Four questions for the four World Cup title aspirants

The pointy end of this wonderful tournament fast approaches and I am struggling to keep my mind on the day-to-day sufferance we call work while keenly waiting for the weekend to roll around.

What we are left with is all too familiar for us based in the southern hemisphere with the four Rugby Championship teams left to fight it out over the remaining two weekends of the Rugby World Cup.

One clash is a traditionally sought after affair between old foes New Zealand and South Africa, while the other sees a resurgent Wallabies outfit pitted against a new age Argentinian side.

Swirling around in my head are many thoughts regarding each team and their respective chances of lifting Bill in the coming weeks.

Can the All Blacks scrum hold up in the coming weeks? Can the Pumas maintain their attacking intent? Will the Wallabies recapture the form displayed against England a few weeks ago?

Will the Springboks produce something we haven’t seen before or simply revert to the stereotypical style of play that they are often accused of? What is in the fridge?

There are numerous specific things to discuss and consider.

However, there is a specific question I have for each side, for what I believe is the most pertinent obstacle for each aspiring team to claim the title.

Argentina has flown somewhat under the radar to find themselves in a semi-final with terrific form behind them. After an opening pool loss to the tournament favourites they have gone about their business quietly.

They have disposed their opponents with typical forward might, which we have come to expect, but also the pace and width in their attack has been a pleasure to watch including an impressive outing against a quality Irish side.

While they have displayed the game and skills to win this tournament, have they found the consistency to continue in this vein for two more matches against teams they have historically fared poorly against? I am uncertain.

Australia have travelled the hardest road to reach this stage of the tournament and for the most part achieved this in style. They topped the Pool of Death in what has been an incredible turnaround and journey for this side over the past twelve months.

I do wonder what toll this has taken on the squad. Their quarter-final performance was permeated with soft errors, continually placing themselves under pressure. While not trying to take anything away from the Scottish performance I felt the Wallabies looked tired and mentally asleep.

While the reintroduction of quality personnel will help the cause, I wonder whether the Wallabies have the mental fortitude to suffer through another 160 minutes of intense match play after expending so much energy already.

South Africa have been a mixed bag so far, a shock opening loss mixed with resurgent performances to top their pool. They fought out a tense and gritty quarter-final over a determined Welsh side.

The Springboks have suffered fairly recent losses to all of the remaining teams and while the ability in this side remains I do have to wonder what the Springboks can do to reverse their recent form. They have had little success against the All Blacks in particular in recent seasons.

We know the Springboks are a force to be reckoned with but do they believe it themselves? With a number of losses marking their season to date there has to be some doubt in their minds. Do the Springboks truly believe they can win this tournament?

New Zealand burst into life after a solid but hardly spectacular pool stage of the tournament with a clinical and ruthless performance against France in their quarter-final.

The dropped ball and loose passes, which was the lament of many All Black fans before this match, had disappeared. The performance New Zealand fans have been waiting for finally eventuated with a sustained 80-minute relentless assault on the French.

It appears the All Blacks are peaking at the right time, however it will be very difficult to replicate that performance against more determined opposition.

The All Blacks have dominated world rugby for the last four seasons, dropping only three matches in the process, ironically to two of the remaining contenders. In that time, when pushed, they have invariably found an answer and there is nobody that can stay with them.

However, as we have seen in the past, this is a World Cup and the expected is not always the case. The pressure of the tournament is its own, coupled with the much talked about All Black Cup history away from home.

So how strong is the desire within this group? Has all doubt been well and truly exorcised from the mind heading into these last two rounds? I think so. We will see two pretty special performances to come from this team but I suppose I would say that, wouldn’t I?

So there are some thoughts of mine to ponder for the coming matches. What do you think the answers are, Roarers? What questions do you have regarding the chances of the remaining teams in the 2015 Rugby World Cup?