James Horwill's keys to Wallabies success at 2027 Rugby World Cup

Former Wallabies captain James Horwill is expecting the Wallabies to make a deep run in the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which is now just 500 days away.

The milestone in the countdown to the event was celebrated in Brisbane on Tuesday, with Horwill attending alongside former All Black Brad Thorn and current Wallaby Tom Lynagh to join the festivities. The Rugby World Cup last landed on Australian shores in 2003, captivating the nation as their team was cut agonisingly short of winning it all in the final thanks to Jonny Wilkinson’s famous drop-goal.

Horwill began his professional career in 2006 and made his Wallabies debut a year later, hoping to make the plane to France to represent his nation in the next edition of the tournament and avenge his side’s ’03 defeat. Then-head coach John Connely decided it was not yet his time. When the 2011 Rugby World Cup rolled around, Robbie Deans was in charge and named Horwill Wallabies captain for the tournament.

15 years on from his own Rugby World Cup experience, Horwill still remembers the ’03 tournament as a catalyst in his journey to the top, and knows just how inspiring it can be for young players.

“It’s huge. 2003 was my first year out of school, and I remember sitting and watching the Rugby World Cup final, the impact it had and what it did for the country,” Horwill reflected, before highlighting his desire for rugby to build on its strengths.

“We’ve got a unique product, we’re the third-biggest tournament in the world, and we’ve got this international game that I don’t think any sport around the world can really rival.”

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Capturing the hearts and minds of the country in 2027 will fall to the new generation of Australian talent, facing ever-evolving challenges in the global game. As Horwill learnt first-hand in 2011, the Rugby World Cup poses a challenge like no other, with the finalists playing seven games over seven consecutive weeks.

To come out the other end of that journey with the Webb Ellis Cup in hand, teams will need depth. That’s something Horwill says the team have been developing well under coach Joe Schmidt.

“Depth in positions is key; we’re seeing that in Super Rugby Pacific. You sit there each week and think, if I were to pick a Wallabies side this weekend, who would I pick? You’d be tossing a lot of names up in key positions.

“That’s really important. As we’ve seen in successful World Cups, you’ve got to use your whole squad. You can’t rely on just 15 players. Over the last couple of years, Joe’s been working on building that depth, particularly in important positions.

“Then, we need to get the combinations right once we know who we want to play. Injuries obviously can play a part, so getting guys time in the saddle together will be important.”

Those are factors that didn’t pan out for the Wallabies at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, when a late change at head coach led to a late change in team selection. Eddie Jones’ inexperienced squad were ultimately eliminated during pool play. It was Australia’s worst-ever result at the tournament, which they had won in 1991 and 1999.

Horwill was “very confident” Australia’s prospects have improved greatly in the years since, with the progress felt across the different levels of the game.

“I think we’re seeing green shoots. In Super Rugby, obviously some of the teams would like to be performing a little bit more consistently, and that comes with time and experience. I think we’re getting that confidence from beating New Zealand sides. We’ve seen that throughout this season. The Reds have obviously done it, so have the Brumbies. So, we’re getting over that mental hurdle that some may have.

“I’m very confident that we’ll go deep into the World Cup next year.”

A new application window for Rugby World Cup 2027 tickets opened in time for Tuesday’s 500 days-to-go milestone, with fans now able to head to tickets.rugbyworldcup.com to apply for tickets to all 52 games. The window will be open for two weeks, closing on June 2.