In our defence ...

Tuesday June 15 2004

Sure, we were wrong - but we're in good company!

Plenty of our readers have pointed out - somewhat gleefully - that our New Zealand versus England prediction sailed well wide of the mark. Yes, we were horribly wrong - but in the great tradition of modern rugby, we point the finger of blame in every which way but are own. I mean, just take a look at some of the guff that wafted our way last week!

"I promise you the guys are up for this first Test match."
- England coach Cive Woodward before his meek-looking men went down 36-3 to the All Blacks.

"We won't lack for physicality, that's for sure. There won't be a backwards step taken by anyone in this squad."
- England captain Lawrence Dallaglio before his side shipped 30 points in 39 minutes.

"We are expecting Charlie [Hodgson] to be on the front foot on Saturday."
- Woodward again, before England's fly-half found himself stuck in reverse gear for 80 minutes.

"I think we'll probably be about 40 percent when we get to this Test."
- New Zealand coach Graham Henry before his side threw the kitchen sink at England.

"England won't roll over easily. Even without some of their World Cup stars, the sheer amount of beef they bring to the match is awesome ... This game's going to be tight and there will be no more than five or seven points between the sides at the end of the game."
- New Zealand legend Zinzan Brooke before the All Blacks finished 33 points clear of the English.

"You see the Premiership or the European Cup, where there is a huge contest for dominance up front week in, week out, which produces a real hard edge to the forward play in that part of the world."
- Henry again, before his forwards took the England pack to the cleaners.

I'm particularly happy with how the scrum has been going. We worked very hard on it during the World Cup and again since coming into camp last week. With some new personnel on board, both players and staff, we have continued to improve and gel as a unit."
- Wallaby loosehead prop Bill Young before losing the set-piece battle with Scotland.

"I'm feeling pretty confident we can stage a big performance ... We have created a happy habit of winning games recently, and we do not want to leave that behind us, particularly not in South Africa."
- Eddie O'Sullivan before his side was ravaged by a young Springbok outfit, ending the day 31-17 to the bad.

"We would have thought they would pick Gordon Ross, who we thought played very well against Samoa ... We were taken aback by the selection of Dan Parks."
- Australia coach Eddie Jones before Parks nailed 100 percent of his kicks against the Wallabies.

"I am wearing a shirt that Jason [Robinson] would normally wear so I have got to try my hardest not to be a disappointment. But hopefully I can get my hands on the ball and try and create things. The pressure is on but it's a brilliant chance."
- England wing James Simpson-Daniel before not getting his hands on the ball.

"We've trained well and trained hard and we have a game against the Barbarians under our belt. Everyone's feeling good about our preparations."
- Mike Ruddock before his side fell 50-44 to Argentina, finding themselves 29 points down at one stage.

"I reckon the Wallabies by 40 on Sunday, maybe 50 or 60 to be honest."
- Former Wallaby wing David Campese before Australia found themselves within only one point of Scotland at the interval, eventually opening up a 20-point gap by full-time.

"Gnarly England forwards to shade an under-done All Black outfit ... England to win by 4 points."
- Planet Rugby prediction. Opps!