When James Horwill says he believes Australia are good enough to win the World Cup, he is not treading a patriotic line. The former Wallabies’ captain will not be in Japan as he is starting an executive MBA course in Cambridge University months after ending his career at Harlequins, but having played in the tournament he appreciates it is about the here and now rather than what went before.
Australia start the tournament sixth in the world rankings, one place below where they were four years ago when they arrived in England. The Israel Folau affair has rocked them this year, but in 2015 they were on their third head coach in two years and no more fancied than they are now, yet still reached the final.
“What happened with Israel will not affect the team,” said Horwill, who won 62 caps and captained the Wallabies 16 times, including at the 2011 World Cup. “You have to move on otherwise you get left behind. Australia have again showed this year that they can play some outstanding rugby, but the problem has been peaking one week and falling off the next.
“It is about finding consistency and if you are physically and mentally on it in a World Cup, when matches come quickly, you can achieve that. If the Wallabies turn up, they can beat anyone. They are suited to tournament rugby and big occasions and I think they will do well. There will be be a shortage of support for them in Japan and the fact there is no clear favourite means if you get it right you have a great chance.”
Horwill is concerned about the future of rugby in the southern hemisphere following the collapse of World Rugby’s Nations League plan. It means the financial divide between north and south will continue to grow and more players will leave for clubs in Europe and Japan. Horwill’s international career was all but over when he joined Harlequins, but the trend now is for players to move at a younger age.
“My goal as a player was to wear the Australia shirt and I was fortunate to do so more than 60 times,” he said. “Each individual’s motivation is different and with rugby becoming a younger man’s game, many feel that if they wait until the end of their international career before making the move, it will be too late.
“You cannot blame anyone for taking the opportunity to earn a lot of money when they do not know how long their careers will last. The problem is it has taken a lot of players out of Super Rugby and the tournament is suffering as a consequence. It is said to see so many matches played against a backdrop of rows of empty seats.
“Something needs to be done quickly because the spending in the north is not going to drop. It has clearly had an impact on international rugby with both Australia and South Africa having difficult periods since the last World Cup and even New Zealand are feeling the loss of so many players, many before they have played much Test rugby. The television deal in the south will be renegotiated soon and the big question is whether South Africa remain or look to link up with Europe.
“It is not good for the international game as a whole, even if it helps make this year’s World Cup so open. Then there is a question of what is going to happen to the tier two nations who would have benefited from a nations league. Japan will put on a good show in the coming weeks, but does the future hold for them? The Sunwolves are no longer in Super Rugby because the resources of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have to be spent on trying to retain players.
“It is worrying and there are more questions than answers. It will be forgotten for a while because attention will be on a World Cup that I am sure will be thrilling, but after it decisions will need to be made because things cannot go as they are.”
Horwill will start his 20-month course as Australia do battle in a group that includes Wales and Fiji, but he has forsaken packing down for gown as he aims for another outing at Twickenham in the Varsity match. “I wanted to challenge myself in a different way after being lucky to play professional rugby for so long,” said the 34-year old.
“I will be watching the World Cup avidly. It is hard to call a winner. England look the best bet among the home nations. I like the look of their squad, but not many teams will be used to the conditions they will confront in Japan. It will come down to who deals with them best.”
