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."