Both the England cricket team and the Wales rugby team have received reality checks in the last week. There is a difference, though. Since the cricket team has just beaten the best team in the world, we have a fair idea how good they are, despite their defeat by Pakistan A.

I am not saying they are necessarily the best team in the world because they have to beat Australia in their own back yard to be that, but we have a fair idea.

As for the rugby team, I am still not sure how good they are. I suspect that what I am about to say will not go down too well in these parts, but here we go anyway and to hell with the consequences.

Wales are not the best side in the northern hemisphere. Oh, I can hear the cries of vehement opposition already. And, I am not just saying that on the strength of the defeat by the All Blacks.

Of course, Wales are the six Nations champions and Grand Slam winners no less. You cannot begrudge them that status. Grand Slams of any type do not come easy, as the All Blacks are going to find out.

They look odds-on to achieve their first clean sweep since 1978 but there is still that lingering possibility that there is a hiccup on the horizon somewhere. Remember that South Africa arrived here last year as Tri-Nations champions hoping for something similar. They lost to both Ireland and England .

But it was a strange Six Nations tournament last year. I still think France are the best side in the northern hemisphere. They certainly looked like it on Saturday night when disposing of Australia in Marseilles. And you would fancy England to fare much better against New Zealand than Wales.

My worry about Wales lies in the fact that they do not have a dominant pack. Much has changed in rugby over the years but one eternal truth remains; the game is won up front. That is what made Wales' Grand Slam all the more remarkable. They did it without forward superiority.

There were wails of incredulity at Wales' woeful line-out work against the All Blacks. Why? Their line-out was awful in the Six Nations. The worst of all six countries, in fact. We should not have been surprised. There was much hot air spouted before the game that Wales had to follow South Africa's example from their home victory in the Tri-Nations and disrupt the smooth flow of ball to the genius in the black number ten jersey who goes by the name of Dan Carter.

I heard the horrid phrase 'Get Carter' so many times last week (it was the name of a film starring Michael Caine for those who don't know) that it began to make me feel physically sick. That is a clich that needs to be got rid of as quickly as possible.

But did anybody notice how South Africa did that? By battering the New Zealanders physically, that's how. They did it with one of the most brutal displays of confrontation at the breakdown seen in recent times. Wales could never do that. They just do not have the physicality.

Too much was also made of the one-point defeat last year. New Zealand were nowhere near full strength then; they made nine changes when they played France afterwards. Yes, Wales had injuries this year but I am not sure how much difference the presence of the missing six Lions would have made.

It is all hypothetical, of course, but maybe the All Blacks might have played to their full potential then because they were nowhere near it in my book. They missed three certain tries. They might even have picked Richie McCaw. Who knows?

Wales need to get back to their high-tempo game quickly. That means quick ball from the rucks and accurate passing out of the tackle. But by its very nature it is a high-risk game.

It is exciting and let's hope that we see it again soon. I'm sure we will do against Fiji, but that doesn't count, so against South Africa and Australia let's see it. And then we might be able to assess how good Wales are, because, as I say, I'm still not sure.

Just like the Fiji game, I wouldn't read too much into what has happened so far to England's cricketers, not even that defeat by Pakistan A. That has an interesting recent parallel.

Remember last winter when everyone was fretting about England being 'undercooked' going into the first Test at Port Elizabeth, after being humbled by a South Africa A side? They won that first Test.

Of course, the loss of Michael Vaughan will be felt keenly but I am still sticking by my 0-0 series result, mainly because of the weather. It is winter in Pakistan too and the light goes remarkably quickly at the end of the day. Heavy overnight dew may also prevent prompt starts.

And with the turning pitches the tempo of the games will be very different from that of the Ashes Tests. Be prepared for something more for the cricketing purists than the casual supporters who became gripped by last summer's events. We have to realise that not all Test cricket can be like that. It would be nice, of course, but it is just not possible.

PS No baby news yet!