Wallabies can win "every single game" before Rugby World Cup

It’s 500 days until the Rugby World Cup and the ARU chief executive, Bill

Pulver, believes the Wallabies are capable of winning all 19 Test

matches between now and then.

Coach Ewen McKenzie will reveal his 32-man squad for Australia’s three-Test

June series against France on 22 May and even before the international season

kicks off Pulver is setting the bar high.

“There’s a lot of cause for optimism,” Pulver said on Wednesday. “We’re

probably higher on the ladder in Super Rugby than we’ve ever been and you can

just tell there’s a terrific young playing group coming through.”

In the Brumbies, NSW Waratahs and Western Force, Australia has three teams

in the top five on the Super Rugby ladder, but even Wallabies players

acknowledge Test rugby is a different matter.

Pulver, though, believes the third-ranked Wallabies have the chance to make

a pre-World Cup statement during an “extraordinary” Test program in

2014 that features matches against every other team ranked in the world’s top

seven.

After hosting France, Australia face world champions the All Blacks three

times, plus South Africa and Argentina twice in the Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies wind up the year with a five-Test tour to Europe playing the

Barbarians, Wales, France, Ireland and England.

“So we’ll play every major team,” Pulver said. “[With] the

good playing group coming through, I think there’s a lot to look forward to. You

can’t avoid having an eye on the World Cup. It comes around once every four

years. It really defines the leading nation in rugby.

“Having said that, it really is one step at a time. I’d like to think

the team’s focus is on the first Test – 7 June against the French. Ewen will

announce the squad in the next couple of weeks and you’ll see it is really with

a view towards the World Cup, but [Australia are] quite capable of winning every

single game between now and then. But a couple of games against New Zealand and

South Africa, the No1 and No2 in the world, are going to be a true test.”

Christian Lealiifano, who played 13 Tests in 2013 in his debut international

season, said the Wallabies would embrace Pulver’s lofty expectations after

finishing last year with four straight wins.

“Australians love challenges and to set the bar that high is achievable

with the amount of quality players running around in Australia and the form

that the boys are in,” Lealiifano said. “That’s the goal you want to

be setting because there’s no point setting the bar pretty low.”

Article source: http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/sport/10519590.RUGBY_UNION__Chinnor_to_face_Welsh_test_in_build_up_to_season/

Wallabies can win "every single game" before Rugby World Cup