Rugby World Cup countdown - a look at the heavyweights and the minnows

Opinion - While all eyes are on the All Blacks right now, the Rugby World Cup has 19 other nations competing in it, some very good, some not so much.

So here's a guide as to what to expect from the familiar sides as we count down to the tournament starting on Saturday a week from now.

France

The All Blacks' first opponent and tournament hosts, France have the weight expectation on them like never before. Yes, this is not the first time they've hosted a World Cup but it's certainly the first time they've come in playing as efficiently and consistently as they have over the past few years. France have won the Six Nations last year and have, unusually, managed to refrain from making kneejerk changes to their side whenever the slightest issue arises. Whatever happens in the first game, the All Blacks and France could still play in the final - which would be the third time that's happened.

Key player: Antoine Dupont

Coach: Fabien Galthie

Ireland

Memories of the Irish completing an historic series win on New Zealand soil last year still linger for the All Blacks, especially since the way they did it was so impressively comprehensive and physical. So, if they can do that consistently in France it's hard to see anyone knocking them over, but Ireland have famously never made it past a World Cup quarterfinal and this year's edition may well be their toughest test yet. As well as that, they have big challenges in pool play against the Springboks and Scotland.

Key player: Johnny Sexton

Coach: Andy Farrell

Springboks

The defending world champions come in off the back of an up and down 2023 season, but all the tinkering that's been done with their lineup certainly feels more like a plan than a side scrambling around looking for answers. The Boks will certainly not get the friendly draw that they lucked into four years ago, so will have to rely on their unsurprising brand of game play to work well at the front end of games. They have very good attacking players but haven't really shown that they have it in them to chase down teams, with their much-vaunted bench impact there to protect leads instead.

Key player: Siya Kolisi

Coach: Jacques Nienaber

Wallabies

The Aussies seem to be in a land of confusion at the moment, with the appointment of Eddie Jones looking more like a gamble gone wrong (at least for this World Cup cycle). The talk about the Wallabies leading in has been more about who they haven't picked and the games they haven't won, but the upside is they're certainly one of the more smartly dressed teams at the tournament. The other, more important, thing is that they have been gifted a draw as soft as a bowl of icecream left out in the sun, so much so they could realistically make a semifinal.

Key player: Carter Gordon

Coach: Eddie Jones

Scotland

This is no joke: the Scots have the ability to completely flip the World Cup on its head before the quarterfinals even happen. Yes, it'd be an upset if they beat Ireland or the Springboks in their pool, but it's certainly not impossible, given how well they showed they can play when they pushed the All Blacks all the way last year at Murrayfield. The key issue with the Scots is that they need to find some real mongrel to compete up front with the other top sides, because they certainly can cut loose when they get some front football.

Key player: Finn Russell

Coach: Gregor Townsend

Pumas

Argentina haven't had much chat about them this year, however, they certainly have the ability to top their pool if they can find the right form at the right time. Los Pumas are a very well rounded team that can play both an attacking and conservative style, but they will need to reclaim their defensive intensity that made history in Christchurch last year if they are to be a force at this World Cup.

Key player: Pablo Matera

Coach: Michael Cheika

Fiji

There's been a lot of talk about the firepower in this Fijian side, but they need to consistently perform if they're going to have any chance. Last weekend's stunning upset of England at Twickenham has certainly made the rugby world sit up and take notice.

Key player: Waisea Nayacalevu

Coach: Simon Raiwalui

England

Not far behind the Wallabies in the disarray stakes is England, who also have a very friendly run of fixtures to offset their poor form and litany of discipline issues. Still, you'd be foolish to write them off as they are a side that suits tournament play - as in, they inherently know how to win ugly if they need to. There's little expectation on them from the public in England given how uninspiring they've been lately, with most of the attention being on Owen Farrell's inability to tackle legally.

Key player: Courtney Lawes

Coach: Steve Borthwick

The Rest

Wales - Even the return of Warren Gatland hasn't been able to arrest the sharp and sad decline in Welsh rugby, with serious fears that they might not even make it out of their pool.

Manu Samoa - The Samoans come in with the former All Blacks they've been asking for, but time will tell whether that's the answer to the issues facing Pacific Island rugby. They will need to knock over two of England, Argentina and Japan to get out of their pool, not unthinkable because they almost beat Ireland last weekend.

Tonga - The other team in the so-called Group Of Death, the Tongans have assembled a very strong squad. But it will be a very tough ask to get over Ireland, Scotland and the Springboks. They will provide a very tough game for whoever the All Blacks end up playing in a quarterfinal shortly after, though.

Italy - Who did Italian Rugby annoy so much that they always seem to draw the All Blacks in pool play at every World Cup? There is a lot of buzz about this side, but there is little chance of them getting any further than an exit at the first possible opportunity.

Georgia - The story of how rugby became a major sport in the former Soviet republic is an interesting one, and the team itself has a chance to be an interesting component of their pool given how poor the Wallabies and Wales have been lately.

Uruguay, Namibia, Romania, Portugal, Chile - thanks for coming, guys.