Haven't the All Blacks made the semi-finals in the last 4 WC's? I know it's not to the standards they hold down in NZ, but that's far from dismal. I haven't been watching long, but from what I've seen, they seem to be a step above all but 2 or 3 teams. I'm only saying 2 because France plays well with home field advantage and Australia is pretty nasty from what I've seen. I'm looking forward to it. Loving the sport.