New Zealand barely had to get out of second gear to saunter to top spot in their Pool, raising questions about whether they would be undercooked coming up against France. And while the French had offered little of note in the competition, there was trepidation, too, from an All Blacks point of view given France’s famous upset victory at the same stage in 2007 and how close they came to repeating the feat in the 2011 final. But New Zealand simply blew France away, winning 62-13 thanks to the outstanding performance of the World Cup so far. The task should be tougher next time.

Since a stunning opening loss to Japan, South Africa have bounced back with a focus on grinding the opposition down. Yet it was when shaking off that one-dimensionality that they scored the crucial points to get past Wales in the quarterfinals. Trailing by a point into the final six minutes, a wonderfully inventive pass from Duane Vermeulen found Fourie Du Preez for the winning try. The Springboks will need all that and more if they are to beat a New Zealand side they have tasted victory against just once in their last seven meetings.

Prediction: New Zealand win