NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, 9 Oct – So here we go again: New Zealand heading off to Cardiff for a Rugby World Cup quarter-final. It could even be against France, depending on the outcome of their Pool D encounter with Ireland on Sunday, which would make the last-eight tie at the Millennium Stadium a week from now a repeat of the Cardiff quarter-final eight years ago in which the All Black class of 2007 stunningly came to grief.
For the time being, Steve Hansen has reason to be satisfied that his charges are peaking with promising timing, having cast off some of the rust evident in their opening three matches and in the first 40 minutes of their final Pool C game against Tonga. In front of a sell-out 50,985 crowd at St James’ Park they sprinkled some All Black magic in the second 40 minutes of a contest that ended in a resounding 47-9 victory.
