Nick Easter believes the northern hemisphere nations could have a distinct advantage at this year’s World Cup.
While the tournament is taking place in New Zealand and the bookmakers have the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks down as favourites for global glory, Easter believes the European sides will be one up on their illustrious counterparts by the time the tournament kicks off in the second week of September.
England No8 Easter says the fact that the southern hemisphere club season still has another week to run and the Tri Nations is going ahead later this month could mean the big three head into the World Cup ‘overcooked’.
"This time the northern hemisphere teams might have a little bit of an advantage over the southern hemisphere teams in terms of the scheduling because we've had a break,"said Easter.
"In the southern hemisphere their Super 15 season is longer than usual and has gone on an extra month. Then they have the Tri-Nations.
"I’m surprised they're playing the Tri-Nations. I thought they might play each other as warm up games like we do with other Six Nations teams. I hope it leaves them tired."
Easter, who captained England in the absence of Lewis Moody and Mike Tindall for the Grand Slam decider in Dublin earlier this year, seems a certainty to travel to New Zealand in two months time.
The 32-year-old Harlequin is currently training with his country ahead of their World Cup warm-up fixtures with Wales and Ireland and he insists the fact that the tournament is taking place in our autumn rather than in our summer should benefit England’s chances of repeating their famous 2003 success.
"We don't have any rugby matches now until the first warm-up game in August, so we have a good window to train hard and get prepared properly," added Easter.
"They might be a little over-cooked, while for us it's just like heading into a normal season. At our clubs we'd be doing pre-season at this time and start playing in September."
