Who will be the Current World Champion's biggest challenge in 2012.

First topic message reminder :

I thought this would save time, pick the team that you beleive will be the All Blacks biggest challenge this year.

Nah, you keep that an arrange another QF for us.

Aus. Sa will struggle IMO, new coach and new additions. Should finish 3rd in the rugby championship which is essentially last as Argentina are still a third tier team.

I think this could be the next best Australia team of the pro era.

Look what happened last time NZ went to Aus looking for the last TriNations trophy ever.

And since then, NZ have lost a lot of experienced players - Aus have developed a few.

Winning in Sydney will be NZ biggest challenge

It's a shame after our WC reception in NZ that the ARU didnt send the Kiwis to Quade Park, Qld. I expect their reception in Sydney will be less friendly than previously the case, but it would have been funny to watch the Qlders welcome them to Suncorp.

The simple facts involving the 3Ns[4N]and Super Rugby,Home wins are the Norm.YES away wins happen to nick a3Ns you need one.Only on 2 occassions
2001,and 2004 has it not been the case that the winners had win surplus[2001 involved a drawn game,2004 bonus points].
The Boks at altitude are usually the ABs losses mostly,at sea level they are better.[it was 10 years between losses at cape town at one point].
RWCs are usually overall poor events,too much is expected and seldom occurs.
Since people consider it the only event worth bothering with,the stakes are to
high.To start playing Rugby,defence,risk nothing,kick your goals that`s the magic formula.

What do you mean Boomer? We would have been consummate hosts.

John O'Neil probably had recollections of seeing the NSW State of Origin bus heading down Caxton street in the '90s being pelted with bottles and a barrage of abuse and thought if that happened we might not get the All Blacks to ever tour here again. You Sydneysiders will just have to administer retribution for all of us.

Difference between jburg and sydney is we have our largest rent - a - crowd franchise based in Sydney so the crowd is often, annoyingly to oz coaches, largely kiwi based.

If its billed as a decider those illegal aliens will all be placed strategically around the stadium for maximum noise impact.

Full Credit wrote:What do you mean Boomer? We would have been consummate hosts.

John O'Neil probably had recollections of seeing the NSW State of Origin bus heading down Caxton street in the '90s being pelted with bottles and a barrage of abuse and thought if that happened we might not get the All Blacks to ever tour here again. You Sydneysiders will just have to administer retribution for all of us.

JON needn't worry too much FC as unless we close the migration gates soon, the All Blacks will be co-tenants at the Gold Coast stadium within 20 years. Obviously that isnt a given, but I'm confident the Titans will pull through their financial mismanagement and still exist in 2032.

For me, it will be the Aussies. They have that swagger about them much like the AB's and are not imposed by them.

South Africa are right up there as well as SA have this ability to beat them in tough tight matches.

Other than those two (as usual) i cant see any team really worrying the AB's.

roddersm wrote:Nah things have been on the skids for a while Kia, the England game was the final (painful) nail in the coffin. Chickens coming home to roost.

Here lies Irish rugby. RIP.

Irish rugby ain't dead, it's just having a snooze and I expect them to give the ABs a tough game in the summer. England and Wales will also give them a game at twick and the MS respectively but lets face it all will most likely lose.

It's got to be the Aussies really, painful as it is to write. The boks are unknown in the sense that a new coach will bring new ideas. The quality of their players isn't in doubt

HERSH wrote:Who are the current WC's?

Must have been a non event for me to miss that one!

I agree,

HERSH would have stopped watching the World cup after the first group match.

South Africa in Ellis Park will be the most challenging. Australia depending on how well they do in their other games could be fired up enough to mount a challenge. In terms of Wales, England, Ireland, Argentina and Italy, I don't think they stand a chance. However Argentina could be a potential upset with the All Blacks maybe playing a weakend team in La Plata.

It's in Soweto DrSambo. Ironically Ellis Park would be more intimidating with its record despite holding 30000 less screaming Bokke fans.

I reckon Hansen will know to play his best team in Argentina. They'll give us a hell of a go.

Apparently every World Cup apart from 2003 was a non-event.

It said Ellis park on the voting thing. If he dosent play a weakend team for the Argies he'll pay it for another country and that will be the biggest challenge.

It's actually 6-5 to the Wallabies at Stadium Australia since it opened in 1999.

Oz-NZ
28-7
35-39
29-26
16-14
21-50
22-10
23-18
13-30
34-19
18-19
22-23

Maybe Sydney is not a fortress but still we are more successful here than in Brisbane... the Wallabies have only won once at Suncorp (last year) since 1996 in the 4 matches played there.

However, I still think Ellis Park will be a tougher proposition for the ABs. Sydney could be another stumbling block for NZ but it's maybe 50-50 at this stage.

(As Taylorman correctly noted; it's almost a home match for the ABs with the numbers in the crowd - makes it harder for our guys but nothing wrong with that!)

I think Brisbane's even worse LB, last year there were quite audible chants of "All Blacks" going around the stadium during the 3N final. Sadly, there's no such thing as home crowd advantage for us against NZ any more. Maybe we need to play a game or two in the outback.

I'm surprised our record in Sydney's so respectable, guess that 50 - 21 drubbing is unfairly skewing my memory. I think Ellis park on the whole will provide the toughest challenge as well. Aus might have the better settled team but the hostility over there along with the altitude is hard to beat.

I know FC... there are huge numbers of Kiwis living in Brisbane and the GC. There's around 500,000 Kiwis living here in Australia overall.

We've had those "All Black" chants for a while now. I'll never forget seeing the sea of black at some of those early matches in 1999/2000 and it gets bigger every year. Same at the NRL Grand Finals...they have very good support.

Everyone keeps saying the Wallabies look the most settled but I hope the players don't take this for granted. It will be closely contested for sure and the Wallabies will have to hit the ground running or else...

a toss up between England and SA

New Zealand's biggest challenge for 2012 is their first game of the series in Auckland against Ireland.

If they lose that..... anything is possible.