Suffice it to say that one should not turn to ESPN for rugby coverage. Nonetheless this preview should at least give Americans some sense of the favorites heading into this year's World Cup in France. The headline, “All Blacks, Les Bleus and Wallabies are the favorites” is a little misleading. New Zealand, France, and Australia are the top three teams in the world according to the International Rugby Board rankings, (with Australia ranked second, France, the hosts, third) but by most serious reckonings, number-four-rated South Africa is considered New Zealand's most serious threat.
Crossposted from dcat.
