Wayne Shelford at Rugby World Cup 2011: Argentina tough but they'll be off home

Graham Henry. Photo / Christine Cornege

We've reached the spine-tingling stage of the World Cup and although I'm not a fan of the knockout concept, it will be a fascinating weekend as teams realise they could soon be on the plane home.

In some of the All Blacks' cases - and certainly for coach Graham Henry - the quarter-finals will be more a case of taking a car home, although that isn't going to happen just yet.

The match between New Zealand and Argentina is the easiest to predict, although the Pumas may hang in there better than many expect.

Here are my quarter-final tips.

France to beat England

England didn't play well against Scotland and are so pre-programmed that, unlike the French, they don't have options to turn to. Marc Lievremont has tried to coach the flair out of his players, but I believe those instincts still lie within whereas England have gone down this route for so many years that they are unable to change. Lievremont, who is dealing with internal dissatisfaction, has told the team to play for themselves. He may have released the handbrake and pushed just the right motivational button. As awful as France have been, they still have a big game in them.

Wales to beat Ireland

People suggest Wales could match their great sides of the 1970s and while I wouldn't go that far, it is probably the best Welsh side for some time. They are energetic and should run Ireland ragged in the end. Ireland weren't really tested, even by Australia, so could be caught unawares, while Wales have the experience of a clash with South Africa and dealing with the tough Samoans. Ireland are defensively weak around first five-eighths Ronan O'Gara and the inside centre channel, so expect a lot of traffic to truck there led by Jamie Roberts.

South Africa to beat Australia

I'm letting my heart rule here - I want the Springboks to win because they won't beat the All Blacks in the semifinal. The head says Australia - they have the wood on the South Africans, who can't veer away from their game plan. The Springboks will try to use their big old forwards to bash them up front and hope Morne Steyn kicks the goals. South Africa could struggle in the final stages if Australia run them around. As a tip, you can look at a weakened All Black team's loss in South Africa, where we got a try and butchered three try-scoring opportunities while they kicked goals.

New Zealand to beat Argentina

The All Blacks are a 30 per cent better team and will be too quick for Argentina. Will Richie McCaw be a late withdrawal again? The All Blacks aren't the same without him. Even if McCaw starts, they might pull him off early to save the bad foot. If McCaw is missing or doubtful, and with Dan Carter gone, I would want Mils Muliaina's experience for the semifinal. Argentina aren't the team they were in 2007, but remain awkward opponents.