My second favorite source of quadrennial disappointment starts today.
The RWC is being held in
England with 48 games between today and October 31st when the final will be held at Twickenham Stadium in London.
The USA is participating and it could be interesting because they are in a really weak group.
USA games
Sunday September 20th, versus Samoa
Sunday Septmeber 27th, versus Scotland
Wednesday October 7th, versus South Africa
Sunday October 11th, versus Japan
The game against South Africa will be brutal, but the other three games are very much winnable. If they qualify out of the group stages then they'll probably come up against England or Australia, both of which could get messy.
Unlike soccer, the gulf of quality between the top nations and the weaker ones is huge, which is a shame, however there will be some group games between excellent sides vying for the top spot in their group, which results in an easier route through the knock out stages.
New Zealand are of course the favorites, they're the current holders and have been number one in the world for six years. However as hosts, England look strong and Twickenham is a tough place to play. Ireland and Australia have really developed into serious competitors to New Zealand in the last year or so and South Africa are always a great team. Also look out for France who are as unpredictable as any sports team in the world (either outstanding or abysmal) and Wales who despite missing a few players will always be a threat with their talent. Argentina won't win the thing, but they could certainly knock a contender out.
Follow the progress at
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/ and watch the games on Universal Sports and NBC Sports.
Swing Low.
