! :o

NZ to win it... OK I could run with that but France at 10! Feck no! Need i remind you of four results from last year concerning the french

1. France 46 def. Scotland 16 - WCqualifier warm up - Huge win against what is arguably Scotlands WC side. I cannot see this changing. France will destroy Scotland.
2. France 38 def. PNG 26 - 1st Test - A good result against tough opposition
3. France 22 def. PNG 16 - 2nd test - Showed that the 1st test was no fluke though there was some question on a PNG disallowed try.
4. France 14 def. by NZ 22 - Test match - This was really a shock result. France matched it in every way with NZ and led them till the last 8 minutes where they fell asleep and NZ managed to get to trys in to save some face on their tour.

So just from those results France will definitely be up at either 4 or 5.

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I hope I'm wrong with regards to France because I think they can become the next super power and a good World Cup would help achieve momentum in that country. I was also in Perpignan last weekend for the Catalans/Leeds game and fell in with love with French Rugby League but I'm not too sure about this World Cup for them. Talking to one of the French players who plays for both Catalans and France he didn't seem too confident that they will do much at the World Cup-he talked about player fatigue and the fact that a lot of the squad are still part time playing in a semi pro league. Also I think they need someone to boss them around the field because against England they threatened very little in attack. Thomas Bosc is a fantastic player who plays well at the line but he's not an organiser and they need a little general at number 7-hopefully Max Greseque will step up after spending some time in Oz. 

 With regards to Scotland I anticipate that the team that lost to France won't be very similar to the one at the World Cup. I wasn't at that game but I don't think Danny Brough played did he? Also there are players like Michael Robertson, Peter Wallace, Keith Galloway, Chris Armit, Ian Henderson, Daniel Heckenberg, James Mcmanus etc. who all play in NRL or SL and look like they are going to play. You could also possibly add Richard Horne and Lee Gilmour to this who are fantastic players and both played for Scotland in the 2000 World Cup.

Everyone thinks that because a lot of French players play in the Super League they will be awesome but I think they are physically and mentally still coming to terms with full time Rugby League. I do however think they will be serious contenders at the 2013 World Cup.

Like I say though I honestly hope I'm wrong about the French. How do you think places will end up?

My pick from what I have seen the last two years here in europe 

England

Australia

France

PNG

New Zealand

Tonga

Samoa

Fiji

Scotland

Ireland

I feel PNG have one upset in group A in them, most probably NZ, this will get them to number 3 I assume. France will be in the semis, probably loose to Australia, england will get France. The final I think England will lift to cause an upste and have a new third team win the WC. England are hungry, they are out for blood and Australia are in the crosshairs.

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I like a man who dares to dream, nice work druzick, this is the way i see it playing out,

Australia to win in a close battle over new zealand in the most memmorable world cups ever fought,

England going down in horoic battle to take 3rd and scotland running 4th in a big upset over tonga, samoa and p,n.g battling out the minors with france and ireland, fiji wondering what went wrong.

Australia Kangaroos being crowned the biggest ever world cup champions,(winning 10th world cup) and the team to beat come future tournaments around the world, with massive exposure for future tours.

 

 

Perhaps I am going with my emotions, but I honestly think England have a team that is capable of winning this world cup.  Our halves pairing, Burrows and Pryce, is capable of matching it with Thurston and Lockyer.  Our forwards are strong and our outside backs are more than able to get the job done.  If the team plays to its full ability then it should go toe to toe with Australia in the final.

You could be right, the way league is going over here we might not have a team to beat england, we have lost gasnier, and now sonny bill has gone, so new zealand have lost there chance to be extra dominate, frank prichard wont be there iether, and he looks like going to union along with johnathon thurston and a few others, England now has the chance to win the world cup.

oikee2:

You could be right, the way league is going over here we might not have a team to beat england, we have lost gasnier, and now sonny bill has gone, so new zealand have lost there chance to be extra dominate, frank prichard wont be there iether, and he looks like going to union along with johnathon thurston and a few others, England now has the chance to win the world cup.

Australia still has a lot of depth to cover the loss of Gasnier.  New Zealand lacks the depth to cover the loss of Sonny Bill Williams.  England has more depth than New Zealand does, but it pales in comparison to Australia's depth.

oikee2:

I like a man who dares to dream, nice work druzick, this is the way i see it playing out,

Australia to win in a close battle over new zealand in the most memmorable world cups ever fought,

England going down in horoic battle to take 3rd and scotland running 4th in a big upset over tonga, samoa and p,n.g battling out the minors with france and ireland, fiji wondering what went wrong.

Australia Kangaroos being crowned the biggest ever world cup champions,(winning 10th world cup) and the team to beat come future tournaments around the world, with massive exposure for future tours.

I have had the pleasure fo seeing many european teamsn and PNG over the last 18 months and can see many things coming out of this WC. There are three teams that have the hunger now and also the spark to turn into a raging fire! 1. England, they have an aussie coach and have been doing everything to mimic the WC conditions, they are on a mission to be the thirsd team to win the WC... and I feel they will. 2. France they may not win it but they will show that they are getting back to the france of Old i feel. They are blooding and searching for those young layers and are finding them, a bit more experience on the international stage and they will be up there at the next WC. 3. PNG the spark was there, I saw them in wales, despite their loss to a red hot wales, they had only been in country for 2 days after 16,000 km trip, they played in 10 degree weather, but they still showed the heard and fight and flamboynace they are known for. They will be so much more at home in aus and with a good crowd backing expect that upset from them.

The dissapointing team last year was new Zealand. No I am not getting into the SBW debate as no one really knows anything about that except the lawyers, Bulldogs and SBW... but last year I met the NZ team in Paris and watched them play... there is no passion for the jumper, the players just saw it as a junket really and were not proude of donning the famout black white chevron. This has come from the laxes RLIF eligibility rules, this is waht I have predicted for a while... and I kid you not see australia going down this smae path where as other nations that hone their own players will surpass them.

IF Australia win this WC, then it will be their last for a long time.

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Do you honestly believe that england can topple australia in this years world cup? I dont know for how many years you poms have talked your guys up only to be thrashed and some times humiliated. You guys talked it up big time for the 2004 tri nations final only to be smashed by 40 points and that was a good bloody pommy team as well. All im asking is whats different now then to years gone by with the england team?

I'm not English aye, but I have to say that if it came down to us and them in the final, I reckon the poms might just have us. Anasta is past it, Budderus and Mason are injured, Gasnier went walk about and Petero C is gettin old.. We do have Lockyer, Hunt and Smith, but they don't seem all that fussed about the world cup.
The English boys look strong and are really hungry for this. They even talk about their anticipation of the games after their SL matches. And the quality of their matches has gone up. It's a really quick game nowadays.
We hardly hear anything from our boys and commentators about the world cup. There's no real urgency or excitement about it. To our fellahs, it's just another game. They don't give a toss to be frank. To the English it's a matter of honour and pride. It's pretty disheartening to say it, but I think they might just take the cup with em.

In regards to the other placings...

3. New Zealand (more concerned about bashing the opponents instead of scoring points)

4. France (have been impressive in their last few games)

5. PNG (lack the depth to compete with Eng, Aus & NZ, bu8t have plenty of heart)

6. Samoa (Have experience and class. Will fail without any real good halves)

7. Scotland (Danny boy is a gun, but he alone can't carry the team like joey used to with the knights)

8. Tonga (Have experience and stars, but the same as NZ)

9. Fiji (Unknowns. The knights boys in the squad offer try scoring ability, but would be eventually shut and run down by efficient defense)

10. Ireland (Inexperienced and untested players)

Actually I reckon PNG and France might upset NZ and surprise a hell of a lot of people.

Im starting to change my mind about england. Especially with there selection attitude. They do want to take the best team on form to the world cup and if all there minions fire at once it will be very interesting.