The former football manager and pundit Ron Atkinson memorably declared: “I’m not going to make a prediction — it could go either way.” Where’s the great man when you need him most? The Rugby World Cup is almost upon us and the whole world and his lover are suggesting it could be the most open yet. New Zealand are favourites in the bookmakers’ eyes, but what’s new? “ ”If they play the World Cup for a thousand years, the All Blacks will always be favourites to win it,” former Australia hooker Phil Kearns once declared. That doesn’t mean they will win it, of course. So how is the tournament in Japan likely to pan out? MARK ORDERS gazes into his crystal ball… POOL A Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa Ireland’s dominant second-half show against Wales last time out, when they placed a metaphorical boot on the opposition’s throat and declined to remove it, saw them reassert themselves as serious Webb Ellis Cup contenders. They are comfortably the strongest side in this pool. Scotland and Japan will contest second spot and while it wouldn’t be a complete shock for the tournament hosts to prevail, the abundance of Glasgow Warriors in the…