I'LL never win the National Lottery and there's no chance of me catching one of those elusive monster carp at my favourite fishing venue.

Those are predictions I would like to make after suggesting that St Helens and Leeds Rhinos would be playing each other in rugby league's Powergen Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham on August 26.

Of course, we all know now that Leeds failed to perform at their best two weekends ago and were rocked by Huddersfield Giants in the semi finals.

It just acts as a reminder that there is nothing more unpredictable than sport, excusing English football's Premiership though because moneybags Chelsea are bound to take the honours again in 2006/07.

Very few would have picked out Italy to win the World Cup last month, while Bradford Bulls came from nowhere to win last year's engage Super League Grand Final.

We all think we know best and can read the form to correctly predict outcomes as if we had gazed into a crystal ball.

But if that was the case we'd all either be professional gamblers or rich bookmakers (is there such a thing as a poor bookmaker?).

Yes, there are times when cheering for the favourite pays off but results such as Huddersfield's defeat of Yorkshire giants Leeds help to keep the interest factor alive for me in competitions where more local interest has withered or was non-existent in the first place.

Having said all that, one prediction I'm confident in is that England rugby union team will not successfully defend their World Cup title in France next year.

Nothing seems to have gone right since Sir Clive Woodward left the helm - in fact, they've lost their last five Test matches and were woeful at times in last year's Six Nations.

The 55-man elite squad for the forthcoming season - and for preparing for the World Cup - was announced last week and it did not fill me with confidence.

Much of the talk seemed to be about England pinning their hopes on the comeback of Newcastle's Jonny Wilkinson, who has not kicked a ball in anger for England since the drop goal he landed to win the World Cup in Sydney three years ago, and also the forgotten man - Andy Farrell.

The former Great Britain rugby league captain has not played a game since signing for Saracens in a mega-money switch from Wigan, backed by the Rugby Football Union, 15 months ago.

Both players have been plagued with injuries but are understood to be fit and raring to go for the new season with their clubs.

But it is a big ask to expect them to be the catalysts for turning the England tide, no matter how much big-match and international sporting experience they have under their belts - and especially with Farrell's only being in the league code.

It would be a great tale that Farrell supplies the pass for Wilkinson to score the winning try in the next World Cup Final but I just can't see it in my crystal ball.