The competition is still three years away but former All Blacks loose forward Zinzan Brooke is already writing off the possibility of a northern hemisphere side from winning the rugby world cup, here in New Zealand.
Brooke, on his BBC website column, says given the recent form of the Six Nations sides against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa showed only Wales is equipped to progress in the tournament.
However Brooke says he can't see them getting past semi-final or even, depending on the opposition, the quarter-final.
He says the gap is simply too wide and it needs to be remembered the three southern hemisphere teams were coming off a long hard season and they'll be even better prepared come 2011.
