High times for the northerners

By WYNNE GRAY

It was a moment the influential Sunday Times was not going to miss.

Wins in one weekend for England, France and Ireland against the men from the Tri-Nations were a time to gloat. Even if idiosyncratic England coach Clive Woodward managed to keep himself in check, the newspaper could not.

It was a sign for the future, the Southern Hemisphere rugby empire was crumbling, the Chariot and European colleagues were ready to ride roughshod again.

And the victories keep coming. Only the All Blacks halted another clean sweep last weekend as they pinched a stalemate against France while England overhauled the Wallabies and Scotland dealt to the Springboks.

Carumba. The UK is not an easy place to be an antipodean right now, but then New Zealand is never a comfortable haven for the Home Unions.

It is their turn, their moment to rejoice in the success that England have at Twickenham, the French should have had at Paris, and in the Celtic triumphs in Dublin and Edinburgh.

But what does it all mean? Do these results offer any indication for next year's fifth World Cup?

Has the gap closed between the two hemispheres, or are they so out of sync with their seasons that the only real gauge can be made in the months leading into next year's tournament?

Who knows? The World Cup is still many matches away and the only sensible thing to do is assess how sides are performing now.

Certainly the Wallabies are out of whack big time.

They have sent their best available side, but when injuries remove players at regular intervals like Chris Latham, Ben Tune, Mat Rogers, Jeremy Paul, Owen Finegan and Steve Larkham, the lack of depth in the Wallabies is exposed.

Captain George Gregan also appears to be struggling to find some fluid variety. That was noticeable in the Tri-Nations, and his impact was even less on this expedition.

The Springboks have been well beaten twice, but due to their matches coinciding with the All Blacks' and the lack of television coverage, their inadequacies have not been visible.

Defeat against France was anticipated, but to then lose quite convincingly against Scotland undoes much of the progress the Springboks were making mid-year. Another slapping against England on Sunday would leave them facing a year of uncertainty before the World Cup.

England are chugging on at Twickenham. They bring power and size with their pack and the kicking prowess of Jonny Wilkinson.

Wing Ben Cohen has also impressed, but you sense they will struggle to deal with the speed and breadth of the game on hard grounds in Australia.

In the Paris test, the French backs were disappointing as their insecurity about midfield collisions forced them into unfruitful lateral movements. They will redress that pattern, and the return of Tony Marsh for the Six Nations will assist. They also have a gang of mean, mobile forwards who can go the distance.

This All Black side have shown the backline class to score tries without having a tight five to deal with England and France. But the entirely new pack have shown an athleticism, and if they can beef up their frames and technique they can make the "home crew" sweat.

With Marty Holah, Ali Williams, Kees Meeuws and Andrew Hore are hovering, the pressure goes on the incumbents.

Add in the merits of Carlos Spencer before he was cruelly injured again, Danny Lee and a mini-resurgence from Jonah Lomu, and the stocks are moving in the right direction.

A year out from the World Cup, form remains simply guesswork. But trying to project teams, the draw, conditions and some fortune, France and the All Blacks appeal as the sides to beat.