Steve Hansen: 'If you are Australia or England at the moment, you are rubbing your hands, aren’t you?'

World’s top five will ‘knock themselves out’ on other side of Rugby World Cup draw, believes former All Blacks coach Steve  Hansen

'EASY RIDE': World XV coach Steve Hansen. 

England should have an “easy ride” at the World Cup in the favourable half of the draw, according to Steve Hansen but despite that advantage Steve Borthwick’s side do not feature on his list of contenders for the Webb Ellis Trophy.

Borthwick’s side are currently ranked sixth in the world and are fifth favourites with the bookmakers after a disappointing Six Nations campaign following the sacking of Eddie Jones. With the top five in the world – Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Africa and Scotland – all in the same half on the draw and three of those teams in the same pool – Hansen believes England, as well as Jones’s Australia, have a significant advantage.