KEY POINTS:
With the All Blacks now home, the people who planned their tours and spent the big money on going to the World Cup expecting them to be into a semi-final by now will be very disappointed.
The interest in the semi-finals seems to have died over here now but there's two interesting match-ups this weekend, with the guarantee of a Northern versus Southern Hemisphere final to follow.
In the France England semi, I've got that dreaded thought that England might come through. If that was to happen, it shows you don't have to do the groundwork before the tournament because they've arrived in France with a team that didn't look like doing much and now here they are with a chance of getting in the final.
But hopefully for the sake of the tournament and probably our own sake in the World Cup final becoming a reasonably exciting contest, France makes it through.
The only difference the English will find from the Australian game is the French are better up front. England won't be able to dominate quite as much as they did a week ago, although that's what they'll try and do in smothering the French forward pack then wait for mistakes and Jonny Wilkinson drop goals.
It could go either way. Whether France can rise again after a big game against the All Blacks is a big question, but if they can they should do the business.
In the other match, no-one is talking about Argentina's chances but they're definitely capable of beating South Africa.
They'll do their stuff up front and they've got backs with flair like France, but it's just about whether they're strong enough in the outside backs or big enough across the park.
The Argentineans don't lack in heart but may do in size - although size hasn't mattered so far. You just get the feeling South Africa might just be bigger, stronger and better.
