After four years in the making, all squads for the Rugby World Cup have to be revealed by tomorrow.
Stuart Lancaster unveiled the men he thinks will take England to glory earlier this week while on the other side of the world, this morning New Zealand coach Steve Hansen revealed the squad which aims to defend the title won four years ago on home soil.
In both cases, it was the players who missed out who seemed to get the biggest headlines.
Mercurial talent Danny Cipriani was overlooked for the red rose brigade while Israel Dagg and Cory Jane missed out for the All Blacks. Hansen found no room for sentiment as he off-loaded the duo who both figured in the last World Cup. They may have over 100 caps between them, but that didn’t cut any ice with Hansen as he opted for Waisake Naholo instead.
But the unluckiest player to miss out for the defending champions must be utility back Charles Charles Piutau
He is heading off shore to Ulster next year – and they have got a bargain despite the reported fee he is leaving New Zealand for. He was the standout player against South Africa at Ellis Park.
In every game he has played for the All Blacks, Piutau has been ravenous for work, broken tackles and been a real handful in attack. If that’s not good enough to make the All Blacks, then those selected ahead of him must be something special. Saying that, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Julian Savea and Ben Smith aren’t too shabby.
Naholo who has some top secret Fijian herbal treatment to thank for making the squad after breaking his leg in his Test debut against Argentina in July. His miraculous recovery has Hollywood blockbuster written all over it – but this time tomorrow the full focus will be on Warren Gatland’s squad announcement where Wales’ 31 squad members will be revealed.
Over the next few hours there will be some players chewing what is left of their finger nails as the countdown for the squad is revealed. There will be some relieved players, there will be some disappointed players, but Gatland’s final selections will hit the headlines around the rugby world with regards to the players he has picked and the ones he has left out. That’s the way it is. Let the mayhem ensue. Now where’s my bus?
