Okay so this ugly beast started last Thursday night. Was supposed to just chill, maybe watch some Netflix, right? Nah. My brain got stuck on the 2027 RWC. Again. Felt like digging into the top teams NOW, see who might be building something crazy for ’27. Way too early, but hey, why not?
The Plan (Or What Passed For One)
First thing I did? Grabbed a notebook. Old school. Scrawled “TOP TEAMS” at the top. No structure, just a mess of circles and arrows. Wanted to pick say, 6-8 teams everyone expects to crush it. Easy starting point: Who were the last semi-finalists? Obvious ones first.
- New Zealand (All Blacks – obvious)
- South Africa (Current champs, duh)
- England (Always around)
- Ireland (Gotta be there after their form)
- France (Home advantage? Hosts usually beast mode)
- Australia (Wobbly now, but name says big)
Then it got fuzzy. Argentina? Fiji? Maybe Wales? Needed more coffee.
The Deep Dive Black Hole
Here’s where it always happens. Started looking at current squads. Like, for each team. Opened maybe ten tabs on my laptop. Stats pages, national team sites. Got totally lost.
For Ireland, I was looking at Sexton’s age – he’ll be ancient by then, if he’s even playing! So started listing possible fly-halves: Crowley, Healy, maybe someone younger? Same rabbit hole for every position.
Tried figuring out:
- Who are the absolute star players today who’ll probably still be around?
- Which young guns are just starting to show now (like 18-22) who might explode onto the scene?
- What glaring holes does each team currently have that they NEED to fill?
Hours vanished. My notebook looked like a doctor’s prescription pad.
The “Reality Check” Cold Shower
Realized I needed to chill. Predicting exact squads four years out is stupid. Injuries, form dips, coaches changing… everything shifts. So decided to pivot.
The previews wouldn’t be “THIS WILL BE THE SQUAD.” More like:
“Key Players Today (Potential Survivors)”
“Exciting Prospects to Watch (The Ones Building)”
“Major Questions (Stuff They Gotta Fix)”
Felt much better. More doable. Less like predicting lottery numbers.
The Write-Up Grind
Started typing, team by team. All Blacks first. Got bogged down immediately on the captain. Will it be Ardie again? Someone else? Forced myself to skip, just put “Captaincy TBD (Likely veteran loose forward?)” Progress over perfection, right?
Highlighted stuff that felt important. For SA, that lock depth is INSANE. For England, halfback development feels crucial. France? How deep can they run with THAT backline talent pipeline?
Hit a wall with Australia. So much uncertainty. Wrote “Massive Rebuild Project – Talent is there, structure shaky.” Honest.
The Brutal Edit
Read it back today. Man, it was rough. Too much detail on players I like. Cut a bunch. Made sure each team section had roughly the same points:
- A couple definite stars for ’27.
- Two or three rising kids.
- One big challenge they face building the squad.
Kept the language simple. No jargon. “That big dude who carries hard?” instead of “power ball carrier in the gainline.” You know?
Why Even Do This?
Honestly? Just fun speculating! And seeing the potential stories unfold. Who rises? Who falls? Reminds me why I love the game. The constant building and rebuilding, the cycle every four years. Gives me something to track over the next few seasons.
So yeah, the post is up. Feels like a starting point, not an ending. 2027 is ages away! Gonna check back on these scribbles in a year and laugh. Probably be totally wrong on half of it.