Today, Australia’s party capital, the Gold Coast, is this season’s starting point for the International Rugby Board’s 7-a-side rugby jaunt. A nine venue carnival from Australia, through Dubai (2-3 Dec)& South Africa (9-10 Dec), then back to the Pacific in the New Year where Wellington, New Zealand, plays host 3rd & 4th of February. The caravan then heads east across the Pacific to Las Vegas, USA (10-12 Feb), before the famous Hong Kong 7s (23-25 March), where this party began 35 years ago.

Led by Brisbane born half-back, Tim Usasz, the USA tried to disrupt an already jilted Australian line-up on Friday at the 2011 RWC Pool C encounter in Wellington. Coming off a shocking loss 15-6 to Ireland the Wallabies were keen to erase that memory of the previous weekend with a solid performance against an aggressive American Eagles outfit.

The infectious glint in Irish talisman, Brian O’Driscoll’s, eyes when interviewed after their historic 15-6 victory over Australia at Eden Park, Auckland in the 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool C match last Saturday, was overwhelming. “I know there’s, you know, about 58-odd thousand people here and it felt like 57 of them were shouting for us”, the Irish captain said. Some dubious refereeing, that has become part and parcel of the modern game, has resulted in the first major upset of the tournament.

The 13th game of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC), exactly one week from the opening, has eventuated in the first major blowout in the score line with the hosts, New Zealand, running in 13 tries to 1 over the Japanese Brave Blossoms side with a dominating 83-7 point victory. Not quite the 145-17 massacre of Japan at the 1995 RWC in South Africa, but significant enough especially when you consider Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Mils Muliaina nor Israel Dagg were available. The fact that Sonny Bill Williams was offside for his second try matters little in the wash-up.

Last Friday, September 9, saw the start of the 7th Edition of the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. It has been 24 years since the “City of Sails” has opened a Rugby World Cup (RWC) which precedes six weeks of international rugby throughout the country, concluding with the final on October 23 to decide the winner of the Webb Ellis Cup.

Less than a month out from the 3rd biggest sporting event on the planet, i.e. the Rugby World Cup, the weekend action provided some excellent examples of what to expect from the leading contenders, as well as some of the emerging rugby nations. South Africa hosted the Wallabies at Kings Park, Durban; Millennium Stadium, saw a spirited Welsh side, in black, overpower the English; Ireland suffered at that hands of the French in Bordeaux; the Italians, at home, upset an aggressive Japan outfit; and Fiji were too strong for their Polynesian rivals Tonga.

Despite his New Zealand heritage, the Wallabies coach, Robbie Deans, has his sights set firmly on winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup on October 23. When his nemesis, Graham Henry decided on fielding his strongest and most experienced team out on Eden Park last weekend, the quietly spoken Deans continued to experiment with one of the youngest teams Australia has lead into battle for the annual Holy Grail trophy between these Tasman cousins.

Well done to the men in Black (both matches that is). The most experienced New Zealand side in All Black history, dating back to 1903, with an average age over 29 with 51 caps per player, defeated the young upstarts from across the ditch; who may have left their run for this year’s World Cup a little late. The choice by Graham Henry to go with the seasoned campaigners, like Brad Thorn (36), Kevin Mealamu (32), Mils Muliaina (31), Ali Williams (30) and others such as Sitiveni Sivivatu (29) and Piri Weepu (27),that are almost past their use-by dates, proved the goods on the day.

The beauty of rugby union, that distinguishes it from most other codes, is that the game is played all over the globe at different altitudes, latitudes & longitudes with differing styles & attitudes. To win the World Cup you must be able to adapt to these variances, have good fatigue management and a self-belief by the players that they can win. Both of Australia’s World Cups, 1991 & 1999, were won in the United Kingdom, ironically England’s solo Championship was won in Australia, 2003.