Australia do not have the scrum to compete with England, says Kyran Bracken

Kyran Bracken believes that England are real contenders for the World Cup and wonders if Australia's' new' scrum will front up in the northern hemisphere.

After months of speculation and debate the Rugby World Cup finally starts on Friday when England kick off the tournament against Fiji at Twickenham.

England cannot afford to take Fiji lightly and know that any slip-up against the talented Pacific Islanders will be disastrous. With heavyweights Australia and Wales also in Pool A, along with Uruguay, just getting out of this pool is going to take some doing.

Australia have battled against England at scrum time in recent years, however some impressive displays during the Rugby Championship have convinced their fans that they might just have the muscle upfront to do some damage.

They have certainly progressed in that area under the tutelage of former Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma, but have also opted for only two recognised hookers with prop Scott Sio the back-up to Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau. They may have earned praise from England forwards coach Graham Rowntree, however  Kyran Bracken is not so sure they have the firepower up front

"Rumour has it that Australia now has a scrum. I will be very interested to see if they have a scrum against northern hemisphere teams," said Bracken.

"We will soon know against Wales and England if they have got a scrum. If they do have a scrum it is going to be quite concerning because they have probably got the best backs in the world with the likes of Israel Folau at full-back just incredible.

"It's going to be interesting to see if they have enough ball. I don't think they will get enough clean ball to be able to use it."

England's chances

Bracken, who was part of the triumphant 2003 World Cup-winning squad, is optimistic on England's chances,but says that defending champions New Zealand are still the team to beat.

"I think it's going to be really tight right to the end," added Bracken. "England have got a good chance, certainly to get to the final if they win their group, however it is hard to see past New Zealand, who have been so good over the past few years. They have still got some of their old heads, Richie McCaw, Danny Carter, so I think it is going to be New Zealand but there's an outside chance that we could do it again.

"Can England beat New Zealand? Hopefully it will be in the final of the World Cup. They've done it before so yes they can. Whether they will do it in these circumstances, in England, at home, we will have to wait and see but it's hard to see past New Zealand winning the World Cup."

Success for Burgess

Bracken is well aware of the battle for World Cup places. In 2003, Bracken, Matt Dawson, Andy Gomarsall and Austin Healey were all fighting for the three scrum-half berths, with Healey the unlucky man to miss out.

In 2015, the battle for centre has been one of the key issues for Stuart Lancaster, especially with Manu Tuilagi out of the running.

In the end Lancaster opted for rugby league convert Sam Burgess as one of four centres ahead of Luther Burrell. It was a contentious call to opt for Burgess, who is seen as a flanker by his club Bath, over Burrell who has been part of England's midfield for the last two seasons.

"Sam Burgess has been the most talked about centre in the whole World Cup," said Bracken.

"I saw him really as a six, didn't really see him as a 12 but he's come on and done alright. I don't think he will start many games but he might well be a real impact sub that England need. He is six foot four, he is big and he is strong and he is only going to go one way, and that is forward and over the top of people.

"Lancaster has seen something in him that we haven't necessarily seen yet but fingers crossed, and I am hopeful, that he is a success."

Kyran wa speaking at the launch of the London Pride Clubhouse on Moorgate in London. They will be hosting the opening night on 18 September and the Clubhouse will be open every weekend for the rugby until the end of October.  www.fullers.co.uk/lpc