For people who don’t think “a good maul” is a contradiction in terms, life’s about to get good. Between Sept. 9 and Oct. 23, an anticipated 85,000 traveling rugby enthusiasts and four billion TV viewers will focus their attention on New Zealand as it hosts the sport’s seventh World Cup. And while backers of the 20 countries competing in the tournament will be hoping their own team wins, most are approaching the contest wondering, with a mix of dread and awe, whether New Zealand’s mighty All Blacks – the sport’s sparkling poster boys and dominating force for much of the past three decades – can finally take the crown that has somehow eluded them since they won the World Cup’s first edition in 1987.
“Though the All Blacks have been joined by South Africa and more recently Australia as the top teams in world rugby, New Zealand’s domination, influence, and iconic status has been so significant over the years that it would be a travesty if it didn’t win this Cup after 24 years of having been denied – especially with the country hosting it for the first time since their last world title,” says John Nauright, a professor
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