KEY POINTS:
PARIS - A glance at the Pool C teams competing in the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup which runs from September 7 to October 20:
Pool C
ITALY
This could be the time that Italy at last reach the quarter-finals. Frenchman Pierre Berbizier has been the first coach to instil not only a winning mentality in the 'Squadra Azzurra' but also more discipline and the ability to last a full 80 minutes. Victories over Wales and Scotland in the Six Nations - the latter their first away from home ever in the tournament - plus giving England a scare at Twickenham will have done wonders for their confidence. With Scotland in their Pool they must fancy their chances of progressing and giving Berbizier - who coached France to the 1995 World Cup semi-finals - a satisfactory leaving present.
NEW ZEALAND
All powerful between the 2003 World Cup edition and this year's edition, but they were similarly impressive between the last three tournaments and came up short - finalists in 1995 and semi-finalists in 1999 and 2003. So the big question is: Will they choke again? There should be no problem with the Pool, but defeat by Australia - their first against their old foe in the last six clashes - in the Tri Nations gives others some hope. "It's better to lose now than in October at the World Cup," said coach Graham Henry after the Wallabies defeat, only their fifth in 41 tests since the 2003 World Cup. However, they were to bounce back and claim the Tri-Nations title with a home win over the Australians. In terms of strength in depth they have no equal but whether they handle the pressure of favourites is open to question.
PORTUGAL
A huge achievement to get to the global showpiece, but reality will bite in probably every match bar perhaps against Romania as they sample life at the top end of the sport for the first time. Beating Uruguay in the qualifiers was a singular achievement - albeit the South Americans played the majority of the second leg with 14 men thanks to a red card. The Portuguese, the only first timers at the competition, will be hoping to avoid the fate of Japan who were hammered by a record 145-17 against the All Blacks in 1995. Rugby World Cups, unlike its cricket and football counterparts, are not known for upsets and Portugal look set to be at the party simply as cannon fodder.
ROMANIA
Romania must be thankful for Portugal, as it looks as if they will return home after the pool stage with at least a win under their belts. Once the flagship of the second tier countries, and one of the few successful exports from the years of Ceaucescu's dictatorship, their fortunes have slumped. While 18 of their squad ply their trade outside Romania few get first team action. Perpignan's Ovidiu Tonita is a class act in the scrum. The sad thing for him is that he is playing with the wrong generation of players.
SCOTLAND
In danger of missing out on the last eight, such has been their record over the last few years. Only just scraped into the quarter-finals last time round, with a fortunate late win over Fiji and this time come into the tournament with the dubious distinction of having taken the wooden spoon in the Six Nations including a 37-17 hammering at home to pool rivals Italy. There is no doubting the class of players such as Chris Paterson and Chris Cusiter, but there are not enough of their level to cover in all positions. The impression is that Italy are on the rise under Berbizier while Frank Hadden's Scots are low on morale and class. The final pool match will probably decide which one goes through.
- AFP
