KEY POINTS:
NANTES - World Cup winning All Blacks great Michael Jones believes the current New Zealand team have the ability to emulate the side he played in and lift the Webb Ellis trophy at this year's tournament in France.
Despite their status as a rugby superpower, New Zealand have won just one of the five previous World Cups - when they triumphed on home soil in the inaugural edition in 1987.
The All Blacks entered this tournament as favourites and everything they've done so far, including a 40-0 rout of Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday, has done nothing to detract from that status as they prepare for a quarter-final which could see them face France in Cardiff.
Jones, a flanker in that New Zealand team of 20 years ago, said: "I definitely like what I see. I can see them potentially going all the way.
"What France did on Friday (beating Ireland 25-3 in a match that revived their last eight hopes) I don't think the All Black camp would have been surprised by what France did because France have the ability to play like that.
"The All Blacks campaign is obviously very much on track but they will be keeping a close eye on the likes of the French and the Springboks."
Jones, who will be standing down as Samoa coach after the World Cup, was speaking after the Pacific Islanders' 44-22 defeat against England here on Saturday which ended his team's hopes of a place in the second round of the competition.
"We threw everything at them plus the kitchen sink and they withstood that really well," Jones said of England.
"They absorbed it and again showed their class and professionalism by being that ruthless to score 20 points in the last 10 minutes. I think there are signs definitely that England are on the way back.
"That was a big step-up for them from that last performance (a record 36-0 World Cup defeat against South Africa).
"That was the best England team that's been put out, I believe on tour so far. Once the juggernaut starts to get that momentum, you've got to be really disciplined to stop that momentum."
England face surprise package Tonga in a winner-takes-all match for a quarterfinal spot out of pool A alongside South Africa at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Friday.
- AFP
