Emboldened youth, wounded pride, stalwart defence and strength in depth inspire Wales, France, Australia and New Zealand to the semis...
Wales have been showered in praise following their imposing 22-10 quarter-final win over Ireland, a performance built around a two-pronged defensive tactic they will likely stick to moving forward.
It is difficult to know exactly what to make of France at this tournament. They appear to be a bipolar outfit capable of winning through pure passion one day and losing with utter disinterest the next.
Australia tackled themselves to a standstill in their epic 11-9 win over South Africa. The committed performance showed the Wallabies are able to shelve their natural running game in favour of a tight and torrid arm wrestle when the situation demands it.
A week ago Aaron Cruden was watching RWC 2011 from his lounge room. Now it appears the 22-year-old playmaker will be handed the vast responsibility of guiding the All Blacks into the final.