Zinzan Brooke column

Let's not beat about the bush. Last weekend was an awful one for both New Zealand and Australia.

And for the All Blacks, it was devastating.

The players did not deliver or front up against France. They were there for 35 minutes and then just went to sleep.

It was schoolboy stuff. For four years we have been planning to play this style of rugby but we did not produce it when we needed to.

Between World Cups we always peak and trough and before this year's tournament I was saying surely we would not do that again.

But we are just writing the same headlines we did four years ago, only this time it is even worse because we are out in the quarter-finals. I just can't believe it.

It was a gutless performance. How do you get complacent in a game like that? I don't understand. This team was good enough but there is no hard edge about them.

They were not helped by the fact that they had an easy pool round, they were not battle-hardened, while the referee was awful.

The yellow card for Luke McAlister was a joke - and that is not sour grapes.

The coach Graham Henry is the guy that set the tone and he has paid the price. You live by the sword, then you die by it.

I believed what he was doing with the All Blacks was the right thing; two years ago we had a squad system and they played all the home nations and whacked every one of them.

It was a new thing then but maybe two years down the track it has worn off. To be honest it has backfired and there has been no consistency.

We have 30 great players but we do not have 30 mongrels that want to go to the wall.

They have been pandered for six months and wrapped up in cotton wool. Coaches have to put their best side out. The rotation plan has devalued the All Blacks jersey.

These players do not deserve the shirt for that match. I don't think they value the black jersey anymore.

On Saturday, it didn't look like they were playing with any passion or aggression - I could have gone out there and played.

As for England, they showed against Australia that if you can dominate up front, you can do something in the backs.

The forward platform that England got meant that Australia had to work a lot harder to get anywhere. They scored that try but England's defence and forward power meant that Australia were out-muscled.

That is just the quality the All Blacks lacked.

But now England must forget all about their win in the quarter-finals and I know they can produce against France.

The French were dreadful against New Zealand - it was just that the All Blacks lowered their standards.

I believe England can win - but they have to have the direction and the passion they showed against Australia.

They have to crawl off the field and mash anything in a blue jersey. Skills-wise I think France can beat them but if England are ruthless then they have a chance.

They must not allow France any loose ball while Jonny Wilkinson needs to slot his goals and give direction.

France won the World Cup warm-up games against England but the void has diminished - and the English have grown in confidence.

In the other semi-final South Africa take on Argentina, and I think the Pumas have run their course.

They have not played one of the big three southern hemisphere teams yet and I don't know if they have anything left in the tank.

Argentina should just rest this week, they have done all the dress rehearsals.

Scotland will be gutted after playing them at the weekend. They could have won it, if they had a few more guys with a bit more experience. It could have been a different story.

But South Africa will be mistaken if they think that they are going to beat Argentina by playing a kicking game. If they do that they will lose.

The way Argentine fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez is thumping those kicks downfield is phenomenal.

South Africa's best game was against England and I don't think they can get themselves up there again. They will be concerned at the way Fiji tested them.

For Argentina, the way they have had to muscle up every single game will take a toll.

And whatever they do, they must not starting thinking about the final.

Source: BBC Sport