Glorious one week, rubbish then next...according to their scribes. Coach Stuart Lancaster played completely different sides against France and claims he's still trying to work out his squad. World Cup winning openside Neil Back has publicly questioned captain Chris Robshaw's ability, criticising his breakdown work and passing skills. Ouch. But don't expect Robshaw to fire back. England have been given a 24-point guideline on social media use, including advice not to engage in online arguments or react after bad defeats.
England captain Chris Robshaw. Photo / Getty
Wales
Keep getting reminded that Aussie have beaten them 10 straight. Dropped prop Adam Jones has revealed he wrote a letter -- never sent -- to coach Warren Gatland last year which began: "Dear Warren, What the heck are you thinking? I can't believe you've dropped me. It's an absolute joke." Wales are always interesting.
Fiji
Their well travelled Kiwi coach John McKee has named his squad while one of their other former Kiwi coaches, Wayne Pivac, says the Pacific Cup champs will target their match against Wales, but Wales will be too strong. English World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson has described this as the toughest pool in tournament history and warned that England could be in trouble if Fiji get an early lead.
Uruguay
Things are not going well for the Pool of Death cannon fodder -- Uruguay were thrashed by Japan in Fukuoka. It is Uruguay's third appearance in the tournament, and just getting there will be their only victory.
POOL B
South Africa
SARU president Oregan Hoskins has called for 'Bok Fridays, when fans wear green in support of the team. "Heyneke Meyer and the team have my 100 per cent support," Hoskins said. Announcing his support hints at the complex political backdrop and divisions which do not make other teams green with envy.
Victor Matfield with the Springboks trophy for beating Argentina. Photo / Getty
Samoa
Oops. Went into camp on the island of Savai'i where -- according to one British media outlet -- they ate food cooked in an umu which was described as a "Maori oven". Samoa have made some big statements at World Cups, and tend to leave their talking until the tournament. As per usual, most of the pre-tournament focus is on the rugby powerbrokers. But the Samoan players have made peace with their administrators, according to a Herald on Sunday report, with a collective agreement in place.
Scotland
Have perked up slightly with a decent hit out against Ireland. Then they went and beat Italy, just. Still a long way from getting anyone excited about their chances. Coach Vern Cotter is said to be still experimenting -- there is a return match against Italy this weekend, and one warm-up game in France before the tournament.
Japan
Their New Zealand-born loose forward Michael Leitch, coming off an outstanding season for the Chiefs, has explained the conundrum which is rugby in Japan, who host the next World Cup.
"It's a bit weird as you have big corporate companies spending big dollars for players and yet rugby in Japan is still a minor sport -- Sonny Bill Williams was signed for a lot of money and his first game was played in front of a crowd of about 2,000 people," Leitch told the Gloucester Citizen.
USA
Tis the season when everybody warns each other about everybody else. Wallaby wing Rob Horne says they can't underestimate the Americans in a warm-up clash in Chicago on September 5. Let's face it though: if the Aussies lose that one, all hell will break loose. The Americans have just scored a big win over Canada.
New Zealand
Sunday is squad announcement day. A nation holds its breath.
A nation will be waiting on Steve Hansen's squad announcement. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Argentina
Surprise, surprise...headlines screamed there were no surprises in the Argentinian squad named by coach Daniel Hourcade. But then prop Matias Diaz -- who played for the Highlanders last year -- had to be replaced because of heart palpitations. Tests on Diaz are reported to be inconclusive. Everybody has been given a warning about the Pumas, following their historic win in South Africa.
Tonga
The Tongans have already set up camp at a school in Surrey, where local media report they have attended church and run a coaching session for players from local clubs.
Georgia
Talk about looking ahead. Georgia will also set up in Surrey and have already targeted the opening pool game against Tonga as make or break because they need two wins to qualify for Japan World Cup in 2019. Commenting on the club v country dilemma for smaller nations, their Kiwi coach Milton Haig told the Irish Times: "The difference between our guys or the (Fijian, Samoan and Tongans) is these boys really want to play for their country. I'm not saying the other guys don't but these guys will walk over coals to play for Georgia."
Namibia
The lowest ranked side at the tournament are heading to Durban for joint training sessions over three days with the Springboks. They endured a bizarre change of coach when Danie Vermeulen -- a former prop paralysed in a car accident 15 years ago -- surprisingly quit in June. He later claimed his preparations were being meddled with, that he was hit by accusations of racism, and even that his wheelchair was stolen. Technical analyst Phil Davies, a former Welsh lock, took over and Namibia has scored good wins over Russia and thrashed Zimbabwe last week.
POOL D
France
Are France simmering away for another World Cup upset? Photo / Getty
There's often one big question with a French sports side. Do they get on with their coach? And in rugby's case, does it matter? Some of their best rugby World Cup runs have come against a backdrop of internal ructions -- a little angst stirs the blood apparently. They almost beat the All Blacks in the 2011 Eden Park final when it was claimed players Dimitri Yachvili and Imanol Harinordoquy took over from Marc Lievremont. Current boss Philippe Saint-Andre departs after the World Cup and there's the feeling that something is simmering again. Results aren't great, but they got the better of the English pack in recent outings.
Ireland
Number two in the world. Six Nations champs. And nicely confident with it. Hooker Rory Best told the Belfast Telegraph: "I think the important thing is that we don't overestimate the talent in the southern hemisphere. I think there's a fair bit of talent in the northern hemisphere too. The last weekend of the Six Nations, if that had been produced in the Rugby Championship we'd have been talking about it for years and years."
Italy
Scotland have just scored their first win of 2015 against Italy, in Turin. The Italians were crushed by Wales at the end of the Six Nations. Their players also went on strike mid-year. Their prospects aren't looking great.
Canada
Another loss to the United States has dented confidence but captain Tyler Ardron says his team are aiming for at least two wins. Canadian rugby is on the move, with Government money allocated to expand its centre of excellence. There is talk of a North American league. But the life is not getting easier for the Word Cup ever-presents. Manager former player Gareth Rees told the Ottawa Citizen: "We're doing well for Canada, but the rest of the world has got a lot better. Globally, the game is really growing. A lot of places have professional leagues and facilities."
Romania
Beaten by Edinburgh last week, after which coach Lynn Howells said "I think this showed that we're in the middle of preparing for a World Cup. We haven't really done any team work." The fall of Communism hit Romanian rugby in the pocket, but it remains a reasonably popular game there and a mysterious curio from afar. You can only hope that teams like Romania don't get beat up too badly at the World Cup. Welshman Howells wants promotion-relegation playoffs in the Six Nations -- if this is really on any agenda then the match against Italy shapes as a big one for the Romanian Oaks.
