THE heavy/progressive Canadian rock band Rush once perceived that the difference between the hemispheres was very important.
They even managed to contrive the situation that one song about the issue would stretch over two albums, but I have a feeling that by the end of this weekend in rugby union terms the split hemisphere equation will be heading to a much more obvious and rapid outcome.
In one half of the draw the southern teams face each other – hosts New Zealand against Argentina and Australia against South Africa – while in the other half northern hemisphere rivals Ireland take on Celtic brethren Wales and England renew the battle against the French (those citing the Hundred Years War must remember that initially pundits at the time thought it would be over inside six months).
On the southern front you have to feel that whatever the outcome in the Wallabies-Springboks clash the victors will succumb to the All Blacks, who for once will not choke and reach the final.
But the other side of the equation in the northern conundrum, I have the feeling that in this season of political conferences it will be the greens who are enjoying the party.
Ireland face Wales with a team of experience and, in the men from Leinster and Munster, have players who know how to win a big game.
Their semi-final opponents will be the victors from a contest where England and France go head-to-head when the respective media seem to have been competing mainly over which side has been the worst in getting this far in the competition.
England actually beat the Scots while the French lost to Tonga and got through, so the bookies must be salivating over the money they will make on an unpredictable outcome, because of just how difficult it is to gauge which one of these quarter-final rivals is hurting the most – or performing the most poorly.
Which makes the obvious outcome that hosts New Zealand will face Ireland in the final at Eden Park– so if I have predicted it, you can be sure that won’t happen!
