That's the number of games before the tournament opener. Two tests against New Zealand, one against South Africa, one in Argentina and a potential friendly against the USA en route to Europe as a confidence-builder. Enough? No, not really, especially considering there will be down time between the final Bledisloe, the match in the US and the first pool match against Fiji. So does the preparation need to be spot on? You betcha! The Wallabies are under the guidance of a new coach and in turn new strategies. They also have to get used to a new attacking game with Stephen Larkham. That may mean the playing possible v probables games like the old days. We did it in 2003, not full 80-minute games but situation-specific match-ups. But when it was on, it was full-on. There is no room for getting it wrong, not when the Wallabies are in the pool of death. You can't afford a situation like the season opener with the Tahs where the coach admitted that he got the preparation awry.

This leads perfectly into the second part of the article about the finish to the Six Nations and two of the teams Australia will come up against in their pool matches. The demonstrative way in which the games were played were a feast for the fans. So should the Wallabies be worried by what they saw? Yes, I think so. The Wallabies currently don't appear on the World Rugby (formally IRB) home page, where a brief table of rugby rankings is featured. You have to hit another tab to see the full list as we are now placed sixth, after slipping one spot because of the results in the Six Nations. Did you get that? Can you comprehend that? I need to reiterate that point. Sixth. The lowest it has ever been. That brings me to the games last weekend. The total score of the three matches played was 156-65, with Wales, England and Ireland posting masssive scores – 61, 55 and 40 respectively. You could argue that the teams knew the winning margin required to claim the championship, and so played a more adventurous style. Now you are not going to win a World cup by playing conservative rugby. You have to chance your arm at some stage to up the pressure, especially if you are seen as the underdog. So what caught my amazement over that weekend was the gusto with which three winning teams went about their business. They all played with an expansive, up-tempo, skilful game that made watching in the early morning bearable. I didn't think they had that style of play in them.