Rugby World Cup 2019: Richie McCaw believes Wallabies will compete in Japan without Israel Folau

Australia have the potential to cause yet another Rugby World Cup surprise later this year in Japan, according to former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

Speaking at an event looking ahead to the tournament in Japan, McCaw said he expected Michael Cheika's team, who won four of their 13 games last year, to come good at the tournament.

McCaw, a two-time World Cup winner, led the All Blacks to a 34-17 win over the Wallabies in the final four years ago.

"Knowing Australians like I do, they are competitive, hugely competitive and they will get themselves in good situation to compete," McCaw told Reuters.

"They have got the ability to win games now against everyone, so you don't want to write them off at all.

"I think sometimes, where people are not talking about them a lot leading up to [the World Cup], that's the best thing you can be. You just come in and surprise everyone.

"But from a New Zealand point of view, there is never a surprise that they front up.

"It is their competitive nature or something - they always come and show up."

Australia have been drawn in a potentially tricky Pool D with Six Nations champions Wales and the vastly improved Fiji in Japan, and will enter the tournament without the country's three-time Player of the Year Israel Folau.

The 30-year-old was sacked, when he posted on social media that hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, among other groups, and was found guilty of a high-level breach of Rugby Australia's code of conduct. 

Rugby World Cup 2019: Richie McCaw believes Wallabies will compete in Japan without Israel Folau

Folau has appealed the decision to the Australian courts. McCaw refused to comment directly on the case, but said it was "sad for rugby".

"Without getting into the debate around who is right or wrong, I just think it is sad for Australian rugby that you are not talking about what Wallabies are going to do.

"But hopefully, once the Wallabies get playing, and they are getting to the Rugby Championship and the World Cup, talking around what they are doing from a rugby point of view then."

New Zealand begin their quest for a third consecutive Rugby World Cup against old rivals South Africa in a titanic opening Pool B clash in Yokohama on September 21.

Like the rest of the rugby world, McCaw is eagerly anticipating that match, with the losers likely to face Joe Schmidt's Ireland side in the quarter-finals.

"That is a huge game, because both could win and they have to play each other first up," said McCaw.

"It doesn't mean that the team that doesn't win gets eliminated, but it certainly will go off in a different direction with different things to think about.

"So, I think it will be a big game and it will show where everyone is at."

Reuters. 

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