Adam Ashley Cooper has been moved into midfield for Saturday's clash with Russia © Getty Images

In his column in the Sydney Morning Herald, Wallaby legend Matt Burke wonders if Australia head coach Robbie Deans might have accidentally stumbled across his best team.

"Sometimes the best laid plans go so far off the tangent that you end up thinking, 'This just might work.'

"For the Wallabies the question could be, 'Is this our best team taking the field tomorrow?' The answer could be yes, due to all the injuries they have suffered during the pool stages that have forced their hand at the selection table.

"Without spending too much tomorrow, the Wallabies will account for Russia and pick up the bonus point. They will want to finish this game with a strong performance and take that into the quarter-finals. What they will want to do is control the controllables in this game."

Writing in the Daily Mail, former England captain Phil Vickery gives his thoughts on Saturday's crunch World Cup meeting with Scotland.

"Scotland bulldozed England at the breakdown in the Six Nations back in March and it very nearly won them the game. They swarmed the tackle area and England's forwards simply could not cope.

"If Scotland start disrupting the ruck again, they will thrive and England could find themselves in trouble.

"England's game requires quick ball and that relies on one thing - winning the breakdown. They have been talking about it for two years but still haven't solved the problem. It was a lot better against Romania but Scotland will present a different class of challenge."

James Lawton of The Independent argues that while England always convey a sense of disarray, they also retain a formidable capacity to find a level of defiance, a knack of growing strong at places where they should be broken.

"If Martin Johnson tells his men one more time that they must move on he might just be mistaken for the leader of a Bedouin raiding party rather than the English rugby union team going, at last, into the sharp end of the World Cup.

"Yet what else can he say? Hardly, "Let's have some more of the same, boys."

"Certainly it was impossible for him to say that after Dwarfgate, especially with the arrival of Mrs Mike Tindall at the team doorstep."

Guardian columnist Shaun Edwards argues that when cool heads were required against Argentina, euphoria frazzled the Scots' common sense and made them vulnerable.

"There is something in the air. Someone is going home, leaving the party, but it didn't have to be this way. I don't think Scotland will beat England on Saturday, but then again with a little more thought they would not have put themselves in a position where they may miss the quarter-finals for the first time in the history of the World Cup.

"There are obviously horses-for-courses arguments in Andy Robinson's selection for England at Eden Park and he has Euan Murray back so that gives the scrum a big boost. But it was not who was on the field against Argentina that mattered, more how they went about their work."

In his weekly column in the Irish Times, Liam Toland runs the rule over Ireland's team selection for Sunday's clash with Italy in Dunedin.

"Forget about the battle between Ronan O’Gara and Jonny Sexton or the battle of the scrums for the moment. The battle I am focusing on is between Jamie Heaslip and Sergio Parisse.

"But first, let’s look at another one, between the coach and the player, and how it effects the individuals directly involved and the culture and dynamic of the team.

"The team know who the best players are; they don’t need the coach to tell them. They also know who the weaker ones are. When that team is announced the group will automatically assess it on how it may affect their individual ambitions."

Will Stephen Jones hold on to the Welsh No.10 jersey? © Getty Images

Writing on Wales Online, Delme Parfitt analyses Warren Gatland's attacking options ahead of this weekend's clash with Fiji.

"It is the debate which just won’t go away for Wales - and as the World Cup progresses it appears to be taking on greater relevance with every passing game.

"Who should occupy the number 10 jersey? Or perhaps more importantly, who will?

"As the final, decisive pool match against Fiji approaches, Warren Gatland, like his home union counterparts, needs to decide whether to stick with the tried and trusted, or twist by going for the more volatile, unpredictable option.

"In other words, with James Hook in recovery from a shoulder injury and almost certain to be unavailable, does Gatland ask his 33-year-old centurion Stephen Jones to guide Wales into the knockout stages after making his comeback from calf trouble against Namibia?"

Ronan O'Gara looks poised to get the nod at fly-half for Ireland in Sunday's vital clash with Italy, writes Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"Half-back Ireland’s most pressing selection concern prior to Friday’s announcement of their team to play Italy in Sunday’s Pool C shoot-out, with Ronan O’Gara and perhaps even Conor Murray very much in line to face the Azzurri in the third match, at Dunedin’s Otago Stadium.

"Goal-kicking has become a significant issue for Ireland in their pool games and, oddly, this has been particularly true in the only two games played to date in the enclosed Otago Stadium, perhaps because of its open corners, or “drafts”. In any event, the overall return has been 13 from 31, or 42 per cent, with even Jonny Wilkinson struggling.

"Jonathan Sexton’s general game has been good, and he offers both more physicality in defence and a quicker running threat, but his return of five from 13, or 38 per cent, has contrasted sharply with O’Gara, who has landed 10 from 12, or 83.3 per cent.

"But for Sexton’s ratio, Ireland would have pushed clear sooner against both the USA and Australia, and Sexton’s missed conversion against Russia late on after replacing O’Gara against Russia only underlined their contrasting form off the tee."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Paul Cully argues that Berrick Barnes' impressive performance for the Wallabies against the USA last week needs to be put into context.

"There is a seductive simplicity about Berrick Barnes slipping into the No.12 jersey and solving the Wallabies' problems, but it is just one part of an increasingly complex picture. Besides, the most pressing concern in the back line is the return of Adam Ashley-Cooper into the No.13 jersey.

"Barnes' performance again the USA has generated a degree of excitement. It was assured, but not flawless. A poor kick off the left foot in the 63rd minute that was charged down blotted his copybook against tiring opposition among whose number several with real jobs as well as rugby duties. But his distribution was sound and his vision evident. Three minutes after that charge-down he was clipping a delightful cross-field chip into the arms of Ashley-Cooper on the right-hand side of attack.

"Significantly, kicks at goal travelled towards their destination with a certainty thus far lacking from supposedly superior technicians. Tackles were made without any ill effects. Moreover, the mood dictates that a saviour is required and he seems as good an option as any."

Gregor Paul of the New Zealand Herald urges Sonny Bill Williams to resist the lure of lucrative offers from elsewhere and stick with the All Blacks.

"Presumably now with his hissy fit out the way and the All Blacks showing him the love again, Sonny Bill Williams will commit his future to New Zealand after the Rugby World Cup.

"He really should. There are some reasonable arguments to made that he owes it to the fans and to his team-mates to hang around for at least another year. It could even be said he owes it to the executives who took a major risk in contracting him in 2010 when he hadn't actually shown an enormous amount on the rugby fields of south-west France.

"But all of that is secondary. Williams should stay because he owes it to himself to see just how good he could be at this rugby malarkey."

Quade Cooper will be key to the Wallabies hopes of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup © Getty Images

Writing on Rugby Heaven, former Wallaby John Eales reveals his rather simple formula for World Cup glory.

""Interpreting some games of rugby is akin to interpreting a Rorschach inkblot. The Rorschach Test was developed by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach in 1921 to give insights into personality characteristics. It asks subjects to describe what they see in 10 symmetrical inkblots and the tester will make various assumptions about their personality according to the interpretation.

"If you see a naked woman in every one of the blots, for example, it will indicate that, while consistent, you might have some problems to address. At the moment, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans might only see the inside of the accident and emergency department at the local hospital. The interpretation of that is fairly straightforward.

"In contrast, the interpretations of the Wallabies' loss to Ireland were many and varied. Some blamed the referee, some accused the Irish of cheating, others said the Wallabies lacked commitment or brains.

"The fact is the Wallabies were outthought and outplayed. So there is less variation in the antidote required to turn it around: more consistency."

Spiro Zavos of the Sydney Morning Herald believes that, on the evidence of what he has seen so far in New Zealand, a side with an open and expansive style of rugby will win the World Cup.

"The England 67-Romania 3 match was the halfway mark of RWC 2011 - the 24th match of a 48-match tournament. So far, we have seen the Island teams playing northern hemisphere rugby - and some of the northern hemisphere teams playing southern hemisphere rugby.

"The French scored points from an unacceptable soccer-type dive (surely the judiciary should punish this type of gamesmanship?). And, most importantly, the scrum rather than the lineout has been the crucial set-piece contest.

After some close, dour matches, England displayed a wide game against Romania, scoring with 10 tries, including three each to wingers Mark Cueto and the belly-flop expert Chris Ashton. England playing rugby with width is a great thing for the competition and, I would argue, for England's chances of winning their second tournament. For it is clear from the play of South Africa and New Zealand, the other standout teams (with Ireland), that this contest should be won, unlike the one in 2007, by a team that scores tries."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Peter Bills argues that New Zealand's greatest threat at this World Cup will come from old foe South Africa.

"Increasingly, there looks to be only one team capable of stopping the All Blacks' march on the Rugby World Cup: South Africa.

"Three-quarters of the way through the pool stage of the 2011 tournament, only two teams stand out, the All Blacks and the Springboks. It was ever thus in world rugby's pecking order.

"Of course, this is not to say that no other side could rise, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of previous games. Every match England play, for example, they get better. But they may need the four years that will pass before they host the event in 2015 to become the finished product. Sorting out all their failings in just four weeks would surely require a conjuring trick."

Mick Cleary of The Telegraph suggests that given England have copied the New Zealand shirt, maybe they should try replicating what really matters – the All Black attack.

"It took just over 10 minutes at Eden Park last Saturday for the All Blacks to show that their credentials are as blue chip as ever, the time it took for them to rattle three tries past a France side who had seemingly done what you need to do against New Zealand by getting stuck in from the first whistle.

"The French camp may be on the brink of mutiny, with echoes of Raymond Domenech’s blighted regime at the 2010 football World Cup, but they managed to pour heart and soul into an opening salvo that would have set any other side on their heels.

"New Zealand simply absorbed the brunt of it, then hit back with lacerating potency. Three tries in a blink of an eye and the game was as good as done, hearty as the French resistance was after the break."

The Munster man’s goal-kicking stats give him the edge over Leinster fly-half Jonathan Sexton, writes Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"Things are getting giddy among the Blarney Army. 'Can they do it? Can they go all the way?' As in win the World Cup.

"Whoaaa Betsy! It’s true Ireland’s odds have hardened from around 40 to or 45 to 1 down to 16 to 1. But this still leaves them fifth favourites, which is about right.

"For Ireland to even break new ground by reaching the semi-finals they need to stay healthy, for while the nine-try beating of Russia maintained momentum and underlined how some players, such as Andrew Trimble and Ronan O’Gara, are banging on the door, as ever Ireland need the vast majority of their front-liners fit and playing well."

The All Blacks were scarily good in Saturday's demolition of France © Getty Images

Wayne Smith of The Australian saw enough in Auckland on Saturday to suggest that New Zealand are on an unstoppable march towards World Cup glory.

"We always knew who we were up against. Now we know what we're up against.

"There were times while watching the All Blacks sup so sumptuously from the cold dish of revenge against France on Saturday night when it felt like the sensible thing to do was spare everyone involved at the World Cup another month away from their loved ones by simply handing over the Webb Ellis Cup to New Zealand now and be done with it. If they want the damn thing that much, and unmistakably they do, then why drag out the process?

"The All Blacks for most of the match operated at a level no other team at this tournament has remotely approached, not even South Africa which, until then, had posted the most clinical and impressive display with its systematic destruction of Fiji.

"But here were the All Blacks doing all that and more to the country ranked not 14th in the world but fifth, moreover the country that put them out of the last World Cup and, come to think of it, the one the Wallabies happened to win back in 1999. It's just possible then that they may have brought just a smidgin more intensity to their work than was absolutely necessary.

"Still, this was a scarily impressive display from New Zealand. The French, committed as they were, simply couldn't live with the physicality of their opponents."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Peter Bills argues that Marc Lievremeont is starting to buckle under the weight of the controversy caused by his selection for Saturday's defeat by the All Blacks.

"Mon dieu! A French hissy fit from coach Marc Lievremont amid his spat with a French journalist during the post-match press conference at Eden Park after the crucial Rugby World Cup clash. Whatever next? A duel in the woods at dawn?

"Under pressure, Lievremont blew his top after his misfit side predictably tumbled to a five-tries-to-two defeat against the Rugby World Cup favourites.

"'Do you still believe you can win the World Cup?' Lievremont was asked by a French journalist. The coach snapped back 'You really annoy me with that question. We have just taken no points from this match and I have said we might not qualify. Is that enough for you?'

"As he left the press conference, the pair angrily eyeballed each other. Actually, it was more like handbags at three paces.

"Lievremont's flare-up was revealing about the amount of pressure he is under back in France after picking a below-strength team. France left out five of their top forwards and their first-choice No 10, playing Morgan Parra, a halfback, at first five-eighths."

Eddie Butler of The Guardian believes that the Springboks have identified their road to the final - and it does involve losing to Samoa in order to take the easy Euro-road.

"South Africa seem in an ominously understated mood. Even in Little Jo'burg on Thursday night, in front of a massed throng of expats in North Shore, their 87-0 victory against Namibia was registered as routine. The defending champions seem to be doing this World Cup by stealth.

"Perhaps it was that opening game against Wales that has knocked them off the radar. There is a theory that they spent so much time with all their sponsors at swanky farewell parties back home that they arrived a little overfed and watered in New Zealand. We know how dangerous it can be to party hard.

"There is another theory: that Wales simply played very well and provided the kick in the rear that the defending champions needed. Some say there was never much doubt that these sluggish Springboks would work their way down to the other end of the field after Toby Faletau's try and do whatever it took – a try by Francois Hougaard – to steal the opening game.

"Others say that even if they had lost, South Africa would be OK. This route through the pools, that route through the knockout stages – who cares? South Africa are not light on confidence on any road, even if for the moment it is hushed."

Writing in The Independent, James Corrigan muses that it didn't take Mystic Meg to work out that the press would swoop on any Mike Tindall misdemeanour in New Zealand, what with all his connections.

"Wow, that dwarf story had some legs didn't it? But now the saga is finally drawing to its close – until England lose, that is – perhaps it is time to peer back and analyse what all the fuss was about.

"In short, it was contained in five words uttered by the coach, Martin Johnson, in the wake of the raucous night at the Altitude bar in Queenstown just over two weeks ago. 'Rugby player drinks beer - shocker.'

"That angered people, or, more to the point, the people who are paid to be angry. They saw it as flippant, arrogant and worse of all condoning of the behaviour which was capped by video images of the husband of the queen's granddaughter in a clinch. They saw it through football men's eyes."

Scotland's clash with Argentina was a most welcome reversion to one of the basic requirements of the Rugby World Cup: to have teams sharing the incentive to produce their strongest teams, writes James Lawton in The Independent.

"It will be some time before we know if this is truly a great World Cup of rugby or just some inordinately meandering march to record television and advertising profits.

"In the meantime, though, we can at least thank God for the gifts bestowed by filthy nights in Auckland and Wellington.

"The first brought us an appropriately magisterial celebration of his 100th cap by New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw.

"The second was hard on Scottish spirits and not least the splendidly refrigerated nerve of the oddly substituted Ruaridh Jackson, but when Argentina won with a superbly executed try they did it on the kind of field which has become increasingly precious as this tournament wears on.

"This is to say an even one, on which both teams played at maximum strength and with equal opportunity."

Wallaby utility back Berrick Barnes is Adam Freier's favourite player © Getty Images

Australia's own "working class man", Berrick Barnes, could be the player to inspire the Wallabies to World Cup glory, writes Adam Freier in his latest column in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"A quote Wayne Bennett has used is: 'You can always tell the character of someone by what he does for those who can do nothing for him in return.'

"This quote could not be more relevant than with former Brisbane Bronco Berrick Barnes. Forever giving, for charity, rugby and others, this cleanskin can start to blossom in this Wallabies environment. A well-bred Queenslander whose native Australian tone and 'yeah, na, yeah' make him the natural next in line for Lara Bingle's 'Where the bloody hell are you?' ad campaign.

"The first time I met Berrick he wore bone-coloured R.M. Williams tight beige jeans with clip pockets, rum-stained R.M. Williams boots and a checked shirt that I am pretty sure I had once used as a tea towel. He stood there, tilted his head to the side, took one leap forward and simply threw his hand out to introduce himself."

Writing for the New Zealand Herald, former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick salutes the Kiwis' performance against France on Saturday.

"I have to say I was a happy hooker last night. The French started strongly, the All Blacks weathered the storm and then exploited the French deficiencies in this crucial Rugby World Cup clash.

The scrum was good, the lineout was good and they had three opportunities in the first half and took them all. It was like in the Tri Nations - they pressed the boot down on the throat and kept it there.

"They worked hard at the breakdown, a key point of contact in this World Cup, and really out-muscled the French there; demonstrably so, winning the game."

In his column in The Guardian, Dean Ryan finds some causes for concern in England's resounding victory over Romania in Dunedin on Saturday.

"There was a lot to like about England's performance on Saturdayand the scoreline was clearly impressive. My concern, though, is not how many tries they scored against Romania but how they scored them and whether their approach is likely to be successful against Scotland in their final pool game on Saturday.

"England looked very dangerous in broken field. Mark Cueto's return was welcome; he and Chris Ashton really looked for work and looked threatening. The problem is how England arrive at those broken-field situations. They do not seem to develop them regularly enough from structured moves off their own scrums and lineouts.

"They are in danger of being caught between the Australian approach of trying to run Scotland off the field, which, with a little bit of drizzle, could be very dangerous because I don't think they are good enough, and going for the structured approach, but they haven't looked like they can manage the transition from structure to broken field. They struggle to arrive at the good parts of their game through their own structure and rely on the opposition offering them their chances."

Tom English of The Scotsman is overwhelmed by just how obsessed New Zealanders are with the All Blacks lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time in 24 years.

"With every passing day in New Zealand we get reminders of how much of the nation's heart and soul is invested in the All Blacks and their pursuit of this World Cup.

"It's not the fact that everything, but everything, has got Silver Fern branding on it, or the fact that the newspapers and television stations bring hourly updates of the latest outbreak of obsession, like the farmer in Northland who has a psychic animal called Richie McCow, who has successfully predicted the outcome of a succession of New Zealand games by drinking from an All Black milk bottle as opposed to one decorated in the colours of their opponents.

"Sorry to say, that McCow went for the French in yesterday's encounter in Eden Park, a blunder that has cost him his credibility and, most probably, his life. Richie has mooed his last, I fear."

Writing in The Independent, Hugh Godwin wonders, after watching New Zealand sweep France aside, if there is a side capable of preventing the Kiwis from winning the World Cup.

"They have said it many times, in many ways, but it can be summarised in one sentence from Craig Dowd, who told a radio audience last week: 'The only team who's going to beat the All Blacks is the All Blacks.'

"And the listeners up and down this country - simultaneously en fête and on the edge of a nervous breakdown - smiled and nodded and agreed and crossed their fingers, trusting to God or their own personal spirit that the craggy-faced old prop was right.

"There have been 1,109 men, including Dowd, accorded the status of an All Black down the years: 794 of them in Tests, 551 since the war. And it has felt like most of those still in the land of the living have popped up this last fortnight to declare their faith in Richie McCaw's team to win the World Cup; to win it back 24 years after the team captained by David Kirk and coached by Brian Lochore took the inaugural final on home soil."

Rocky Elsom touches down during his side's World Cup win over the USA © Getty Images

Writing for The Australian, Wallabies flanker Rocky Elsom still believes than a side with an open, expansive style could yet win the Rugby World Cup - despite all the recent evidence to the contrary.

"As the World Cup enters its third week, it is becoming much clearer what style of play is proving the most successful and which tactics are no longer in vogue -- but there is still hope for the lovers of running rugby.

"The first and most notable trend is that field position is key and teams are happily exchanging possession for a patch of grass further down the paddock.

"In the big matches of the tournament so far, the success rate for players under the high ball has declined, the number of penalties at the breakdown against the attacking team has increased, and the number of phases in the middle of the field has plummeted.

"It seems rather than chance your arm in attack, looking for the sidelines or putting up a bomb is proving more fortuitous, and turning every opposition breakdown into something that looks like a car wreck is less risky than pilfering the ball and relying on set pieces. Throw in a good goal-kicker and you've got a good chance to go all the way."

In his column in the Sydney Morning Herald, England fly-half Toby Flood admits that Ireland's victory over Australia last weekend has presented the northern hemisphere's finest with a glorious opportunity to reach the World Cup final.

"Ireland's sensational victory over Australia has made the draw extremely interesting for all the northern hemisphere sides.

"It almost guarantees that there will be a northern presence in the World Cup final. Ireland look destined to meet Wales in the quarter-finals, if they win their pool by defeating Italy in their last game, and Wales finish second in theirs behind South Africa.

"If we can defeat Romania on Saturday, then we or Scotland are likely to face France or New Zealand in the quarter-finals, with the winners likely to meet either Ireland or Wales in the semis.

"Effectively, in a single stroke, Ireland have transformed the battle for a place in the final into a mini-Six Nations tournament. We are fully aware of both the opportunity and risk that scenario brings for us.

"As reigning Six Nations champions, we have already beaten Scotland and France at Twickenham this year. We lost the grand slam by going down to Ireland in Dublin before reversing that result in our final warm-up game. As for Wales, this year we have played three, won two and lost one against them."

Writing in The Telegraph, David Sole gives his thoughts on the Scotland starting line-up for Sunday's crunch clash with Argentina.

"I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at this week’s selection meeting as Scotland coach Andy Robinson picked his team to play the crucial Pool B match against Argentina.

"I’m sure the debates and discussions about who should play where would have been lengthy and probably quite emotive, such is the importance of the game. Where did they begin I wonder?

"The Pumas offer a very clear challenge to any side they play. They are good, technical set-piece players, they compete very aggressively at the contact areas, especially within two to three metres of the breakdown and they like to kick and chase up the middle of the field.

"So, do you select a team that is going to take them on at their own game and try to ‘outmuscle’ the big South Americans or do you focus on trying to play your own style of game and force the opposition to adjust their game plan by necessity?"

In his latest column in The Independent, former England boss Brian Ashton analyses the repercussions of Ireland's shock victory over the Wallabies in Auckland last weekend.

"Ireland reignited the age-old cross-hemisphere debate between North and South last weekend with their enthralling victory over Australia.

"In many ways the situation was tailor-made for them: all England players, together with England followers who understand the first thing about the game, are acutely aware that the Irish have throughout rugby history shown a remarkable ability to create and feed off chaos, to the extent that there is no more destructive team in the world in and around the tackle area.

"Given that Australia are not exactly renowned for laying stable foundations at the scrum, and that David Pocock, their truly outstanding open-side flanker, was missing from the Wallaby line-up for last Saturday's contest, the men in green and gold must have anticipated a few problems, although I suspect they did not predict the scale of the issues they found themselves facing."

He may be an outhalf in centre’s clothing but at his third tournament Paddy Wallace is relishing his first World Cup start, writes Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"Finally, at his third World Cup, Paddy Wallace can tick a previously empty box. It would have been cruel beyond cruel if the 32-year-old had gone through another World Cup campaign without a game, though you always sensed Declan Kidney was as mindful of that as anyone.

"In 11 previous matches at World Cups, dating from the 2003, through ’07 and into this tournament, despite being on the bench in all four pool games four years ago (when things didn’t exactly go swimmingly for Ronan O’Gara and Ireland), Wallace was confined to a three-minute cameo in the endgame of the opening 32-17 win over Namibia.

"Even in the last throes of the campaign, when 30-15 down against Argentina and Gavin Duffy had replaced Denis Hickie, he was not brought on as a token gesture. 'I think me and Bryan Young were left holding hands that day,' he says with a chuckle.

"Needless to say, he’s fairly relieved and excited about his belated first World Cup start."

The selection of Morgan Parra at fly-half has caused controversy in New Zealand © Getty Images

Wales defensive coach Shaun Edwards, writing in the Guardian, says the criticism of France's selection for their clash with the All Blacks has been over the top and at time hypocritical

"Things have got a bit out of hand. When you wake to read the front‑page lead story in the nation's main morning newspaper is talking about "French farce" and suggestions are made that France would be happier to lose Saturday's match against the All Blacks, then it's time to take stock. I know this is a rugby-mad country, but hang on a minute.

"First, you can dismiss any suggestion that Marc Lièvremont and the French team will not be taking the match at Eden Park seriously. They will. There may appear to be contradictions in the side France's coach has selected, but when haven't there been in his four years in charge of the national side?

"He has constantly fiddled, but if you trace Lièvremont's selections through the warm-up games it's reasonably easy to see the thinking behind the team he has picked. It's a pity that a journalist who seems to delight in getting his pieces quoted down here didn't do his homework before claiming that the game has been "downgraded close to an irrelevance by the deliberate French selection".

Former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall, in the Dominion Post, questions whether Cory Jane should be in the New Zealand line-up to face France

"Some people might find this a bit harsh but I reckon Cory Jane is under pressure going into tomorrow night's Pool A decider against France at Eden Park.

New Zealand have picked a good team, but I still have my doubts about the back three. To be blunt, I just don't think Jane is firing. He's played one good test match, and though he hasn't had a lot of opportunities since, I haven't seen him make an impact."

Writing in the Scotsman, David Ferguson argues that Scotland coach Andy Robinson has made the correct call in selecting Ruaridh Jackson ahead of Dan Parks at fly-half for the match against Argentina.

"THE selection of Ruaridh Jackson at stand-off for Scotland against Argentina on Sunday is bold but it was the only choice for coach Andy Robinson if he wants to develop his preferred style of game.

"As he strives to make Scotland a serious player in the world's top eight nations, it was revealing that Robinson touched a lot on the Calcutta Cup match this year when explaining his choice. In that match Scotland took the game to England at Twickenham, had them on the rack for long spells and would have won the game had their passing and finishing been better. Jackson was the stand-off that day and Robinson saw the game that he believes will make Scotland not only more competitive against higher-ranked opposition but actually help them win

England winger Chris Ashton, writing in the Daily Mail, reveals his relief at finding some form against Georgia but is still confused as to the amount of coverage his swallow diving gets.

"It felt so good to touch down for the first time at a World Cup, but I don’t think it went down well with everyone that I did it with a dive.

"I’m surprised that people still feel so strongly about that and still talk about it so much. Surely, there should only be criticism if I drop the ball. If I drop it when I do a dive, I will get the plane home!"

Gavin Mairs in the Daily Telegraph reveals that England's defensive coach Mike Ford had a central role to play in their clear the air meeting following the lacklustre victory over Georgia.

Ford challenged the players by warning them that the World Cup was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity which they would “live or die by”.

“He hit the nail on the head that this World Cup could be over faster than you realise it,” said James Haskell, who starts at No 8 against Romania on Saturday after Nick Easter was ruled out with a back injury.

“He [Ford] said: ‘You have given up so much time and committed so much to waste an opportunity that maybe you will only get once in a lifetime, or for others it will be a last opportunity. It’s no good thinking and waiting for the next one in England in 2015. This is reality. You have made these sacrifices, left wives, girlfriends. families and children at home. Your careers are defined by tournaments like the World Cup, you live and die by them’.”

Jacques Burger's Namibia are about to embark on a rather hellish few days © Getty Images

With the debate still raging over the fixture list for the supposed lesser nations in this year's Rugby World Cup, Peter Jackson, writing in the Irish Examiner, labels Namibia's schedule as "sadistic".

"The Samoan with the unpronounceable double-barreled name called it ‘slavery’ and duly gave the World Cup organisers both barrels.

"The reaction to Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu’s rant over the compressed scheduling of his country’s four pool matches into 16 days veered from recommendations of a medal for bravery to demands that the tweeting twit be sent home. Goodness knows what more foul-mouthed abuse would have poured forth had he considered the case of a country in an even worse pickle.

"Namibia, led by the fearless Jacques Burger of Saracens, are about to be plunged into the most brutal schedule of all. They are obliged to take on South Africa in Albany this morning, make a four-hour coach journey to New Plymouth and play Wales there on Monday morning. Sadistic is hardly the word for it."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Ewen McKenzie discusses the importance of being able to handle pressure, particularly in a World Cup environment.

"I have been playing chess on my phone of late and it goes without saying that strategy is a critical element. Making the right decision under pressure in difficult circumstances is a must.

"Rugby is often talked about as a game of chess, where the tactical battle is as important as the physical.

"Rugby is a chaotic game, so the principle objective for a team must be to create some order. Chaos creates stress, so finding the balance between controlling the uncontrollable and predictable elements of a match should be a high priority.
Advertisement: Story continues below

"This is possible, with the right preparation, but only if you are capable of creating, and handling, stress."

In his colum in the New Zealand Herald, former All Blacks legend Colin Meads warns New Zealand not to underestimate the threat posed by France ahead of this weekend's pivotal Pool A clash in Auckland.

"There has been a bit of talk this week about the French selecting a "B" team, but that type of talk makes me worried. Last week's big win over Japan had everyone in raptures over how well the All Blacks played.

"But it's a false sense of security because Japan weren't great opposition and the tries were easy. That's not what the Rugby World Cup is about.

"Much of the talk this week has been about a French halfback being selected at first five-eighths. Well, if Daniel Carter went down injured, his All Black replacement would be a halfback too.

"Let's be realistic, I like Colin Slade, but he hasn't played well. Piri Weepu would be our backup first five-eighths. And that would mean we're doing the same thing as France."

Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times defends France's selection for this weekend's allegedly devalued Pool A clash with New Zealand.

"Midweek constitutes a bit of a lull in match-day action, so the gaps have to be filled somehow. But even so, the media furore which has greeted Marc Lièvremont’s team selection for the eagerly awaited World Cup rematch between New Zealand and France has been quite extraordinary.

"'World Cup’s $450 French farce' screamed the banner headline in the front page of The New Zealand Herald, above a sub-heading of “Fans pay big bucks to see All Blacks play B team” over pictures of the two captains in action, Thierry Dusautoir and Richie McCaw.

"The day’s lead page one piece quoted one of their own (English) columnists in citing Lièvremont’s selection as “an insult to the 60,000 who have bought tickets” and randomly quoted three disgruntled All Blacks fans to underline the point."

Brendan Venter is scathing in his criticism of Mike Tindall © Getty Images

Former South Africa centre Brendan Venter, writing in the Daily Telegraph, believes that Mike Tindall is the primary cause of England's attacking problems.

"England badly need strike runners who can get them over that advantage line and provide them with momentum so the next phase can be executed with pace. Once you are over the gain line at pace, the opposition defence doesn't have enough time to organise itself and you have the upper hand in attack.

"For this attacking approach to work you need an inside centre who is a dynamic ball-carrier, like Wales's Jamie Roberts, but England have chosen to go with Mike Tindall, who has none of this game-breaking ability. He is the personification of everything that is wrong with England's attack. He poses no threat with the ball in hand, he doesn't have a passing game and he has lost so much of the pace he used to have.

"Unfortunately for Martin Johnson and England's attack coach, Brian Smith, Tindall can no longer be relied upon to break through the first line of defence with speed and purpose. This is a crying shame for England because they have some very special outside backs at their disposal."

Delme Parfitt plots Wales' route to the final in Auckland in the Western Mail

"If we are to accept the consensus view, Ireland’s win against Australia means Wales have a realistic chance of going all the way to the World Cup final. But does it?

"It’s a school of thought that hinges on Warren Gatland’s men sealing second in Pool D and the Irish, having already dispatched the Wallabies, topping Pool C.
Wales would then face the Emerald Isle in the quarter-final, probably for the right to face the winners of England and France in the last four.

"Hardly a cakewalk, but these are teams that don’t have the kind of psychological grip on Wales that history tells us the Tri-Nations teams do.
In that case, so the optimists cry, let’s all prepare for Auckland on October 23 and Gatland’s dream final that sees Wales facing the All Blacks."

Chris Rattue looks at some of the most anticipated Rugby World Cup clashes in the New Zealand Herald.

"Nervous, nervous, nervous. Forget the Webb Ellis - this is our Rugby World Cup. Just kidding, but Saturday night's game has an aura beyond all others. There is an assumption that all those dastardly past injustices will be put right.

"All Blacks v Wayne Barnes
Or will they be kept apart?

"Ireland v the tryline
And the tryline won.

"The new-look Springboks v their stereotype
And the Springboks won."

Writing in the Guardian Paul Rees searches for the reasons behind France's thrilling rivalry with New Zealand in the World Cup.

"Dimitri Yachvili paused after being asked why France had a good record against New Zealand in the World Cup but a poor one against England. "Fear," he eventually replied. Against the All Blacks, he explained, it was a fear of playing against a great side, an emotion that could be challenged positively. When it came to England, the fear was of facing a team he described as France's bete noir; a fear of failure."

Australia's Will Genia is wrapped up during Ireland's victory over the Wallabies © Getty Images

Writing in the Daily Telegraph Mick Cleary asks if the Southern Hemisphere sides are finally taking the Six Nations' side seriously.

"A smug curl of the lip has never been far from southern hemisphere faces when rugby of the north is being discussed. Too strait-laced, too one-dimensional, too boring. Well, by all accounts the curl was nowhere to be seen in Auckland on Saturday night, nor for that matter in Wellington the previous weekend when Wales caused world champions South Africa so much bother.

"But it was Ireland’s hard-knuckle win over Australia at Eden Park that has changed countenances down this part of the world. Maybe this dour lot from the grey, northern reaches can play rugby after all. Test rugby, that is, not the floss that is sometimes on show in Super rugby, that vibrant, highly skilled competition, a brand of the game that excites but which can breed ruinously self-indulgent tendencies."

As his illustrious career enters it's final phase, Wales winger Shane Williams talks with the Daily Mail's Peter Jackson.

"You can't go on forever and I'm 34 now,' he said. 'As much as you want to go on, time does catch up with you.

"The youngsters are coming through and I am the oldest player in the squad, as they keep reminding me. You do feel it at times but, fortunately, I'm still keeping up with the young ones like George North - even if they're making me feel old.'

Follow the revelations of Zac Guildford's excessive drinking, Paul Gregor argues that the All Blacks winger deserves empathy not disdain in the New Zealand Herald.

"Condemnation of Zac Guildford would have been instant and widespread yesterday.

"The headlines would have been skimmed, the first few paragraphs digested and wham - almost as one - Guildford would have been called an 'idiot. Maybe a 'boof-head', but whatever the terminology, sympathy would have been conspicuously absent.

"That's the easy route. The path of the righteous which we are all; readily willing to write a young man off - to talk with a confused sense of why Guildford, who has an opportunity of a lifetime, is willing to almost blow it all for the sake of a good night out.

"Highly paid and with the world at his feet - he has to be a 'boof-head' if he can't say no to alcohol?

"But maybe he's just a 22-year-old poorly equipped to deal with the enormous demands of his job. He's good at rugby and why we believe that should also somehow make him the paragon of virtue is plain crazy."

Tony Robson finds Australia coaching co-ordinator David Nucifora in defiant mood over his side's creaking scrum in the Sydney Morning Herald.

'No I don't think so, our scrum's gone well this year," he said today when asked if the wobbles of the past had returned. "We put the All Blacks and Springboks under pressure and dominated them in recent matches, so that's not an issue for us.

"The Irish scrummed well the other night, we scrummed inconsistently the other night. What we have to fix is our consistency and our application to that. But we don't have issues with our scrum."

England were far from convincing in beating Georgia © Getty Images

"Are Georgia really 47 points better than they were at the 2003 World Cup? It is at least arguable. Are England 47 points worse? No, but if their first-half performance here was a reliable guide, they are getting there. The men from the Caucasus had less than 96 hours to prepare for this match, having been ordered to operate on the parallel fixture schedule reserved for this tournament's second-class citizens."

The Independent's James Lawton is unconvinced by England's stuttering World Cup campaign so far.

"What we saw again in England was the marked sense of a team uncomfortable in its own skin, powerfully equipped no doubt in many respects, but still without that authority which builds when key players know that they have done enough to become integral to any serious hopes of success."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald Chris Rattue argues that Robbie Deans' job is on the line after Australia's defeat to Ireland at the weekend.

"Call it the green revolution, Ireland swarmed into the spotlight by overwhelming the underwhelming Australians, but events in Wellington - where the Springboks played like no Springbok team many of us can remember - were more significant.

"Australia were gutless to the point that Robbie Deans' future as the Wallabies' coach will become untenable if there is a repeat or no dramatic turnaround. Deans looked shattered and confused, afterwards. He is heading towards the same situation, but on the other side of the fence, as four years ago when overlooked by Steve Tew's NZRU for the All Black coaching job.

"This time, Deans is the underperforming incumbent with a friend in a high place. First Samoa, and now this. If the Woeful Wallies flop again, Deans should do the right thing and seriously consider resigning. He has a contract extension, but contracts are made to be broken and Ewen McKenzie is a high-class rival ... and Australian."

Success hasn't always sat easily with Ireland says Peter Bills in the New Zealand Herald

"Ireland, ah Ireland. Instigators of the biggest upset to date in the Rugby World Cup this weekend and the biggest hangovers known to mankind for some of those celebrating.

"Had there ever been a rugby playing nation less suited to the rigours and demands of professional rugby? Was there ever a nation that so epitomised the fun and frivolity of the old amateur era?

"It is 41 years since Irish rugby enacted one of the funniest sights ever witnessed around the international game. Tony O'Reilly, seven years after what he thought had been his final appearance for his country, received a terse message as he entertained guests in a London nightclub, 48 hours before the 1970 England vs Ireland game.

"Injury crisis. Report tomorrow, 10am, training" it said. And so he did, in his own inimitable style. At the appointed hour, a Rolls Royce cruised through the gates. When it stopped, the chauffeur got out, collected a kitbag from the boot and handed it to O'Reilly as he stepped out.

Alas, O'Reilly was no longer the sleek athlete, as his teammates well knew. As he puffed his way around the training ground, lagging at the back with McBride, Willie John produced his great line. "Reilly, there'd be no point in yer doing all this trainin'. Get yer chauffeur to do it for yer."

Former All Blacks playmaker Andrew Mehrtens backs Piri Weepu, and not Colin Slade, to act as back-up to New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter in the New Zealand Herald.

"There has been lot of speculation as to who will cover Dan Carter as we come (hopefully) to the business end of the World Cup.

"I felt Colin Slade deserved to be the heir apparent in the selection for this tournament and to me, he appears, admittedly at this early stage of his career, to be the long-term successor in the position, although he will no doubt have enormous competition from the talented Aaron Cruden as both players mature.

"But for right now, Piri Weepu is being touted by many to play a role much greater than that of a fringe player in this set-up - and he gets my vote as back-up to Carter for the sharp end of this tournament."

Writing in the Scotsman, Iain Morrison believes it is time to consider promotion and relegation from the Six Nations.

"The Nations Cup is Europe's second tier competition. Last year Georgia, Portugal and Romania were joined by sides from South Africa, Argentina and Namibia. Replace those three outsiders with Spain, Russia and the Ukraine and you have a shadow European Six Nations.

"Throw in the carrot of promotion/relegation to the top-tier Six Nations, as BBC Scotland's John Beattie recently suggested, and rugby in those emerging nations would take a huge leap forward. As a Scottish supporter I'd dread this development. As a rugby fan who wants to see the game grow I'd demand it. But Europe's emerging nations are lucky compared to those in the Pacific."

Sean Fitzpatrick airs his concern over the All Blacks' World Cup campaign in the New Zealand Herald.

"It was a good win for the All Blacks, a notch up from their Tongan performance, but I still have a few concerns.

"The injuries aren't helpful and they have highlighted just how much we depend on three individuals in particular - Daniel Carter, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read. Because of the injury to Read, we won't be getting them back in full until the final Rugby World Cup pool match or the quarter-final.

"Read's and McCaw's injuries highlight the dilemma at loose forward. For the second time in as many matches, Victor Vito was quiet and it did not escape attention that he was substituted pretty early in the piece."

Conrad Smith racked up his 50th cap against Japan © Getty Images

Former All Blacks centre Tana Umaga hails Conrad Smith following his 50th cap for New Zealand in the New Zealand Herald.

"Recognition of Conrad Smith's milestone match for the All Blacks last night would have slipped away if Richie McCaw had been fit for his 100th test.

"Instead, the rash of injuries gave us a chance to focus on the contribution Smith has made to the All Blacks since he played the first of his 50 tests against Italy at the Stadio Flaminio in 2004. Fittingly, Smith scored the All Blacks' first try last night.

"I played with and against him in Wellington. Maybe the first time was in club rugby when his Old Boys University side played our Petone team and he put one over me and the ref. We were on defence and I tackled him in front of our posts and he did not release the ball. Somehow he won the penalty and they kicked the goal to win the match."

Former South Africa forward Brendan Venter, in the Sydney Morning Herald, claims England have come into the Rugby World Cup without doing their homework on how the breakdown would be refereed.

"England clearly went into this World Cup with the plan of going for the ball at the breakdown in order to score off turnovers, just like the All Blacks do. But it backfired completely against Argentina.

"And the unfortunate reality for England is that those penalties were not unfair – they were legitimate. England needed to accept that not every breakdown is there to be won. Instead they contested them so vigorously that it exposed them to the wrath of referee Bryce Lawrence."

Writing in the Scotsman, Allan Massie considers Scotland's World Cup campaign so far.

"Well, we are where we had hoped to be at this stage, and, indeed, where we expected to be. "We might, if the conditions had been different, have looked to score tries and get a bonus point against Georgia, but we have always known that we have to beat either Argentina or England to qualify for the quarter-finals. England's narrow defeat of Argentina has simplified the mathematics. If we beat the Pumas next weekend we'll be through."

Former England coach Brian Ashton outlines the key questions of the Rugby World Cup in the Independent.

"Questions raised by the first weekend of World Cup action? There were many, but here are the ones I consider most significant:

1 The ball and the kickers. At what stage will the latter exert a satisfactory degree of control over the former?

2 How influential will the out-and-out open-side flankers be over the course of the tournament?

3 The physicality levels are already sky-high. This is bound to take its toll come the later stages of the competition, and when it does, will it open the gate for the high-tempo teams and their match-winning runners?"

Richie McCaw is one of a host of All Blacks that will not be risked against Japan © Getty Images

"Conspiracy, they all hissed. All Blacks McCaw, Carter, Muliaina and Dagg aren't hurt.

"It's just Graham Henry and his cronies protecting their best cattle for the big game against France in the Rugby World Cup.

"Oh really? Why on earth would they want to protect a quartet who have had precious little matchplay recently and need to get in the groove for their pivotal game at Eden Park next week."

Paul Cully gives rugby chiefs a cautionary pat on the back in the Dominion Post

"It's been a steep road back to the credibility for the IRB after the well-intentioned but horribly botched ELVs, but there is every indication after the early rounds that those in charge of running the game deserve a cautious pat on the back.

"The rugby has been, in large, very promising with the blight of World Cups past - the sporting mismatch - blissfully absent. This might change as injuries bite but for now the mood is good."

In the Daily Telegraph Mark Reason looks into the fued between Quade Cooper and the whole of New Zealand

"Quade Cooper is as popular in New Zealand as a possum. People drive hundreds of miles to Australia games just to boo him. The talk radio switchboards jam whenever Cooper is discussed. The Australian fly-half is the man who unites New Zealand.

"All of which is rather curious because, unlike the possum, Quade Cooper is an indigenous New Zealand mammal. He grew up in Tokoroa, a nondescript timber town on the New Zealand North Island. Not a lot seems to happen there other than the breeding of extraordinary rugby players."

James Lawton jumps on the bandwagon over reports that England players enjoyed a night out in Queenstown in the Independent

"One charge rarely levelled against rugby players, perhaps because quite a number of them enjoyed the benefits of private education, is that some of them appear to be spectacularly thick. No, when they throw dwarves, wrestle with bar girls, make bungee jumps and wild water raft descents on the eve of the most serious competition they are ever likely to face, it is generally considered not so much desperate irresponsibility, a failure to separate serious business from lad-like jaunting, but sheer high spirits, a macho lust for life. This also often includes, lest we forget, the kind of violence which if committed on the street would not elicit invitations to a royal wedding but another kind of visit to one of Her Majesty's establishments."

All Blacks head coach Graham Henry must get more out of his forwards, according to Colin Meads © Getty Images

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Colin Meads admits that he has his concerns over the All Blacks pack.

"The performance of the forwards against Tonga has left me a little worried.

"The concern came in the second half - the moment we lost Tony Woodcock and Brad Thorn our scrum packed up. I always say good players have a 'bonus'. It means you've got a job to do, and you do your jobs, and what comes above that is a bonus.

"I think we had too many forwards who weren't doing their job - they were looking for 'plums' or 'bonuses' before they did their job.

"I thought the backs all played well, except perhaps for Toeava. Yet there weren't too many forwards who you could mark better than five (out of 10)."

Georgia's performance in their 15-6 Pool B defeat against Scotland will have given England valuable clues about their strengths and weaknesses, according to Chris Foy of the Daily Mail.

"All of the pre-match hype spoke about Georgia’s power up front, the plethora of players playing in the French Top 14 league, their close match against Ireland four years ago and how this Pool B match was an opportunity for them to stake a claim for more ’tier-one’ international matches.

"Such hype seemed to be of great help to Scotland because although the victory margin of nine points might not suggest it, Georgia were very much second best in this contest.

"Perhaps the match against Romania at the weekend was a bit of a wake-up call or maybe the Scottish players really began to realise that they were approaching the business end of the competition and they could not afford to slip up – not easy in the rainy conditions of Invercargill."

David Sole of The Telegraph discusses the positives and negatives of Scotland's victory over Georgia.

"All of the pre-match hype spoke about Georgia’s power up front, the plethora of players playing in the French Top 14 league, their close match against Ireland four years ago and how this Pool B match was an opportunity for them to stake a claim for more ’tier-one’ international matches.

"Such hype seemed to be of great help to Scotland because although the victory margin of nine points might not suggest it, Georgia were very much second best in this contest.

"Perhaps the match against Romania at the weekend was a bit of a wake-up call or maybe the Scottish players really began to realise that they were approaching the business end of the competition and they could not afford to slip up – not easy in the rainy conditions of Invercargill."

Writing in The Independent, Chris Hewett analyses the front-row selection dilemma now facing England team manager Martin Johnson following the injury-enforced exit of prop Andrew Sheridan.

"The question now is whether England have the faintest notion of who their number one No 1 should be. There are two contenders: the young London Irish prop Alex Corbisiero, who performed so well against such intimidating opponents as Martin Castrogiovanni of Italy and Nicolas Mas of France during this year's Six Nations, and Matt Stevens of Saracens, who has returned fitter, stronger, more focused and a whole lot happier in mind and spirit following his two-year drugs ban.

"Both men are good technicians and both have some football about them. Stevens' off-loading game, first developed during his spell at Bath, is worth its weight in gold in modern-day rugby, while Corbisiero's ability to take difficult passes and give good ones is equally striking. At 29, Stevens has had his share of rough passages in the scrum and survived to tell the tale. At 23, Corbisiero experienced a difficult hour or so against Mike Ross of Ireland in the Grand Slam match at Lansdowne Road last March, yet finished so strongly that all questions about his competitive make-up were answered there and then.'"

The re-emergence of Radike Samo is what Hollywood scripts are made of, writes Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"It is perhaps, on the face of it, the story of the World Cup. A 33-year-old, deemed too fat and slow, is given a short-term contract with the Queensland Reds. His performances earn a two-year contract, he plays a starring role in their historic Super 15 title and revives a Test career that had stalled for seven years to become a shock inclusion in Australia’s 30-man squad, scores a match-winning try in the Tri-Nations decider and begins the World Cup as their starting number eight. You could hardly make it up.

"But this is the world, right now, of Radike Samo, a typically easy-going Fijian freak of nature who was simply born to play rugby. One imagines, save for one or two opponents beaten out of his path or left eating his dust, Samo doesn’t have an enemy in the world.'"

Australia's Will Genia looks ready to prove himself to number one scrum-half in the world © Getty Images

Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times profiles Wallabies scrum-half Will Genia, a player he feels capable of inspiring his country ro World Cup glory.

"It's a point made before but it’s worth repeating this week of all weeks. Think back to David Kirk’s role as captain of the inaugural winners from New Zealand, and with every World Cup champions since they have usually boasted the world’s best scrumhalf at the time. The next few weeks will tell a tale, but Will Genia is beginning to look the part.

"Be it Nick Farr-Jones, Joost van der Westhuizen, George Gregan, Matt Dawson and most definitely Fourie du Preez, the Kirk example has been generally emulated. Much to his own embarrassment, the comparisons with the 119-times capped, Zimbabwean-born Gregan are invariably the most commonplace, with Genia once saying that mention of him in the same sentence was “a joke”.

"Yet almost two years ago, when Genia was still only 11 caps into his career, Gregan said of him: 'He’s got a lot more skills than me. He’s bigger, stronger and he can kick a lot further. I’m a dinosaur compared to him. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. I like the way he plays. He has time and space to do things, which is a sign of a real quality player. He’s only 22 and has heaps of improvement in him. That’s what’s exciting.'"

Writing in The Dominion Post, Duncan Johnstone wonders if All Blacks head coach Graham Henry regrets including Zac Guildford in his World Cup squad ahead of Hosea Gear.

"Is Zac Guildford destined to be the Frano Botica of this All Blacks World Cup squad?

"Botica famously never played a match during the triumphant 1987 World Cup campaign, though he wasn't alone there - halfback Bruce Deans and injured skipper Andy Dalton never got on the field either.

"The prospect of Guildford being the odd man out this time took a deeper turn this morning when he was omitted for the second match in a row, missing a chance to play Japan on Friday night in Hamilton.

"Apart from the injured Kieran Read who won't get a chance until the last round-robin game against Canada at the earliest, Guildford is the only fit player to be kept on the sidelines during these opening two weeks of the tournament.

"The Magpies flyer has paid a heavy price for his shocker against the Wallabies in Brisbane on the eve of the tournament."

Reports of Richie McCaw's demise have been greatly exaggerated, writes former All Black Taine Randall in his column in The Dominion Post.

"There has been a lot of recent speculation and some strong comments made about Richie McCaw's form.

"The criticism seems related to the fact that he was injured for a long period in the Super Rugby season and that when he came back he didn't immediately recapture the form we all know him for.

"As a result, there's been no shortage of people suggesting father time has caught up with one of our greats.

"I can't agree."

Writing in the The Australian, Wayne Smith pays tribute to the late Terry Doyle, a man who has left an indelible mark on the game of rugby.

"When Richard Kahui scored the All Blacks' fourth try last Friday to register the first bonus point of the World Cup, virtually no one was aware of the vital input into that moment from the rugby visionary who passed in Brisbane three days later, Terry Doyle.

"The idea of awarding a bonus competition point to teams scoring four tries and to those sides beaten by seven or less was not strictly speaking Doyle's.

"It was raised by former Queensland prop Greg Dux, a delegate to a brainstorming conference, Breakthrough '82, called by Doyle nearly three decades ago to revitalise rugby in Queensland.

"But it was Doyle who saw the merit in the idea and pushed for its introduction at every level. Initially, it was used only in the Brisbane club premiership but when Doyle's other masterstroke idea, Super Rugby, kicked off with the Super Six in 1993, the bonus point system was adopted."

In his column in the New Zealand Herald, Chris Rattue gives his thoughts on Mils Muliaina's recall to the All Blacks starting line-up for Friday's clash with Japan.

"Japan will be chuffed. Having scared the daylights out of France, they are now cast - allegedly - as the make-or-break opponents in Mils Muliaina's All Black career.

"Unsure of their best fullback, the All Blacks will start Muliaina against Japan on Friday night when he can prove himself the better No 15 choice over Israel Dagg.

"After 98 tests, and deep into the 2011 season, Muliaina's last-chance saloon is against a team the All Blacks should beat by a zillion points."

Rhys Priestland is left devastated by Wales' defeat to South Africa © Getty Images

The New Zealand Herald argues that an innate lack of confidence cost Wales victory in their clash with South Africa on Sunday.

"Same old story. Plucky little Wales. How brave the boys were in defeat at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. They did everything but win. Yes, in the land of my blathers the soliloquies of consolation were long and winded.

"Francois Pienaar called it perfectly. He had just heard his fellow analyst Gareth "Alfie" Thomas taking all the positives out of his country's one-point loss to South Africa and he was aghast.

"'They didn't have the belief they could win,' said the World Cup-winning captain. 'And until they do believe, they won't win.'

"Pienaar said it as if believing was the easiest thing in the world, and to a mighty Springbok it probably is as straightforward as emptying bowels.

"But this inferiority complex has been forged in Wales over many thousands of years and to tell a Welsh person, and particularly a Welsh rugby fan, 'you only have to believe' is akin to informing an ape 'you only have to stop eating bananas'. Sorry, Frans, it's in our nature - it's even in our hymns."

In his column in the Dominion Post, France Bunce offers some support for under-fire referee Wayne Barnes.

"I'm backing Wayne Barnes.

"The English referee always gets a lot of coverage in New Zealand because of what happened in that quarterfinal game in 2007 and he became the main talking point out of Wales' 17-16 loss to South Africa on Sunday night.

"But I thought Barnes had a good game, although he did miss a forward pass when Toby Faletau scored his try for Wales.

The kick that never was from James Hook certainly isn't all his fault. The assistant referees Vinny Munro and George Clancy should have been a lot more proactive in what happened."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Spiro Zavos savours the fact that there is no longer a massive gulf in class between the top sides in rugby and the smaller nations.

"With all the teams (except Canada and Samoa) playing over the weekend, it is a great relief and pleasure to say that this has been the best opening pool round of all the World Cup tournaments.

"There were no blow-outs. Japan, for instance, had France on the brink of defeat before conceding 20 points or so in the last 10 minutes of the match. All the matches were sternly contested. The US held winner Ireland to a 22-10 scoreline.

"Many thrilling tries were scored. And the last match of the round, between South Africa and Wales, was one of the great rugby matches: intense, hard, gripping and on the line until the final whistle."

The New Zealand Herald's Wynne Gray writes an open letter to All Blacks head coach Graham Henry ahead of Friday's World Cup clash with Japan.

"Hey Ted,

"How about picking the best All Black team to play Japan on Friday. Not your "best-team-for-this-match" theory but the form XV in your squad.

"This is the time to pull the trigger, get the strongest combination on to Waikato Stadium for at least 60 minutes and then you can run on any reserves you like to give them a chance to impress.

"Japan will not get close to any All Black combination. But we don't want just any combo. Now is the time to put the form XV on the track and run them through the rest of the tournament. They need time together in match conditions, not huddled around the whiteboard."

Richard Williams of The Guardian believes that England's style of play means that they will always win more matches than friends.

"Those who represent England on the rugby field generally go about their business in the belief that everyone else hates them. No argument there but they are often wrong about the cause, which they presume to be a reaction against a certain arrogance that comes from being rich, powerful and possessed by an unshakeable sense of entitlement founded on their role in the game's origins. In fact they are disliked because of the way they play, and never was that clearer than on Saturday in Dunedin.

"England have no history of bringing imagination or creativity to the 15-man game and it was evident against Argentina that they are not about to start now. This was a horrible performance in every respect, from the challenges by Courtney Lawes and James Haskell that removed Gonzalo Tiesi from the tournament and put Felipe Contepomi out of Argentina's next match to the language used by Haskell when drawing the referee's attention to an alleged attempt to gouge his eyes, a complaint he later withdrew, putting his outburst down to "over-exuberance".

"Would that even the tiniest hint of exuberance were detectable in the way the team play, because worst of all was the combination of tactical cynicism and a fundamental lack of inventiveness shown by a squad who have spent three-and-a-half years under the same coaching team and yet ended their opening match of the tournament giving routine explanations for the poverty of their performance."

Romania gave Scotland a major scare in the clash in Pool B © Getty Images

Former All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga says the smaller nations are lighting up the early stages of the Rugby World Cup in the New Zealand Herald.

"Attention in World Cups usually settles on the fortunes of the big nations.

"This time the discussion has been about the prospects for the All Blacks, Wallabies, Springboks, England and France and how far they will go in the tournament. But I was struck by the way the lesser-fancied sides stood up in their opening matches - there were no score blowouts like there have been in other tournaments."

Former Wallabies captain John Eales finds time to praise old rivals England following the first round of the matches in the Rugby World Cup in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"There's an old saying in golf that you don't draw a picture on the scorecard, the only thing that matters is the number etched in the square. The scorecards from the first weekend similarly don't tell the whole story but they give us the basics, and that is that the big guns are through week one intact, albeit in some cases somewhat uncomfortably.

"England for one did all they could to lose to Argentina, but not quite enough as they prevailed in the end. This doesn't detract one bit from England's threat. Of particular note was their impenetrable defensive line. That, combined with better ball control, will mean their opponents will have to be at their best."

In the Daily Mail, Chris Foy outlines the major issues that could undermine England's World Cup campaign.

"England always suspected they would face a tight contest against Argentina in their Pool B opener - and it turned out that way.

"While Martin Johnson's side eventually won 13-9, elements of the performance will raise concerns. Here, Sportsmail examines the issues for Johnson to address ahead of Sunday's clash with Georgia...

"Breakdown 1: Slow ball
England were horribly disrupted by the Pumas. Their opponents were intent on stifling them and committed numbers to rucks to do so. The experienced Argentina forwards were crafty with their spoiling tactics and Johnson's men were unable to recycle rapidly to inject vital tempo into their attacks. Either the initial clear-out has to be more emphatic or England need to deploy more bodies in there."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly implores Declan Kidney to have a tactical overhaul of the Ireland side following their narrow win over the USA.

"Ireland went into their opening World Cup assignment stressing the need to enjoy themselves. This, they said, would see them produce their best rugby and get the campaign off to a positive start.

"There was not a whole lot to enjoy yesterday. Ireland were poor -- worryingly poor when you consider they have produced just one compelling performance (against England in March) to reflect upon from more than 12 months of rugby -- and the echoes of 2007 were sounding loud and clear at Taranaki Stadium.

"This wasn't a warm-up match with nothing at stake; this was the biggest stage of all, with the rugby world watching."

England's Mike Tindall during a frustrating clash with Argentina © Getty Images

In the Guardian, Dean Ryan analyses England's shortcomings in their opening World Cup clash against Argentina and concludes that negative tactics and the lack of an out-and-out openside flanker could undermine their campaign.

"England's performance was not at all what we were expecting, in fact it was very close to being an absolute disaster. The stream of penalties against Martin Johnson's side at the breakdown was a major issue, and England were very poor in terms of discipline, but their real problem was their negative mindset against an Argentina team with a typically limited gameplan. They got away with it on Saturday but will not against better sides later in the tournament.

"A team's approach to the set-piece shows their mindset about the game and this was Johnson's England in its pragmatic, safety-first mode. They ran only one strike move off a set piece in the whole game. They had three scrums in the match and they all ended up in penalties, which made the lineout the main platform for setting up attacks."

In his column for the Independent on Sunday, Bath prop David Flatman chooses to praise the Argentina pack rather than slaughter England.

"Well it may be 2011 and the game may have gone all modern with tight jerseys and white boots and high definition, but this was an old school dogfight. England will have gone into their match with Argentina with dreams of cutting them to ribbons and executing with surgical precision when the try line was in sight but something for which they could not possibly have legislated was the mentality of the men they had to face."

Scotland lock Nathan Hines admits in The Scotsman they will be on the end of a major upset if they fail to learn the lessons from their narrow win over Romania.

"There wasn't an upset in Invercargill yesterday, but I can tell you one thing: if we play like this again then there's going to be one on Wednesday when we play Georgia in the same stadium as that nerve-racking match with Romania.

"There's nothing surer in my mind. If we play the same way again, with the same immaturity and lack of accuracy, then Georgia will beat us and so will every other team in this pool. We'll be going home early. We got out of jail and we'd better learn the lessons - and quickly."

In the New Zealand Herald, Richard Loe believes the All Blacks may have revealed one of their biggest weaknesses in their opening Rugby World Cup match against Tonga - the scrum.

"I wouldn't be too hard on the All Blacks for that rather disappointing second half, the handling errors and so on. They did do a lot of things right and showed that if they can get the ball out wide they are capable of scoring almost at will.

"But what was really disappointing for me was the set pieces and the scrum in particular. When have we ever seen Tonga deliberately choose to pack down a scrum against the All Black pack? What's more, they eventually scored from it.

"The disappointment is that the All Blacks have sent a signal to their World Cup opponents that does them no favours. They have basically said to rivals: if you want to beat the All Blacks, have a go at them up front, retain the ball and attack in close. Believe me, they will all have noticed that."

Romania very nearly caused an upset in their opening clash of the World Cup © Getty Images

The Dominion Post praises Romania's endeavour as they very nearly cause an opening round upset against Scotland.

"The Rugby World Cup was crying out for an upset.

Unfortunately there wasn't one at Invercargill but the thunderous men of Romania pushed Scotland to the brink of defeat and in the process did this tournament an enormous service.

Critics of rugby routinely point to the lack of boilovers at any level of the game let alone at the international tier, where the difference between the haves and have-nots is cavernous.

There was no predictability in this Romanian performance.

Scotland had to be brave, plus the rest, to snatch a late win against opponents who at times resembled 15 props such was their muscularity.

Unfortunately their bright lemon jerseys was the brightest thing about the Romanian backline."

The Dominion Post's Marc Hinton reflects on the opening clash of the World Cup.

"There were 60,000 pretty happy souls in the stands as the Rugby World Cup opened in spectacular fashion at Eden Park tonight. And one slightly concerned one.

As the Kiwis, neutrals and even the smattering of Tongans warmed to the quality rugby on display from the All Blacks in the first half and, you have to say, the islanders in the second, pretty much everyone in the sellout crowd had themselves a merry old time.

Except for one. You can only wonder what idle All Black fullback Mils Muliaina would have made of a polished and precise first-half display from the makeshift back three who took the Tongans apart at every opportunity in the tournament's opening game.

Muliaina sits poised on 98 tests but surely his hold on the No 15 jersey is as shaky as it has been pretty much at any time through his long and spectacular career. Even his coach admits his veteran No 15 has gone "a bit flat."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, David Leggat wishes for a few early upsets to set the World Cup alight.

"Here's a thought, after six years waiting for the return of the World Cup to these shores: by tomorrow night one-sixth of the games will be over.

"Just like that. One thing is absolutely certain: the next six weeks will fly by.

"So what to expect over this hectic weekend, with four games today, three more tomorrow?

"High on any neutral wishlist would be an early upset, something which will give the tournament a real shake."

In the Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly urges Ireland to adopt an all out attack approach in their opening game against the USA.

"It was an American, General George S Patton, who offered the following tactical observation: "No-one ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more."

"Not a bad approach for Ireland to take into their opening World Cup assignment against the US Eagles at Stadium Taranaki. All week, the Irish camp has been stressing that their primary focus is to gain a victory and, of course, that is the case, but they also need to make a statement."

Australia scrum-half Will Genia talks to Georgina Robinson in the Sydney Morning Herald

"Perception is reality. Do the simple things well. Get to the breakdown quickly. Play on instinct. The four pillars of Will Genia's world. The last three are self-explanatory, the hallmarks of a playing style that has the 23-year-old lauded as the best halfback in the world today.

"But ''perception is reality'' hails from darker days, when few around Genia predicted the scale of brilliance to come. It was a Queensland Reds training session at Ballymore in March 2008. The then-20-year-old had just been told he had not made the squad to tour South Africa."

The All Blacks talk tactics in training ahead of their clash with Tonga © Getty Images

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, former All Blacks skipper Wayne Shelford says New Zealand must strike fear into all contenders at the Rugby World Cup with a ferocious showing against Tonga.

"Blowing powerful Tongans off park will send clear message to other contenders The All Blacks should send an immediate message to the other World Cup contenders, one which is delivered by their forwards against Tonga in what is likely to be quite a brutal game tonight.

"The All Blacks will probably go for a wider game but that's not what the plan should be. I'd really like them to concentrate on using more forward play and have a real crack at the Tongans up front. For a start, this will prepare them for major forward challenges against a team like England. It will also prevent our players being opened up to big hits against Tonga, a team that will thrive if they can get a few heavy shots in."

The Independent's chief sports writer James Lawton reveals a soft spot for New Zealand's quest of becoming World Champions 24 years after lifting the trophy in the inaugral World Cup.

"However England perform over the next few weeks there is surely a compelling case to say that, if they cannot turn back the tides of probability on a third straight occasion, an All Black success would bring an exhilaration all of its own.

"It would, within the parameters of sport, even up the ledger somewhat, and give excellence and consistent striving their day in all the years of sore disappointment and sometimes unfathomable underachievement, which stretch back through every World Cup except their first and only victory in the inaugural tournament on home soil in 1987.

"It would also bring, it is maybe not too fanciful to imagine when you remember quite how deeply the average New Zealander, one of just four million of them of course, identifies with the prowess of his rugby team, a degree of aid and comfort to that embattled stretch of country that used to run with such implacable certainty from the now earthquake-ravaged Christchurch into the plains of Canterbury."

In the New Zealand Herald, Peter Bills bemoans what he thinks will be the inevitable flaunting of the scrum feeding laws.

"Shane Warne is a much missed spin bowler on the cricketing scene. But it's still mystifying why every halfback in world rugby has aped the Aussie with scrum feeds about as straight as a Warnie leg-break.

"From Dunedin to Dublin, Brisbane to Buenos Aires, cheating with the scrum feed has become endemic. Pathetically tolerated by the game's authorities for 25 years or more now, this small act which creates such intense anger and frustration is set to infect another Rugby World Cup.

"Revealingly, the IRB named five key areas for referees to focus on at this tournament and the scrum feed wasn't in there."

Writing for the Scotsman David Ferguson considers whether Scotland possess the attacking quality to fuel a successful World Cup campaign.

"Four years on, Scotland's ebullience is being encouraged by coaches Andy Robinson, Gregor Townsend and Graham Steadman as the sport itself strives to regain its wings and entertainment value. But is the squad capable of turning promise to greater success?

"The pack has vital experience and the youthful quality in Richie Gray and Richie Vernon.

"And, while the back division may not have the quality of the All Blacks or Australia, in Joe Ansbro, Sean Lamont, Nick de Luca and Max Evans there are genuine attacking threat."

Australia must front up to the power of the Italian front five in the Rugby World Cup Pool C opener on Sunday, according to former Wallaby Matt Burke in the Sydney Morning Herald.

So what is in this game for the Wallabies? Well, they need to continue where they left off in Brisbane, when they beat the All Blacks to claim the Tri Nations trophy. The defining moment in that game was the stand-and-deliver mentality they showed even before the game started. The way the Wallabies held their ground after the haka showed us a side to this team we hadn't seen for a long time - they have a hard edge. The players are going to need all that hard edge and physicality because they take on an Italian pack renowned for towelling up opposition scrums. In a way, the scrum, led by Martin Castrogiovanni, Salvatore Perugini and Andrea Lo Cicero, has defined this Italian team during the past few seasons.

Jonny Wilkinson's deadly goal-kicking is actually getting better, according to Dave Alred © Getty Images

Dave Alred tells Hugh Godwin of The Independent that he is delighted to be back within the England coaching fold and is now ready to recreate the mentality that proved so effective in 2003.

"Much as we look forward to the flying Fijians, Wallabies, All Blacks and – you never know - Welsh, Scots, Irish and Englishmen running in tries from all areas of the field, the next seven weeks of the World Cup are bound to feature matches decided not by dazzling hands but the simple, single swipe of a boot.

"So much do England and their manager Martin Johnson believe in the necessity of getting their goal-kicking right that they have re-hired the man who honed Jonny Wilkinson's technique for his dropped goal of glory in the 2003 final. And Dave Alred says Wilkinson - England's leading points scorer, too, in their run to the 2007 final - is kicking better than ever."

Winning the World Cup would provide a rare chance to party for a nation trying to regroup after a tough year, writes Robert Kitson in The Guardian.

"Back in 1987, when the Rugby World Cup took its first faltering steps, few people were particularly interested. The former All Black great Don Clarke was invited to kick the match ball through the posts before the opening game and promptly tore a hamstring. The Italian anthem was played on crackling vinyl only to cut out halfway through. After New Zealand had beaten France in the final, several players were back at their day jobs by Monday morning.

"To contrast such a village-fete atmosphere with the 2011 edition is to be reminded how far the sport has advanced. New Zealanders are resigned to never hosting the tournament again; a population of 4.3 million means they simply do not have the economic clout. Estimates of how many overseas visitors will assemble in New Zealand continue to fluctuate, but the latest official figure is 95,000, almost a quarter of whom are making the trek from the UK. The organisers have even sold 55,000 tickets for a pool match between Fiji and Samoa, no mean feat even in Oceania.

"For a nation still trying to regroup from the deadly earthquake that hit Christchurch in February, it is a bittersweet sensation. Kiwis are not naturally demonstrative but, on the streets of Dunedin, Hamilton and Auckland, there is an overwhelming sense of now or never. If the All Blacks could just do the decent thing and win the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since the Special K era of David Kirk and John Kirwan, they could rest easy."

Denis Leamy tells the Irish Times that Ireland are not about to make the same mistakes in New Zealand as they did in France four years ago.

"Forewarned forearmed, as it were, and with memories of the Namibian and Georgian games still vividly uncomfortable for the majority of the Irish squad, that should be of some benefit before the equivalent 2011 banana skin against the USA on Sunday.

"The recuperative week in Queenstown having restored morale, Ireland are probably better off starting against one of the minnows (it’s not often we get to pair America and Russia in that category) than in the in-form and newly-crowned Tri-Nations champions from Australia, or even Italy. But, coming on the heels of August’s four warm-up defeats, that is only on the premise that the Eagles don’t inflict the same kind of psychological scars that Namibia and Georgia delivered.

"Indeed, had Denis Leamy not positioned himself under one of the Georgian sumo wrestlers who had rumbled over the Irish line, Ireland would have suffered unquestionably the worst result in its history."

Neil Squires of the Daily Express profiles Quade Cooper, the fly-half who will be starring for the Wallabies in New Zealand when he could so easily have been lining out for the All Blacks.

"When he was seven, Quade Cooper watched with awed delight as Jonah Lomu destroyed England in the 1995 World Cup semi-final. Back then he was a Kiwi kid revelling in the sight of the monster in black running free.

"As children do, he headed straight into the back garden in New Zealand’s Waikato province and attempted to emulate the bulldozer. Quade Cooper and his friend re-enacted the scene over and over again, taking it in turns to be first Jonah Lomu and then his Cape Town carpet Mike Catt.

"The irony is Cooper has not grown up to be an All Black like Lomu but the dazzling playmaker of the side most likely to stop them winning their own World Cup, Australia."

In his New Zealand Letter in the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley reveals that the natives are determined to make the most of this glorious opportunity to showcase their country.

"You travel by Air New Zealand to “the four million stadium” and you know you’re going to be consumed by the World Cup experience almost as soon as you step on the plane at Heathrow. And again in Hong Kong and then, just to be sure, from Auckland to Christchurch, if not on the final propeller leg to Queenstown.

"The slightly slapstick security video at the outset of each journey is a little different from the norm, featuring as it does an array of would-be rugby supporters from around the globe as well as a phalanx of All Blacks led by Graham Henry and Richie McCaw in the cockpit.

"If any of the passengers dares to smoke, warns Henry, no doubt reprising his earlier incarnation as a stern schoolteacher, 'then consider yourself dropped. Smoking is strictly prohibited. We can’t have that kind of disruption to the team.'

"And so on. In all of this it’s worth noting Emirates Airlines are one of the World Cup’s official sponsors, whereas Air New Zealand are one of the All Blacks’ sponsors. Therein lies the genius of this security video/advertisement/endorsement – the World Cup, even the All Blacks, are never mentioned. Not quite ambush marketing, but not far removed either."

James O'Connor will have to watch from the sidelines as Australia take to the field to face Italy on Sunday © Getty Images

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Growden backs Australia head coach Robbie Deans' decision to resist the temptation to recall James O'Connor to his starting XV for this weekend's clash with Italy.

"World Cup success requires smart decisions on and off the field. And the Wallabies began their campaign in New Zealand on the right note yesterday when the Test selectors made the wise move of showing strength and solidarity by sticking with the team that won them the Tri Nations for their opening tournament match against Italy.

"The selectors could have taken the easy option of rushing winger James O'Connor back into the starting team following his one-match suspension for missing the World Cup squad announcement.

"There was some logic in that, especially as O'Connor is the team's No.1 goalkicker, and World Cup glory relies so much on having an in-form and consistent kicker. But if the selectors had immediately handed back O'Connor his Test wing spot it may have destabilised the Wallabies' touring group, and disenchanted those who would have had to make way for him."

Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times looks ahead to what is going to be an especially emotional game for the United States against Ireland on Sunday.

"Of all the days of the year Ireland are to be pitted against the USA, one could hardly imagine there being a more emotionally charged occasion for an American team than the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 atrocities.

Those shocking images having reminded everyone of where they were that day, no national anthem in the tournament will carry more resonance for its players than the playing of the Star Spangled Banner in New Plymouth on Sunday.

American sports teams abroad are innately patriotic in any case and rugby is littered with examples as to how emotional energy can count for so much."

England prop Andrew Sheridan tells the Daily Mail of his love of wine and his other interests outside of rugby.

"Andrew Sheridan's CV entries are becoming more numerous and diverse with every passing year - bricklayer, singer-songwriter and now budding sommelier.

"On Saturday, the Sale prop will aim to prove he retains his most important qualification, that of supreme scrummager, but the 31-year-old has spent considerable time preparing for a life after rugby.

"I can’t play for ever,' said Sheridan. 'I like drinking wine, so I thought I’d do a course in it. You just understand more about different flavours and the way different countries deal with their wine industries. It’s very interesting, how different wine varieties can produce such different flavours.'"

Scotland fullback Rory Lamont talks to David Ferguson of The Scotsman ahead of the start of the country's World Cup campaign.

"Rory Lamont insists that he can remember the last Rugby World Cup clearly but there has to be some doubt about that.

"The fullback was knocked unconscious by a hefty and controversial tackle from Andrea Masi while he was in the air during the pool decider against Italy in St Etienne.

"He was taken from the field after just 24 minutes and went straight to hospital. For Lamont, however, it was just one of what has become a litany of injury moments in his career. Whether it is their frequency or his natural ebullience that makes him shrug them off is hard to know.

"But, reassuringly for Scotland, they have done little damage to his terrific self-belief."

Mark Souster of The Australian talks to former Argentina scrum-half Agustin Pichot.

"The story of Argentine rugby is one fuelled by a burning sense of injustice, but also by pride, passion and an unbridled love for the sport.

"In Agustin Pichot, it has been fortunate to have had one of its most respected advocates, who may have retired from the international game after the previous World Cup but whose influence on his country's future is still as strong as it was when he was a player and captain.

"Over the past four years, Pichot's mission has been to ensure that Argentina, which England faces on Saturday in the opening pool B game, secured a place in the Tri-Nations tournament. It is one that has taken him around the world, in turn cajoling, imploring and negotiating. It is one that finally paid off with his beloved country admitted this year to that exclusive southern-hemisphere club with effect from next year.

"But as always, there is a price to pay. The side that bewitched the world four years ago has broken up, those who remain are ageing and the next generation is not yet ready. It is a team in transition, shedding the last vestiges of romantic amateurism to be replaced by fully fledged professionalism. The Pumas, he suspects, may struggle at this tournament, but he hopes not."

Writing in The Independent, Peter Bills voices his dismay at the way in which players are repeatedly allowed to break the rules at scrum time.

"The Rugby World Cup which starts in New Zealand this Friday may bring us many things.

"We can anticipate better rugby compared to the type we saw in both 2003 and 2007 when kicking dominated the game. There may be some stirring contests such as New Zealand v France and Australia v Ireland in the pool matches alone. South Africa’s pool games against Wales, Samoa and Fiji should all be fascinating and physically frightening.

"But I fear one thing we can forget about seeing is a fair contest for the ball at the set scrums. Cheating, it would appear, has been quietly but officially sanctioned by referees when it comes to the scrum feed."

Martin Johnson won the World Cup as a player; now he hopes to win it as a coach © Getty Images

The Telegraph's Mark Reason profiles the man charged with leading England to World Cup glory in New Zealand, Martin Johnson.

"Martin Johnson’s Maori team-mates used to call him ‘lovely boy’ after the character La-dee-da Gunner Graham, an effete aesthete in the Seventies sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Out in King Country the 19-year-old Johnson was as rugged as a fairy cake.

"His locking partner, Russell Alve, remembers Johnson running on to the pitch in a pair of shorts with pockets. He might as well have worn a cravat. When Alve looked closer he saw the corner of a white handkerchief sticking out.

"'What the hell is that?' asked Alve. 'You can chuck that away mate. We just snot on the ground over here. We don’t have that sort of thing.'"

Chris Foy of the Daily Mail is less than reassured by Martin Johnson's claim that the increasingly injury-prone Lewis Moody will be fit to lead his country through their World Cup campaign.

"When Martin Johnson claimed on Monday that the loss of Lewis Moody for Saturday's World Cup opener against Argentina was not a major disruption to England's plans, he had a point - to a degree.

"Sadly, the man appointed as captain for the tournament is becoming used to watching proceedings instead of playing a crucial role in them. Moody has been actively involved for only 60 of the 640 minutes of Test rugby that England have contested in 2011.

"The 33-year-old flanker has had far more than his fair share of injuries over the years, and they have taken a heavy toll of late."

Writing in The Australian, former England fly-half and current media pundit Stuart Barnes outlines the way in which to defeat World Cup favourites New Zealand.

"AUGUST 20: the All Blacks rest their captain, Richie McCaw, and the world's best five-eighth, Dan Carter. South Africa beats them by 18-5.

"Even though other players are rested, it is hard not to subtract two from 15 and arrive at the same answer as most rugby fans on the planet.

"New Zealand, for all the individual brilliance, is a flawed diamond when Carter isn't there to glitter and McCaw to deliver the hard edge at the breakdown. But not for the obvious reasons."

The party is set to start but the collective self-doubt of New Zealanders about removing the gorilla from their backs is rife, writes Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times.

"Thousands been turning up to welcome the various squads to have landed in New Zealand over the last few days. Even England were taken aback by the 200 or so mostly white-clad supporters who greeted them in Dunedin, Martin Johnson dryly noting that it’s not something they normally receive hereabouts. The warmth of the Maori welcomes and native hospitality has been a credit to New Zealand.

"The World Cup is already dominating the front and back pages in advance of Friday’s opener in Eden Park when Tonga are fed to the All Blacks. Memories of 1987, when New Zealand both last won and hosted the World Cup, have been repeatedly invoked. But there is an edginess here, a palpable fear that once again the All Blacks might not reach their holy grail."

England team manager Martin Johnson talks to Donald McRae of The Guardian ahead of the start of his side's World Cup campaign this weekend.

"Martin Johnson settles his huge frame in a chair that suddenly looks very small. The supposedly dark and brooding lord of England's World Cup campaign slips his hands behind his head and stretches out his long legs in an unusual break from planning and plotting. And then, feeling relaxed, the big man asks the first question.

"'So what's the news from the world outside?'" Johnson says, the unexpected query offset by the genuine curiosity in his voice. A baffled silence follows before, remembering how smitten Johnson is by sport, I offer a few cricket and football scores in the hopeless assumption England's rugby manager and former World Cup-winning captain might be less interested in real life.

"'I asked the question," Johnson says with his wonky grin, "because you start to wonder if there is still a world outside here. Does the world still exist beyond rugby and this World Cup?'"

Can Warren Gatland's Wales suprise a few teams at this year's Rugby World Cup? © Getty Images

Writing in the Wales on Sunday, Barry John backs Wales to make a big impression in this year's Rugby World Cup.

"It is time for the greatest rugby show on earth again.

"And I am quietly confident Wales can do well in this World Cup – and I expect them to qualify from a tough pool involving South Africa, Samoa, Fiji and Namibia.

"This has to be the best prepared Welsh side at any World Cup given the evidence from the warm-up games.

"While they might be lacking in creativity and the subtle side of the game, they are very strong in defence and the contact area.

"I have seen enough to see these boys are mentally tough enough and there is no problem with the physicality."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Scottish Rugby Union president Ian McLauchlan - the only Scot to have beaten the All Blacks twice.

"McLauchlan played in all four Tests, winning in Dunedin and Wellington, drawing in Auckland and losing in Christchurch, came home with the new moniker "Mighty Mouse" and would go on to play as central a role in the Lions' famous unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974. But New Zealand was the toughest, he says without hesitation.

"What New Zealand is, you have to understand, is a rugby nation in its truest sense," he says with a clear tone of respect. "When you go to New Zealand everybody knows exactly who you are, where you play, what you do … everything about you and your team.

"On the field they try to kill you and off the field they try to kill you. On it, they love rugby and try to do it through sheer physicality and skill, and off the field they are the kindest people I have ever met, and kill you with kindness.

"When you're touring the country there is a unique tension and pressure because everything is so intensely focused on rugby, so you can never get away from it. That is something most of our boys will find new when they arrive in Invercargill on Wednesday and it's something they, and all the other squads flying in, will have to learn to cope with over the next few weeks."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reports from Ireland's World Cup camp in Queenstown.

"If nothing else, the Ireland squad probably couldn’t have kicked off their 2011 World Cup odyssey better or in a more idyllic backdrop than Queenstown.

"After their grim sequence of four defeats last month, this certainly isn’t Ireland and, according to one Welsh man who has been living here for 18 years, it’s not typical of New Zealand either.

"The adventure capital of the world, where bungee jumping was invented, relies almost exclusively on year-round tourism and accordingly, the 15,000 or so inhabitants are commercially pro-active as well as being artistically creative.

"But like the rest of this “four million stadium”, Queenstown is in a tizzy at the prospect of hosting what is, for all and sundry with a vested interest claim, the third biggest sports event of the year and hence, with no matches per se, all the more so in having the Irish squad start their preparations here."

Peter Bills does not hold back in his latest piece for the South African Independent.

"As for the South Africans, their game has atrophied for four years under coach Peter de Villiers. They will play the 2011 tournament much as they played 2007, hoping their big, physical forward pack, kicking half-backs and physically solid backs can repel all opponents.

For the sake of the game and its future, you have to say it would be a whole lot better if such a blinkered strategy failed."

The South African Independent's Mike Greenaway offers his recipe for success at the Rugby World Cup.

"1 DEFENCE, DEFENCE, DEFENCE

"History shows that successful World Cup campaigns have been built on organised and totally committed tackling. In this regard the Springboks made a highly positive move in employing Stormers defence coach, Jacques Nienaber. The defence was excellent against the All Blacks in Port Elizabeth and will get better the longer he works with the players.

"...4 CREATE THE RIGHT HEADSPACE

"In 1987, All Blacks coach Brian Lochore billeted his players on farms during the tournament “to take them back to the land and traditional Kiwi values”. In 1995, the Boks were propelled to victory by the rainbow nation. In 2011, Peter de Villiers correctly says that the challenge for the Boks is to “maintain our excitement over the tournament”.

"...9 TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED

"There is no such thing as pacing yourself in a quarter-final with an eye on the semis. Ask the All Blacks. Each game, Pool or otherwise, has to be treated as a final. That is what tournaments are about. Seven games in seven weeks, each treated with the same respect, is how you have to approach it. The Boks are too experienced to make this mistake."

The Guardian's Michael Aylwin reports from the Aviva Premiership's season-opening double header at Twickenham.

"The Premiership and its various sponsors could not have wished for a better start to the season. The Rugby World Cup may be about to begin on the other side of the world, but more than 55,000 pitched up to Twickenham to enjoy the sun and, to cap it all, the sight of the champions being turned over at the first time of asking.

"The walls of the changing room were no doubt still ringing with the cheers and ricocheting champagne corks from Saracens' last visit to HQ in May, when they won the Premiership final. And, if there were still echoes, you might well have been able to hear them on Saturday evening amid the grim silence of the players, as they contemplated this defeat to Wasps. "We are normally very good at closing out tight games," said Mark McCall, Saracens' director of rugby, "so it was a bitter blow not to go on and win."

"But such is the lot of champions – everyone wants to beat them. Wasps were particularly hungry. They outscored Saracens by two neatly worked tries to none, one for each of their wings, Christian Wade and Tom Varndell. But the commitment of their defence against a side who dominated much of the match was the most notable feature of their game."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, England's Nick Easter makes himself at home in Dunedin.

"Like most of you I read my rugby books over the years and know that Dunedin is a hotbed for the game; the Otago province is even the place where rucking was invented.

"It’s a huge university town and their ‘uni’ rugby team has produced scores of All Blacks. I think I even read somewhere that the locals take part in an annual nude touch rugby contest in the depths of winter!

"It sounds like a rugby outpost with heart and soul and I can imagine the local fans will ensure a fantastic atmosphere.

"I’ve also done my homework and packed a couple of warm fleeces and ‘beanie’ hats which, rather like rucking, also originated in Dunedin: apparently All Blacks flanker and surf dude Josh Kronfeld was an early fan.

"The weather forecasts up in Auckland have been predicting snow flurries down here but that’s fine. We are not here on holiday, we are here to represent our country in the world’s greatest rugby competition."

There are times when you simply have to shake your head at the way things turn out and the decisions that are made by people in authority, according Brian Moore in the Daily Telegraph.

"Remember the nonplussed responses and bewildered faces of the press corps that assembled in front of Donald Rumsfeld, the former Defence Secretary of the United States, when he accepted that he was responsible for the acts undertaken by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib because it happened on his watch, but then declined to do anything?

"Last Friday the RFU gave us Rumsfeld II – the return of the spineless committee, whereby everybody accepted responsibility for everything but nobody was prepared to do anything about anything.

"The much discussed Blackett Report, over which the various RFU internal management bodies have got themselves into an unholy mess is now, after a committee vote, to be made available to all of their member clubs, but not until Sept 30.

"The new permanent chairman of the RFU, Paul Murphy, justified the delay on the basis that they had to find a printer to put together all versions of the 52-page report; an excuse so lame it is unworthy of a four year-old. Why could they not email the report – very quick and virtually no cost? The delay could well be because they are not making the original report available, but an amended version, and they have yet to finish their revisions. It remains to be seen what amendments and redactions might be made but they had better have a good reason for alterations if they are to avoid further charges of maladministration."

All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams has delayed a decision on his sporting future © Getty Images

Writing in the Herald on Sunday, Gregor Paul ponders the career choices faced by All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams.

"He has one year left to serve on a five-year NRL ban and Williams, should he decide against spending another year in New Zealand, may be left to focus exclusively on his boxing career for at least six months.

"Maybe that will suit him just fine. He's never specifically said it but there has always been a sense that, one day in the not too distant future, he would drift back to league.

"Rugby has always felt like a flirtation, a box to tick. The game is not in his blood and while he's had sensational bursts and could become something extraordinary if he sticks around, it is apparently not his style to dig in when things aren't going his way.

"League is the game that comes most naturally to him. He needn't stray out of his comfort zone in the 13-man game.

"He may have to sit out the 2012 season but, with the league salary cap set to almost double, he'd happily serve his penance, picking up some bumper pay days with a few fights before returning in 2013."

The latest Herald on Sunday editorial insists the biggest battle for New Zealand will come off the field as they look to host a World Cup to remember.

"But for the host nation, this is about much more than the rugby. There are only 64 hours of game time between now and October 23 and all going well the All Blacks will have barely nine hours to dazzle spectators and opponents with their skills.

"For the larger team, the one with more than four million members, it's already begun.

"The eyes of the world will be on this country and it is up to every one of us to achieve peak performance. Hundreds of foreign media arrive this week, with newspaper columns and broadcast time to fill for the entire six weeks.

"We need to give them a good story to tell.

"The same goes for the tens of thousands of visitors from distant parts. We have earned a name for being a hospitable and friendly nation and it is in everybody's interests for us to cement that reputation now.

"This is particularly true if the unthinkable should happen and our team should fail to win the tournament - or even make the final."

The Irish Independent's Eamonn Sweeney fears for Ireland at the World Cup.

"Hurray. The Rugby World Cup starts this week, a feast of top-class games played by the greatest teams and greatest players in the world. So why do I feel like Max von Sydow in The Seventh Seal as he watches Death lollop cheerfully over the fields, scythe and chessboard in hand?

"Perhaps it's because Irish rugby might be better off if no one had ever thought of a Rugby World Cup. Mention the name Eddie O'Sullivan, for example, and what comes to mind is not one of his stirring Triple Crown victories but the 2007 World Cup which seemed less like a sporting event than a prolonged course in national sporting humiliation and torture. It's hardly fair on O'Sullivan but it's just one example of how the collision of Ireland and the World Cup results in disaster.

"That year might have been the nadir of our fortunes in the tournament. Then again it might not because there are so many horrendous memories to choose from. It began with a disappointing defeat to Wales in an awful game on a terrible day, May 25, 1987, and the misery has piled on since then, deepening like a coastal shelf."

The Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden offers what he thinks Australia must do if they are to win the Rugby World Cup.

"2. Don't be intimidated by being in New Zealand - The Shaky Isles can be a stifling place for any visiting team, because you can't get away from that country's rugby obsession. They come at you from every angle. Deans probably wouldn't admit it, but he becomes considerably more tense when he returns to his home country. He becomes guarded, and that tension can rub onto his players. Tense teams don't win big tournaments, and so the Wallabies must be prepared to lighten up and enjoy their surroundings. One good sign is that they will disappear for a while, head to the hills and the delights of Hanmer Springs on the South Island during the pool stage. That should at least give them some reprieve from every rugby know-all in the country … and there's thousands of them.

"...4. Set piece must be dominant - In recent years, the Wallabies have got their priorities right and ensured they have a scrum of note, plus a lineout that can terrorise all. The biggest transformation has occurred at scrum time, with the Test pack, which for so long was regarded as second rate, now a consistent weapon. This year the scrum has stood up in every Test, and with it has emerged a formidable front row in Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander. Also hovering in the background is Tatafu Polota-Nau. There shouldn't be any problems at the lineout, with the Wallabies boasting four reliable second-rowers - James Horwill, Dan Vickerman, Rob Simmons and Nathan Sharpe."

Writing in the Sunday Express, Sir Ian McGeechan offers his thoughts on the forthcoming World Cup.

"England are going to be a handful because I cannot see too many teams are going to be able to dominate them up front, and will be looking to make the most of that platform. "Although saying that South Africa did it last autumn but Martin Johnson and his coaches will know that certainly in a World Cup tournament they have got to have that right.

"Jonny Wilkinson has come through the warm up games in good shape and I would start with him. When you are playing in the World Cup you need to be playing the game in the right areas.

"And that’s what they did well when they won the tournament in 2003. Jonny knows how to take pressure off the team, if you need to be playing in your opponent’s half he can do that."

The competition has turned full circle with the Rugby World Cup returning to where it all started. The Observer's Eddie Butler reports.

"The inaugural competition was by invitation only. Remarkably, Samoa (Western Samoa as they were then) did not receive one. Russia, who will be playing in NZ the second time round, did receive an invitation, but turned it down because they objected to the ongoing presence of South Africa on the IRB board. What a principled stance by the ancien Soviet regime. South Africa voted but did not play. Instead, they invited the New Zealand Cavaliers to tour in 1986, a nakedly commercial mission that rekindled all the IRB's uneasiness. Not only were the Cavaliers sanction-busting and contravening the laws of rugby by taking payment, they were also engaged in one of the most violent series of all time. The image of the game took a hammering before the new showpiece.

"The New Zealand tourists were banned for two months and while they were absent, their replacements, dubbed the Baby Blacks, beat France at Lancaster Park, Christchurch. The ban served, New Zealand then toured France in the autumn of 1986 and played the second Test – they won the first 19-7 in Toulouse – in Nantes.

"This second Test made anything in South Africa look like shadow boxing. France assaulted the All Blacks by all known means of unarmed combat. The No8, Wayne "Buck" Shelford, not the softest mortal on the planet, had his scrotum torn open and lost several teeth. I don't think he noticed the missing gnashers. France won 16-3.

"New Zealand's response was to rebuild for the World Cup. In doing so, they over-engineered themselves and became one of the greatest teams of all time. Sean Fitzpatrick, Michael Jones, Grant Fox, Shelford and John Kirwan were just five of the side that swept all before them, even France, whom they beat 29-9 in the final. And of that group, Jones rose highest, the God-fearing wing forward who would not play on Sundays, but who made up for it on all other days, combining the work of all positions – bar the front row – into his individual set of skills."

The turmoil at the Rugby Football Union is set to continue throughout England's World Cup campaign with the acting chief executive, Martyn Thomas, facing a charge of bringing the game into disrepute, Paul Rees reports for The Observer.

"Militant clubs want a special general meeting in protest at a lack of action at Twickenham despite findings of poor governance in the Blackett report.

"The report, which was compiled by a five-man panel chaired by Jeff Blackett, the RFU's chief disciplinary officer, and produced at a meeting of the union's council last July, will be released to all member clubs this month and posted on the governing body's website.

"Thomas is criticised in it for his role in the sacking of the chief executive John Steele last June. Blackett has been urged by some council members to waste no time in charging Thomas with misconduct, but he is understood to be waiting to gauge reaction to his report, anxious not to be branded with score-settling after Thomas threatened him with a defamation suit during the July council meeting should the report be made public.

"Blackett goes to New Zealand this week and it may be two weeks before he charges Thomas under the RFU's rule 5.12 which states that the RFU has the power to discipline anyone connected with the game, including employees, for "any conduct which is prejudicial to the interests of the Union or the game". Punishment, it goes on, would be appropriate for the offence."

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Paul Ackford previews the Rugby World Cup and tips the All Blacks to feed on the emotion of hosting the tournament.

"All of which leaves New Zealand and Australia, first and second in the world rankings, and both in decent nick on the evidence of their encounter last week in Brisbane, as the two countries best placed to go all the way. There are flaws. Australia’s front-five alternatives are as healthy and as deep as England’s scrum-half options, which is to say not healthy at all, but by removing the captaincy from Rocky Elsom, transferring it to lock James Horwill, coach Robbie Deans has underlined the importance of the grunt and grind brigade.

"A World Cup across the Tasman holds no fears for Deans, who was born in New Zealand, played for the All Blacks and oversaw the Crusaders to five Super Rugby titles. Couple that on-the-ground savvy to the brilliance of an Australian back line boasting the extravagance of Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Quade Cooper and Will Genia and it will take a good side to stop Australia becoming the first nation to land three World Cups.

"For my money, despite losing their last two fixtures away to South Africa and Australia, the All Blacks start with a sizeable advantage, especially as the final will take place at Eden Park, a ground where the All Blacks last lost a Test in 1994 against France. New Zealand go into the event with Kieran Read injured, with only one reputable outside-half, Dan Carter, and with weaknesses at scrum-half. But they can also call on pace and power aplenty elsewhere, a settled, experienced coaching group desperate not to repeat the mistakes from previous campaigns, and support which will never be less than hysterical."

Will Australia's Quade Cooper prove to be a star of this year's Rugby World Cup? © Getty Images

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, David Sygall looks at the eight main players who can give their side something special in the World Cup.

"Most teams in this month's World Cup field at least one player who could be regarded as outstanding. A player around whom the team is galvanised and to whom the team can turn to in tight moments to produce something to change the course of a game. In Robbie Deans's side, many would regard James O'Connor as that man. But Macqueen thinks these Wallabies have the luxury of more than one such player.

''I think there's a few in the current Wallabies team. Quade Cooper's another one. He's shown already that he can do some of those special things that can turn a match. You can talk about those things but, at the end of the day, it's a good team that ends up winning it. Those things like the X-factor and good leadership all add to the fact that it becomes a good team,'' he said. ''I really think that this Australian team has players with those skills and is a good team who look capable of winning the World Cup. The timing's been perfect for them and they've got all the ingredients there.''

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, former All Blacks captain Wayne Shelford insists the World Cup is a far from perfect tournament.

"I'm happy to join the World Cup fanfare, but let's not kid ourselves that we are about to witness a perfect tournament.

"Drama awaits and our little country will take on a whole new spirit and atmosphere as we play host to a major sporting event.

"But I'm afraid the initial weeks will involve a lot of one-sided games with big teams whitewashing smaller ones. I think the reality of this has been lost a little bit in the lead-up, but once the action begins it will become apparent.

"There are better ways to organise the World Cup, which should be an elite competition.

"The more honest we are about the current structure the more the chance that a much more competitive and thrilling tournament can be created, full of cliff-hangers between the top sides and those just below them."

The New Zealand Herald's Bevan Hurley reflects on the task facing TV commentators at this year's Rugby World Cup.

"Tackling the Fijian fullback Taniela Maravunawasawasa on the field will be hard enough. But commentators will have to master his surname as well as other tongue-twisting names during the Rugby World Cup.

"Maori Television has issued its commentary team with a pronunciation guide for hard-to-handle names.

"And at Sky TV, Murray Mexted has drawn the toughest assignment, covering the Russians', Georgians' and Romanians' games. "Some of them are incredibly difficult," he says."

The World Cup will not distract diehard club supporters from the start of a long, hard and fascinating English season, according to The Guardian's Rob Kitson.

"The World Cup? For the 12 Aviva Premiership clubs it will be merely a breakfast-time appetiser for the real thing. Premiership Rugby officials anticipate that crowds will hold up strongly during the World Cup period, boosted by casual fans whose interest has been stirred by events in New Zealand. The diehards would not swap their weekly club fix for anything.

"This 2011-12 season will test everybody's stamina. Imagine you are an England player returning from the World Cup. If England reach the last four, they will not return from New Zealand until the final week of October. The Heineken Cup starts a fortnight later and the domestic season runs until the end of May, followed by a three-Test tour to South Africa. The 2012-13 season will end with a Lions expedition to Australia. It is a dauntingly heavy schedule.

"Only those strong of mind and body will last the course. Next season will offer some respite, in the form of the new salary cap exemption for one "star" player, either to help recruit an overseas drawcard or to retain a homegrown star. Compensation is already paid to clubs supplying English World Cup players but the salary cap ceiling of £4.25m still rules out the financial largesse of the bigger French clubs.

"All of which makes squad depth as important as ever. Northampton suffered from a lack of it last season, while Leicester had a savage number of injuries. Saracens' squad rotation was not the sole reason for their success but their relative mental and physical freshness at the end of the campaign was a big factor."

In a country where rugby is a means of national self-expression, the All Blacks' failures since 1987 have become an obsession. The Guardian's Toby Manhire reports.

"For the last couple of years, the man in charge of the 2011 Rugby World Cup has been preparing the host nation for defeat. "I have been keeping a public debate bubbling along, along the lines of: 'What's more important to us – the All Blacks winning the trophy, or us successfully hosting the tournament?'" says Martin Snedden, a former New Zealand cricketer. "The All Blacks, yes, haven't won it in 24 years, but if we don't win it this time, we'll get another chance in 2015 and 2019 and so on. We'll never get another chance to host the thing."

"Fine words. But chances are most New Zealanders stopped listening after "24 years". Not since the last time the Webb Ellis Cup was contested in New Zealand, in the first tournament back in 1987, have the All Blacks triumphed.

"And with every World Cup that goes by, 1987 becomes to New Zealand rugby what 1966 is to English football – if anything with more anguish, given the smaller pool of nations at the top level and the inescapable difference that New Zealand typically enters the tournament as one of the most fancied sides, if not the most.

"In 2011, with home advantage again, the All Blacks are favourites again, despite losses in the final two games of the Tri-Nations. The first of those defeats, with a weakened side away to South Africa, was tolerated. The second, a 25-20 defeat in Brisbane that handed the trophy to Australia, burned. Yes, the All Blacks came close to pegging back the Wallabies early onslaught, outscoring them by 12 points in the second half. But it was, all the same, a "wake-up call" or a "reality check", in the rasps of the country's lumpen media."

England must make Manu Tuilagi switch between No.12 and 13 to confuse their Rugby World Cup opponents, according to World Cup winner Will Greenwood in the Daily Telegraph.

"For all his go forward ability, his biggest weakness is his youth and naivety in defence.

"There’s no doubt he will hurt you if you run into his channel. It’s just that come the knockout stages there are very few teams dumb enough to offer up cheap blockbuster targets.

"Instead they will look to expose him on his inside and outside. That’s why in all defensive situations Tuilagi should start at 12, the inside centre position, with Tindall at 13, in the outside role.

"Tindall needs to be at 13 for organisation, for control. He wants to have Tuilagi sandwiched between himself and the fly-half, who just for the record I think will be Wilkinson, his consistency giving him the edge of over Flood.

"With this set up, Tuilagi is surrounded by experience. Unleash him when the big hits are available but cajole, control, and keep him calm and in the defensive pattern when they are not.

"From 12 Tuilagi can be a Ma’a Nonu-style player defensively. Just remember it took Nonu three years to look so comfortable in that role. Tuilagi has eight days. It’s a big ask, no question."

Is there more trouble ahead for acting RFU chief Martyn Thomas? © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary details the latest developments in the Rugby Football Union's high-profile internal wranglings.

"Twickenham is bracing itself for another bout of infighting and blood-letting at Friday’s Rugby Football Union council meeting after a legal letter was issued to its 61 members last night outlining the possible ramifications of publishing the Blackett report, which was commissioned to look into events surrounding the dismissal of former chief executive John Steele.

"The Daily Telegraph can reveal that legal opinion was given by Deputy High Court judge Robert Englehart, QC, on behalf of the RFU. In his letter, Englehart says: ‘‘The material on which the report is based... could well give rise to a complaint of unfairness by those adversely affected. The report is couched in terms of ‘evidence’ and ‘testimony’ . However there was no real evidence or testimony as such would be normally understood in law.’’ There was no legal need for the RFU to publish the report, he said. ‘‘In my view publication would be inadvisable.’’

"The timing of the letter is sure to enrage council members and may even lead to a vote of no confidence in the board itself."

The Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden believes squad management will be crucial for a successful World Cup campaign.

"The prime wish of all teams is to remain injury free. Selecting consistent line-ups gives a country an enormous advantage, while teams can lose their way if forced to call for replacements or if they must play people out of position.

"In the Wallabies' case, the depth in the squad is reasonable, and they should be able to cover every position. It's not as good as the All Blacks. But the backup is certainly more encouraging than two or three years ago when the gap between the first XV and the next best was substantial and the team standards dropped alarmingly.

"It will also give Wallabies coach Robbie Deans the opportunity to keep every squad member happy. The backup players should expect at least one run during the minor pool games - the United States in Wellington on September 23 and Russia in Nelson on October 1 - where key players are likely to be rested. The only one who could miss out is third halfback Nick Phipps, as it is unlikely Will Genia will at any stage be out of the playing squad - such is his importance to the group."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly reports from the Ireland camp in New Zealand.

"A good beginning. Ireland's World Cup hopefuls have finally landed in New Zealand and, despite the draining effects of an awful August followed by four flights and 37 hours trans-global travel, Declan Kidney and his men appear to be in exceedingly high spirits.

"The warmth of the welcome at Queenstown airport was certainly a considerable morale-booster as the players and management seemed genuinely touched by the efforts and enthusiasm of the local schoolchildren and ex-pat Irish community.

"While the New Zealand youngsters dived into their 'Irish for the Day' special project with ear-splitting zeal, the sizeable contingent of Queenstown-based Paddies (sounding like their throats had been suitably lubricated in advance) gave it a good lash themselves.

'The Fields of Athenry' got a blast as the Irish players emerged from the terminal and there was also a lusty rendition of 'Monto' -- the party piece of absent prop Cian Healy."

Was Conor O'Shea the man John Steele wanted instead of Sir Clive? © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Mairs and Mick Cleary report that Harlequins boss Conor O'Shea was the chosen man for the vacant performance director post rather than Sir Clive Woodward as widely reported.

"Conor O’Shea, the Harlequins director of rugby and former Ireland full-back, was the man former Rugby Football Union chief executive John Steele wanted to be in charge of England’s elite players in the lead-up to the 2015 World Cup, Telegraph Sport can disclose.

It is understood that O’Shea was identified as a more suitable all-round candidate for the position of performance director than Sir Clive Woodward despite Steele holding protracted discussions with the World Cup-winning coach about how the RFU would be reformed before and after his appointment as chief executive.

O’Shea, who ran the RFU’s national academy for three years before working as the national director at the English Institute of Sport, maintains he never formally applied for the position that was originally thought to have been created to enable Woodward, the director of sport at the British Olympic Association, to return to Twickenham.

O’Shea has confirmed he was approached by Steele to apply for the job, which was originally due to involve responsibility for the England team, only for the job description to be altered to cap involvement at England Saxons level and then revert to the original job description."

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie, writing for the Dominion Post, emphasises the importance of drop-goals during the World Cup.

"Winning a Rugby World Cup has become the all-consuming goal that drives four-year cycles for players, coaches and even administrators.

Australia and South Africa have won twice, while New Zealand and England have held ''Bill'' aloft once. History suggests the odds are stacked against teams from the northern hemisphere and form indicates this will continue in New Zealand.

The All Blacks have enjoyed an 85 per cent success rate in Tests during the past century and several heavyweight teams from the north are yet to beat the Kiwis. Rewriting that history or beating the All Blacks isn't impossible - as France proved two years ago when they overcame New Zealand in Dunedin. But the biggest question is, who is capable of winning the seven games in a row needed to win the cup?

It's possible to drop a game in the pool stages and still qualify for the knockout rounds, but every team will be vying for the easiest possible road to the final and this can only be achieved by topping your pool."

Brian Moore, in his column for the Daily Telegraph, talks about the special nature of the World Cup.

"While the two tournaments have obvious differences, many of the special features are common, as are the thoughts and feelings of those players lucky enough to take part.

Some ex-footballers recently questioned the wisdom of Jack Wilshire taking part in the football’s European Under-21 Championship. They were wrong. World Cup and similar tournaments are special and you cannot prepare for them in the same way as other competitions, nor can you definitively state what they do or do not give participants without having been involved.

As the World Cup takes place only every four years you know, if you have a realistic chance of selection that, even if you are relatively young, you may not get to play in another. The team may not qualify, you may be injured, be out of form or simply out of favour – the time is now and you want to be chosen now."

Jim Morton, of the Dominion Post, believes the Wallabies are hitting peak form at just the right time.

"With Wallabies' tails finally up, the World Cup couldn't be better timed for Australia.

After 10 barren years dominated by inconsistency, near misses and abject failures, the Wallabies enter the 2011 tournament in New Zealand as newly-crowned Tri-Nations champions, with their confidence sky high.

A thrilling, last-start, 25-20 triumph over the All Blacks, who are carrying a World Cup monkey and the weight of a nation on their back, showed coach Robbie Deans' men are credible challengers to the tournament hosts and favourites.

The momentum started by the Queensland Reds' breakthrough Super Rugby triumph at Suncorp Stadium in July, followed by ending a decade-long Tri-Nations title drought at the same Brisbane ground is priceless."

The evergreen Radiki Samo, talking to the Sydney Morning Herald's Josh Rakic, eulogises about his World Cup dream.

"Four days after inspiring the Wallabies to their drought-breaking Tri Nations defeat of the All Blacks and installing himself as the new cult figure of Australian rugby, back-rower Radike Samo has declared his best is still ahead of him.

Having just signed a new two-year contract with the Reds that will see him through until his 37th birthday, the bro with the 'fro said he felt fresher than ever after scoring his first Test try last Saturday night - beating All Blacks speedsters Cory Jane and Mils Muliaina to do so.

''That's probably one of [my] best tries since I turned professional,'' Samo said. ''I didn't know that they were chasing me. I just did my best to get to the try line and I did that. I was looking around for supporters to pass the ball but looked left and right and saw two black jerseys, so I just kept going.'"

Daniel Richardson, of the The New Zealand Herald, talks to a confident Stephen Donald despite the former All Blacks fly-half missing out on World Cup selection.

"Stephen Donald doesn't feel as if he needs to silence his critics ahead of his final game in New Zealand before he heads to England to take up a three-year contract with Bath.

The 27-year-old playmaker has often been the subject of negative feedback from New Zealand's demanding rugby public, after some inconsistent performances in the All Black jersey over the past two years. Rarely before has a fringe international been the subject of so much debate that he might enjoy a more anonymous existence in Britain.

But Donald has been a very good player at domestic level and will leave New Zealand as one of the most prolific points scorers. He topped the Super 14 list in 2007 and was second behind Dan Carter in 2008, and played 22 tests for the All Blacks after his debut against England in 2008."