Chris Rattue: Australia-Wales loser will be as good as gone from the World Cup

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika. Photo / Getty Images.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika must be privately fuming with Michael Hooper, whose ridiculous charge into England fullback Mike Brown has led to him being suspended out of the vital match against Wales on Sunday.

At least Hooper will be fresh and firing for the next assignment, which could turn into a weird blessing in disguise. But his absence has made Australia's job on Sunday so much tougher.

The loser of the Australia-Wales clash will be gone as World Cup contenders, for my money. If Wales lose at Twickenham, they will be beaten by South Africa in the quarter-finals. Australia can certainly beat the Springboks, but it will take so much out of Cheika's squad that they won't be in any shape to go on and take the tile.

And despite a glorious win over England, there are still serious holes in the Wallabies' set-up. Their goalkicking can't be trusted, the middle row in particular will wilt in a run of tough matches, and Israel Folau was way off his game against England and has an ankle injury. And while Matt Giteau is an essential part of the backline setup, he is too small for inside centre. Giteau can make good covering tackles but doesn't have the bulk for the front on stuff.

The Pool of Death has already accounted for England, and in the long run it will also deal to Australia and Wales.

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On a slightly different note...a World Cup spy tells me that someone associated with the Port Elizabeth-based Kings - who return to Super Rugby next year - claims they have not been paid again this month. Former All Black-turned-coach Carlos Spencer quit the South African franchise this year, saying he was owned money. There have been media stories in South Africa for a while along these lines. With doubts around the validity of the new Japanese team, the Super Rugby expansion plans look shaky.

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David Pocock's performance against England was exceptional, but I still don't think it quite reached what he managed in the 2011 quarter-final against the much tougher South Africans in Wellington. England hardly put up a fight at the breakdown. Yes, Chris Robshaw is not equipped to play the openside role, but all players have to be involved and skilled at the breakdown. The England players virtually stood and admired the amazing Pocock. At least one steal was truly extraordinary, achieved with a twisted hand in a mass of English bodies. I'm a huge fan of Pocock's, for his stance on matters such as gay marriage. But he is also a truly remarkable footballer.

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On one hand, it would be a shame to lose some of the World Cup minnows. There were a couple of stirring games today, involving lowly ranked Canada, Romania and Uruguay. On the other hand, the World Cup is too long. Four pools of four - reducing the total number of teams from 20 to 16 - would produce a more vibrant tournament and make for less wear and tear on the genuine title contenders. Its a dilemma.