'Twas Ever Thus

After another dominant year, New Zealand's All Blacks will go into 2007 as the favorites to win the Rugby World Cup. But international rugby sees shifts in fortunes more quickly than just about any other sport. Traditional powers Australia and defending Cup champions England will surely have something to say. And while South Africa struggled mightily for most of 2006, they began to turn things around in the last phase of their international season, and Coach Jake White's personnel policy, in which he tries as many players as possible over the course of a year to find the best combinations, appears like it might be set to yield fruit. Nonetheless, the All Blacks set the bar in world rugby. Everyone will be gearing for them in France (itself a formidable rugby power) once the new year hits.