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After four distinctly different, but riveting quarter-finals, this excellent World Cup enters its final phase with the four best teams still in contention.
Much will be made of southern hemisphere dominance, and while on results and performance this is self-evident, it is a nebulous and ultimately irrelevant concept. Most fans are anxious for their side to win the Cup, and considerably less interested in being a member of the winning hemisphere.
The nature of pool play, the effect of injuries, and the cross over into the knock-out phase mean that each side arrives at the semi-finals via markedly different routes.
But whatever the differing levels of elation, satisfaction and relief felt by the teams today, tomorrow the slate will be wiped clean again for next weekend, and the playing field will again look even.
The reaction of Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, never one for hiding his emotions, to his side’s 23-19 win against Wales was as if he had won the final. Perhaps for a side which has this year matched losses to New Zealand, Argentina, Australia and Japan with wins over Scotland, USA and an underperforming Samoa, this does represent a high point?
If so, and their semi-final against New Zealand runs true to exposed form, they will be comfortably beaten and, looking back, it will all make perfect sense.
It doesn’t have to be that way however, if Meyer discovers the ability and the nerve to actually coach. There was a hollowness about his emotional celebration of Fourie du Preez’s match-winning try, as if he felt his tactics and decision making were vindicated, yet the evidence suggested otherwise.
The Springboks dominated possession and territory in the second half, and always looked the stronger side, but they kept Wales in the game right to the end, through their lack of adventure.
A Welsh side who infuriatingly kept on kicking hard-won turnover ball straight back to them, and who knew in their hearts, as Sam Warburton’s after-match words and weary body language betrayed, that their time in the tournament was done.
Meyer has a choice to make right now. Play New Zealand the same way, try to create pressure through high kicking, rabid chasing and skillful leaping, trust Handre Pollard to kick his goals, and then defend like madmen.
No coaching genius in that, rather some would say simply an old-fashioned style suited to the Bokke psyche, guaranteed to put the wind up all New Zealand fans.
It may keep the scores down, heck it may even work if Dan Carter has an off day kicking for goal but, if needed, a physical arm-wrestle is not a game this All Black side fears.
The alternative is to show faith and respect for his players’ skills and abilities, to give them some rein, and turn the heat back on the All Blacks by being positive.
Recent history shows that the Boks have taken this path once in each of the last three years against the All Blacks, all at home, for two losses and one win.
In all three cases, these were exhilarating matches, where it seemed fans and even the players themselves were surprised with what they could do when encouraged to play with abandon. The ferocity of the play, not to mention the surprise element, rocked the All Blacks right off their stride – at least until a couple of special plays got them home in two of the matches.
It will be fascinating to see which South Africa turns up to play at Twickenham.
Steve Hansen, meanwhile, can rest easy, back in charge of his own side after some of the restless New Zealand public, underwhelmed by pool play, were starting to think they knew better.
Predictably, skeptics have been quick to point to the frailties of the French, perpetuating an idea that the All Blacks simply ran through French players who, for the most part, had given up.
This nonsense shows a lack of respect for both sides. This was a special All Black performance, 62 points against a top-ranked side in a World Cup knock out game, where conventional wisdom is that everyone gets nervous and tries dry up. But no, think 2014 Football World Cup semi-final, Germany 7, Brazil 1, instead.
The reason the French defence resembled Swiss cheese in the second half was due to the All Black’s constant pressure, wave after wave of purposeful attack. And for those who point to the second half as meaningless, let us not forget that in the first forty, when the game was there to be won, the Blacks had already shut the door on the French, scoring four tries before halftime.
Among many, two moments stand out. The lead up to Jerome Kaino’s try where, with an overlap outside him, the superb Ma’a Nonu had his pass knocked down. The ball was regathered in a breath, and the speed at which Beauden Barrett and Kaino realigned themselves, so as to find again the necessary space to create the try, was instinctive and brilliant.
The final try was provided to Tawera Kerr-Barlow by the same type of reverse, one-handed off-load which had already proved telling earlier in the match. Only this time it was ring-in prop Joe Moody.
The point to be made isn’t that a prop can pass like Carter or Sonny-Bill Williams, but that this was someone who a week earlier was home in New Zealand, maybe even whitebaiting, not deemed good enough for this squad. That type of player depth is something very special.
Hansen’s dilemma is that he has a game-plan which, when well-executed like this, is enough to burn off all sides in this tournament. But it also a plan which is transparent, which other sides can feed off if they can rush quickly into midfield and fracture the All Blacks behind the advantage line.
Does he look to temper things a little? Pay heed to what will surely be a more confrontational and committed South African defence? Or does he back his players to continue to deliver more of the same?
The challenge for Pumas coach Daniel Hourcade is a complex one – to simultaneously keep his side grounded whilst instilling genuine belief that they can in fact win the cup.
For some time now Argentina has been in transition from a one dimensional, scrum oriented side, to what they are now, true 15-man rugby exponents. As Ireland discovered so bluntly, intent is now matched by an ability to execute on the big stage.
Argentina opened with a swagger and confidence that rendered the Irish second-rate observers. They then did enough during a flat period in the middle stages to absorb the inevitable comeback, before finding their width again, finishing Ireland off with a flourish.
43-20 was ultimately a fair reflection, based on the difference in defensive intensity and creativity in attack.
There will no tactical surprises for Australia next week, just an almighty task to shut down a confident Pumas side with nothing to fear, and who will offer far more than a courageous, but ultimately limited Scotland.
Michael Cheika has one very easy decision ahead of him – to rush David Pocock back into the side, even if he is on one leg.
Beyond that, things start to get interesting. Playing Pocock and Michael Hooper in tandem has proven very successful, and Cheika will be keen to refocus on the breakdown against Argentina.
But he also needs to be mindful of the threat that Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Pablo Matera pose – big men both, who had a field day against Ireland. Thus he might be tempted to use Ben McCalman in the starting line-up and Hooper off the bench, trying for the best of both worlds.
He also needs to get his scrum back on track – Argentina would fancy themselves as far superior to the Scotland scrum and will be desperately eager to target this area.
Some will say that there is a sense of destiny about this Wallabies side, coming out of the group of death on top, then stealing this quarter-final win over Scotland – shades of Landsdowne Park, Dublin in 1991.
An alternative view is that while this is a side which has made large strides, it is riding its luck, and is due for a reality check sooner than later.
The beauty of the knock-out phase is that all today’s deficiencies count for little tomorrow, as everything resets for new opposition.
Cheika will know he is lucky to have dodged this hail of Scottish bullets, but it will be quickly forgotten as he switches his side into semi-final mode.