Richard Loe: Wallabies loom as contenders

Robbie Deans. Photo / Getty Images

It's been interesting watching the Australian franchises with half an eye on the World Cup. After all, if all goes according to form at that tournament, many are picking a Wallabies-All Blacks final.

The form of the Reds is an obvious boost for Australian rugby, although it has been tempered a bit with the lack of bite coming from the Brumbies. Overall, however, I feel none of the franchises - with the possible exception of the Reds - are really working as a total unit yet.

For that, they will need Robbie Deans to take over matters when he selects his squad and Robbie is very good at shaping and focusing his men - and getting them to act as a team.

One of the notable things about the Australian teams has been the improvement in their scrummaging. It wasn't so long ago we were all criticising them for having neither the technique nor the personnel to compete there - and it was costing them test matches.

That seems to have righted itself. Props like Ben Alexander and Benn Robinson have the experience now and have really come on. The scrummaging across all the Aussie franchises seems to have improved; they are more stable and we have seen them putting the pressure on the other side's ball.

They also have some depth up front now with experienced players like Guy Shepherdson, Greg Holmes, Ben Daley, James Slipper and Rodney Blake - back from France and still only 27 - all in the mix. Players like Al Baxter, I am glad to see, now only operate from the bench, although it's difficult to call him an impact player because he doesn't appear to add any.

Yet he's from the old school of Australian scrummaging. They now have hookers coming up too.

The Waratahs' Tatafu Polota-Nau must be related to Norm Maxwell, he throws himself about so much, there's Saia Faingaa and Stephen Moore and young James Hanson of the Reds has looked a prospect. They have potentially the world's best backline too.

Quade Cooper and Will Genia took some time to get going but they have hit form now. Outside them, you have a mix of Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Digby Ioane, Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor - and that's a real handful for any defence.

If they have a weakness, I think it's in the second rows. They have Nathan Sharpe at lock but I'm not sure anyone else is really putting their hand up there. Reds skipper James Horwill has played well and is getting his team firing, so must be a chance.

But other so-called contenders like Mark Chisholm (Brumbies) and Dean Mumm (Waratahs) haven't done it for me, and some of the younger brigade like Kane Douglas, Dave Dennis, Sam Wykes, Rob Simmons and Hugh Pyle are maybe a bit green yet.

Their loose forwards are also a worry. Phil Waugh might have one more World Cup left in him but is getting long in the tooth; David Pocock is still injured and is vital for them, Matt Hodgson is crocked and Stephen Hoiles' season could be over.

Rocky Elsom might well have lost his edge these days and Wycliff Palu, the hard-running No 8, seems to have left the "hard" out of his running so far this season.

There are some form horses to compensate - like the Reds' No 7 Beau Robinson and No 8 Scott Higginbotham.

Overall, however, the Australians have more depth than in recent years and I think Robbie will school them to play with flair and speed, in spite of the improvement in the tight phases.

They are drawn to play England or France in the World Cup semifinals, if all goes according to plan, and I think England are not a side that can resist nor play the expansive game yet.

There's little point in the Wallabies trying to take them on up front, so I think Robbie will play to the Australians' strengths after using the earlier games to build up their tight play and confidence. That's their other strength - you can see them growing in confidence.