Kevin has finally got around to watching all of the Rugby World Cup quarter finals, so it is safe for me to talk about the semis here.

There’s no need to guess what England will be up to against France. They’ll want to keep the same levels of aggression that they had against Australia; they’ll keep the ball tight, running pick’n’drive rather than sending the ball out wide; and they’ll play for territory in the hope that Wilkinson’s boot will give them the points they need. If they win 3-0 they will be very happy. (Confused American readers, just think Baltimore Ravens – possession football.)

As for France, they still haven’t really turned up to play so far this tournament, including in the shock win against the All Blacks. Hopefully a game against the English in Paris will be enough to rouse them into some sort of action. Serge Betsen will need to prove that he can succeed where George Smith failed, but if France are to win I think they’ll need a good performance from Yanick Jauzion, who can break any defensive line in the world if he puts his mind to it, and perhaps another Michalak Miracle.

Argentina looked a little tired against Scotland. I’m hoping that they were just taking it easy because they could afford to. They’ll need to step up the intensity again if they are to beat the Bokke. It could well turn into a kicking duel. Francois Steyn can hoof the ball further than anyone, but Juan Martin Hernandez is older and wiser and likely to win any ping pong game, so South Africa will want to leave the kicking to Percy Montgomery except when they are within Steyn’s drop goal range. Much as I have enjoyed watching Los Pumas epic journey, I suspect that the Bokke will be too much for them. South Africa are ruthless, determined, uncompromising, and they have Bryan Hanaba.