The pain of a Johnny Wilkinson drop goal which denied the Wallabies World Cup glory on that wet night in 2003 still haunts not only rugby faithful but Australians in general. Four years later came our shot at redemption and revenge in the 2007 World Cup however, to the surprise of many the poms once again proved the thorn in the wallabies side defeating the Australians on route to their second consecutive world cup final. With the much anticipated 2011 World Cup only months away all eyes will be on the young Wallabies as they attempt to put England's recent world cup domination aside in their quest for glory. Australian Rugby has undergone quite a few changes in the last four years, we have a new coach, a new Super Rugby franchise and arguably the most promising and exciting squad of youngsters we have ever seen. The Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is a former All Black who knows what it takes to win and nurture young talent having won five Super Rugby titles whilst propelling the careers of many world class players like Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. However, the task of instilling belief into many of his young Wallabies and leading them to world cup glory in New Zealand is undoubtly the greatest challenge of his career.
A great deal of the Wallabies success in New Zealand hinges on the performance of 23 year old Quade Cooper. Cooper's amazing form over the last 18 months has brought a smile to the faces of many Australian rugby supporters as he has dazzled at both international and Super Rugby level, leading the Queensland Reds to the top of the Super Rugby table for the first time since 1999. Cooper has forged a tremendous partnership with 23 year old scrum half Will Genia and Deans will be hoping they can replicate their explosive Super Rugby form to the international stage. Along with the Reds creative duo is the explosive James O'Connor who at just 20 years of age already has 27 tests caps. O'Connor's Force team mate, 22 year old David Pocock displaced long time Wallaby number 7 George Smith in 2009 and has not looked back since and if the Wallabies are to be successful in New Zealand they will need their openside flanker to stand up. Finally, there is the enigmatic but super talented Kurtley Beale. Who could forget the composure the 22 year old showed last year when he stepped up after the siren sounded in Bloemfontein to slot over a monstrous 50 meter penalty granting the Wallabies a thrilling 41-39 victory over the Springboks, their first at South Africa's altitude in 47 years. It feels as though Kurtley has been around for a long time given he debut for the Waratahs as an 18 year old although it is only now that we are finally witnessing what this young man is truly capable of and there is no doubt he can be the Wallabies much needed X-factor in New Zealand.
Only time will now tell whether Deans can unite a relatively young squad with many of its key players never having played at a world cup before and instill a belief in them to overcome this curse of the poms and bring home the title for the first time since 1999.
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