Wynne Gray: Chance missed for top contest

What a shame South Africa has missed out on the next World Cup.

Make that two tournaments as England have been given the nod for the 2015 event and Japan the tick for the 2019 tournament.

So if South Africa is chosen as host for the 2023 World Cup, and there is no guarantee of that, it will be 28 years between that and the first time they staged the best tournament yet.

Instead the IRB have turned inwards and awarded the next tournament to England even though they were hosts in 1991, a big player in 1999 and close by as Wales and Scotland staged matches at the last World Cup.

"Both Italy and South Africa submitted comprehensive tenders with very strong government support and would be capable of hosting outstanding Rugby World Cup tournaments now or in the future," Rugby World Cup boss Bernard Lapasset said.

Obviously not outstanding enough for RWC who spread their gospel and their funds from the profits of each tournament.

Initially we were told countries wanting to host one of the next tournaments had to tender for both. Somehow England avoided that detail in a tactic which may have persuaded voters they could not be overlooked for 2015. So much for rugby's development.

New Zealand should be grateful it campaigned strongly and was awarded the next World Cup but it would have been hard to fault the IRB if they had awarded that event to Japan, Italy or some other first-time host.

Instead they turned inwards to their buddies, their cosy group of confreres in England, just as the New Zealand Rugby Union did with their All Black coaching reappointment.

That deal, accompanied by a swag of injuries, has left the All Blacks looking a little under-powered and limp during their June internationals. You wonder whether some of the new faces are ready yet and whether the old stagers have spent too much time with the same coaching group or are switching off from them.

The last time I looked in the official 2009 media guide, Graham Henry was listed as the coach, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith as his assistants.

Henry has a vast amount of international experience with Wales, the Lions and 57 wins from 66 tests in charge of the All Blacks. He needs to bring all that acumen to his side to face the Wallabies at Eden Park in a fortnight.

He was seen belting into them at halftime during the lame work against Italy and must keep that acid on them in the fortnight until Bledisloe I.