England should have an “easy ride” at the World Cup in the favourable half of the draw, according to Steve Hansen but despite that advantage Steve Borthwick’s side do not feature on his list of contenders for the Webb Ellis Cup.
Borthwick’s side are currently ranked sixth in the world and are fifth favourites with the bookmakers after a disappointing Six Nations campaign following the sacking of Eddie Jones. With the top five in the world – Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Africa and Scotland – all in the same half of the draw and three of those teams in the same pool – Hansen believes England, as well as Jones’s Australia, have a significant advantage.
“If you are Australia or England at the moment, you are rubbing your hands, aren’t you? You are going to get an easy ride in if you do things right,” said Hansen, whose World XV take on Jones’s Barbarians side at Twickenham on Sunday.
“I think [Australia] are a big show. I think England are a show for the same reason. They’re on that side of the pool and they’re being left alone while the big guys all knock themselves out. If you ask me who was capable of winning it, I think probably France, Ireland, the All Blacks, and South Africa – one of those four.”
Hansen, who won the World Cup with New Zealand in 2015, pointed to Jones’s formidable record in the tournament – he was a consultant for the victorious Springboks in 2007 and has reached finals with England and Australia – when asked if the Rugby Football Union made a mistake by sacking him nine months before a World Cup. “If I say they shouldn’t have sacked him that’ll be the headline,” he added.
“It’s England’s business what they did, they decided what they wanted to do and they’ve done it. The consequences, positive and negative, come with that. What I would say is that Eddie has got a bloody good record at World Cups. And he was pretty focused on making sure he got that team to the World Cup and wanted to win it. So they miss that person who was so hungry and so experienced in that environment and is no longer there. That’s the downfall of changing it but they’ve made the decision based on what they think is right.”
Jack Nowell has ruled himself out of England’s plans ahead of the World Cup in France later this year.
Nowell, who is currently recovering from a knee injury, looks set to join the European champions La Rochelle next season. That would mean taking himself out of the selection picture, effectively signalling an end to his 46-cap England career as the current selection policy dictates that those plying their trade overseas are not considered for Test duty.
“I am not doing the World Cup, no World Cup. I am just going to chill and get my knee sorted,” Nowell told the RugbyPass Offload podcast. “It was a hard decision not to put myself in for selection for the World Cup, but I thought it was probably one that I had to make for myself and my family as well.
“I was in contact with [England head coach Steve Borthwick] 'Borthers' and he let me know I wasn’t going to be involved in the Six Nations, which was completely fair enough. New coach, new ideas.”
The 30-year-old added: “As much as I would like to have done this one [World Cup] and given it a good crack, sometimes you have got to read between the lines and understand you are probably not in the coach’s favour. PA Media
Israel Folau is set to feature in Hansen’s World XV on Sunday, marking his return to the spotlight after he was sacked by Australia in 2019 having claimed that “hell awaits” homosexuals. On Sunday a version of the Pride Flag will be flown at Twickenham while there will be a message of support for the LGBTQ+ community in the programme.
“I think [the flying of the flag] is great,” said Hansen. “It’s a consequence [of Folau’s selection] and I think it’s a good thing. It’s an opportunity to show support to that flag. I don’t have a problem with it, I think it’s great. There wouldn’t be one there if Israel wasn’t playing so whenever we can bring attention to people who are suffering in a positive way I think that’s good. They deserve to be loved and cared for as much as anybody else. If we all did that it’d be a happy place, wouldn’t it.
“He’s a very good rugby player. And I know by picking him that there will be some people hurt. And I get that. However, I want those people to understand that Israel’s beliefs and views are not ours. And [we] don’t agree with them. But he’s a rugby player first and foremost and he’s been sanctioned, those sanctions have finished, he’s playing rugby, he’s probably going to go to the World Cup so my job is to pick the best team I can pick and that’s what I’ve done.”
