Zinzan Brooke column

All Blacks legend

The draw for the World Cup may have been done, but on the evidence of the autumn internationals, none of the northern hemisphere teams can win it.

Sure, everyone is capable of putting on a run, and on current form you would have to say that of all the northern hemisphere teams Wales are best equipped to progress in the tournament.

But I would not see them getting past the semi-final or even, depending on the opposition, the quarter-final.

The gap is just too wide and you have to remember that Australia, New Zealand and South Africa came to the UK off the back of a long hard season. They'll be better prepared come the 2011 World Cup.

Wales will have every reason to feel hard done by. Despite being seeded fifth they face the holders South Africa and their 2007 conquerors Fiji

That void between the northern and southern hemisphere teams can be filled but I cannot see it happening any time soon.

This is the first time that the IRB have used world rankings to seed teams for the pool stages of the competition, and the four highest-ranked countries are all from the southern hemisphere.

I have no issue with using world rankings to seed teams for the pool stages, but why do it three years before the competition begins?

The idea was introduced so that the pools would have the best possible chance of being evenly matched but a country's form at the end of 2008 may well be different than in three years' time.

I'd like to see a situation where the draw is done a year before the World Cup begins. By doing that you will avoid mismatches in the pool stages.

England will be the happiest of the northern hemisphere countries. Of all the groups to be stuck in that would have to be the one.

Argentina are the weakest of the top seeds and they will know their other opponents Scotland well.

I think Argentine rugby is going through a difficult phase and England will be confident of topping the pool.

The Pumas need to be playing competitive Test rugby every year, but it is difficult for them to become a part of the Tri-Nations as most of their side play their rugby in France. With all the money there is in European rugby I don't see that situation changing.

Scotland would have been bitterly disappointed with how they performed at the last World Cup and would hope to improve on that in 2011.

But they have made great strides in the past 12 months and will fancy their chances.

Wales will have every reason to feel hard done by. Despite being seeded fifth, they face the holders South Africa and Fiji, a team that beat them in last year's World Cup.

606: DEBATE England appear to have got lucky, but in reality they'll probably sink to the level of their opposition MikeyNHSH

They are Grand Slam champions and will fancy their chances of winning it again but I feel the difficult thing for them will be getting out of the pool. If they do that, they will gain momentum and confidence and could go on a run.

Pool C will be very tight. Australia have a proven pedigree at the World Cup having won it twice and been runners-up once. But both Ireland and Italy will be quietly confident of progression to the knockout stages.

It's hard to know how far Ireland can go in the competition but I do fear that they are too reliant on Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara. I've always felt Ireland are not that far ahead of Scotland and are hit-and-miss in these big tournaments.

As a New Zealander I'm pleased with our group. France and Tonga will provide a stern test and as favourites that is what we need. Hopefully USA will make up one of the other two sides to join us in the pool.

In the previous World Cup I felt the group stages were too easy for New Zealand and that hampered us going into a knockout situation. France and Tonga will give it a go with the French confident they can repeat their 2007 triumph against us.

On current form the All Blacks will go into the competition as favourites but a lot can happen in three years. As England showed in 2007, it is not about going into the tournament as the best team.

Going into that tournament I could see no way that England would progress to the final but as they showed if you believe in yourself and push the boundaries and get a bit of luck then you never know.

Zinzan Brooke was talking to BBC Sport's Nabil Hassan