Five reasons why the All Blacks will (hopefully) win the World Cup

Richie McCaw lifts the William Webb Ellis trophy after the 2011 Rugby World Cup final. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Can the All Blacks go back-to-back? We have five reasons why they can, and five reasons why they may not.

Ambition
These All Blacks are loaded with it. That's not to say several other teams won't have dollops of it, too, but do they have the class to go with it? The idea of being the first country to win back-to-back World Cups sits neatly with New Zealand's rugby ambitions. There's not much the All Blacks haven't done in rugby and they will have the drive to complete another rugby first.

Skill
Pick any part of the park and the All Blacks have high calibre operators. Whether it be the Ben Smith-led back three, the Conrad Smith/Ma'a Nonu midfield axis, the No 10 options, the world's best halfback and most formidable loose forward trio, the world's best player for 2014 Brodie Retallick and his bearded chum Sam Whitelock and a combative front row. Other countries have world-class players, but not as many and not in as many parts of the field.

The skipper
This assumes Richie McCaw remains fit for the World Cup. No captain epitomises indomitable spirit like the No 7. He has no peers in his position and no captain influences his team to the same degree. Put it this way: if injury befell Dan Carter, Ben Smith or Brodie Retallick, the All Blacks could work around it. Halfback Aaron Smith might be the only parallel with McCaw's playing importance. Take away the skipper and watch for the nervous glances if the All Blacks get in a tight spot in a knockout game.

Consistency
No team has matched the All Blacks for sheer game-on-game performance since the last World Cup. They have been relentless, machine-like but also, more often than not, highly watchable. There have been no dull grinds, unlike several of their major rivals.

Level headedness
Unlike certain other All Blacks World Cup squads, arrogance doesn't seem a likely trait among the current mob. In his droll way, coach Steve Hansen has kept feet firmly planted. Opponents will be treated with respect, one-step-at-a-time mantras will be trotted out. Don't expect to get a vibe of this group getting ahead of themselves. If 1999 and 2007 taught the All Blacks one thing, it's that.

Five reasons why you should be a little nervous

Too good to be true
There's an old argument that says the longer the All Blacks dominate, the shorter time before their next stumble. It doesn't really make sense, if you treat each game as a one-off, and not part of some larger conspiracy. Still, they got turned over by Australia in Sydney.

The best team doesn't always win
Think back to 1995. The All Blacks were the best team in South Africa yet failed to win. You would like to think the best teams deserve to have their standing recognised, but sport doesn't work that way.

Three words
Cardiff, France, quarter-final. OK, maybe four words but you get the drift. As it stands, the All Blacks are on track to face the French in Wales for a place in the semifinal. Think back eight years.

Injuries to key players
The All Blacks pride themselves on depth, but that doesn't get away from the fact certain players are better than others. So fingers will be crossed that the best of All Blacks rugby is on the park at the sharp end of the tournament.

Strange days
Odd things happen at World Cup time - unexpected things. Most recently, nobody saw France pushing the All Blacks quite so close in the 2011 final. The All Blacks don't need odd.

- David Leggat