Will RWC 2019 see the end of Southern Hemisphere dominance?

The 2019 Rugby World Cup is less than a year away and some fans have already discovered whether or not they were successful in their attempt to secure tickets from the first public allocation.
The 9^th edition of world rugby’s biggest tournament will take place in Japan between 20^th September and 2^nd November 2019 and will this be the first time a Rugby World Cup has been held in Asia.
Reigning champions New Zealand will be looking to secure their third title in a row, having won the World Cup for the second time in succession in England.  With South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup in 2007, you must go back to 2003 to find the last and only time a team from the Northern Hemisphere has lifted the trophy.
The history records do not bode well for the northern hemisphere teams, but there are many reasons why the likes of England, Ireland and Wales will go into the 2019 World Cup with optimism, looking to end the recent dominance by their southern hemisphere counterparts.

Autumn Internationals

The 2018 Autumn Internationals gave us a little indication of what to expect at next year’s tournament.
England boss Eddie Jones was under pressure heading into the autumn internationals, with his job reportedly on the line. Having played four matches in November, things are now looking more positive for the Australian and his England team.

England won three of their four matches, defeating South Africa, Japan and Australia with their only loss coming against New Zealand by the narrowest of margins and with several players injured. England fans will be particularly pleased with how their team started the game against the All Blacks and many will feel that they deserved to win the game. England’s first half against Japan was not so impressive but a strong performance after the interval ensured that next year’s tournament hosts were not able to cause a major upset at Twickenham.
England certainly appear to have the strength in depth to cope with their squad being stretched over a potentially long tournament and it will be interesting to see Jones’ final squad selection. Recent squads have seen an abundance of players originating from London and the nearby Home Counties being selected by Eddie Jones, but many of the fringe players will be hoping to make an impact for their respective clubs between now and the final selection date in a bid to secure their place on the plane to Japan next Autumn.

Impressive Ireland

The top performers in the Autumn Internationals were Ireland and they cemented their place as the biggest challengers to the Southern Hemisphere teams, notably New Zealand, at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.  Not only did Ireland defeat the All Blacks 16-9, they were the first Northern Hemisphere team to prevent them from scoring a try in over 20 years.
If both Ireland and New Zealand win their groups in Japan, they cannot meet until the final and what a great final that would potentially be in Yokohama.  Other than a disastrous 2019 Six Nations, Ireland will head to Japan as the top contender to challenge the dominance of the Southern Hemisphere teams.  Much like England, there are now very few question marks concerning the overall quality of their squad and it should not be stretched as thinly as previous World Cups.  However, Ireland’s World Cup record is not the best and the players will be reminded of that in every article they read leading up to the tournament.
Arguably the only other genuine contender to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup from the Northern Hemisphere is Wales who currently have one of, if not the, strongest squads in their history. The Welsh reached the semi-final in 2011, only to lose by a single point to France, who did not score a try in the match.
Having completed the Autumn International series, Wales have won their last nine games and if they can continue that sort of form through the 2019 Six Nations, they will be a force to be reckoned with in Japan.  The big results for Wales came against South Africa and Australia, the latter of which they defeated for the first time in fourteen attempts.
The win over Australia was key because Wales face them in their Rugby World Cup group and with the runner-up in that Pool likely to meet England in the quarter-final, Wales will want to finish top.  The winner of Pool D will probably play France, which is an easier proposition but will also avoid being in the same section of the draw as New Zealand, which could prove decisive in terms of reaching the final.
New Zealand remain the best team in the world and favourites to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup.  Having defeated them in Dublin, Ireland will feel confident they can beat the All Blacks again in Japan and if they can, we could see a sway in the balance of power at international level.
It would be foolish to believe a win for Ireland, England or Wales at the 2019 Rugby World Cup will end the dominance of Southern Hemisphere rugby.  What it would be is a big step in the right direction as far as the Northern Hemisphere nations are concerned.