Australian fans head into the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup for the first time without a team to support after the Wallabies' group stages exit.
Eddie Jones’ men nearly pulled off the great escape, with Portugal’s win not enough to see them sneak into the final eight as Fiji advanced on a tie-breaker.
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Whilst the Wallabies World Cup dream is over, the remaining eight teams dream of hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup, setting up an exciting three weeks of Rugby.
From defending champions to potential history makers, there are plenty of storylines to follow as the action ramps up.
With this in mind, rugby.com.au breaks down each contender and pitches the case for why Pool-by-Pool
France has embraced the World Cup like no idea and has the team capable of claiming their first World Cup title.
They opened the tournament with a tough win over three-time champions New Zealand and have cruised through the group stages to top Pool A.
The prevailing storyline for the French is the fitness of Antoine Dupont, who suffered a facial fracture during their win over Namibia. Dupont has been cleared to return to training and will provide a major boost if fit.
The potential of the superstar scrum half wearing a phantom-like mask guiding France through the tournament only adds to the drama and narrative as they face South Africa in the quarter-finals.
This feels like half a decade in the making and if France can do it, the scenes at the Stade de France and wider Paris will be electric when they hoist the trophy.
The All Blacks look to be peaking at the right time for a shot at their fourth title. They stumbled against France but have exploded out of the gates with convincing wins in their past three games.
A date with world number one Ireland awaits, the team that shocked them in 2022 on home soil. The Kiwis have talked about how much that defeat hurt them and they’ll be out for revenge in Saint-Denis.
If they are successful, the draw opens up for them to make a serious run to the final as Ian Foster looks to end his tenure with a title.
Super Rugby Pacific organisers will be sweating on a strong result for the Kiwis. If they can take out the tournament, it only strengthens the prestige amid the growing European competitions along with adding another layer to next year's Bledisloe
No team has enjoyed a better run of form than Ireland over the past 18 months.
They have built an impressive CV throughout the tournament, knocking off South Africa and Scotland to thrive in the supposed ‘Group of Death’ to the delight of a swarm of Irish fans.
Ireland have never made it past the quarter-finals and the All Blacks are a daunting task, if not a familiar one. Their 2-1 series win in New Zealand kick-started this near-perfect run of form, having not lost since that opening Test in last July.
Andy Farrell’s side has the potential to do something special. If they claim the (potential) scalps of New Zealand, Wales and France, they would’ve run the ultimate gauntlet, defeating six of the top seven sides in the world and no one could deny their credentials as one of the best sides in World Cup history.
Also from an Australian perspective, Mack Hansen has been killing it on the wing since making the move from the Brumbies and has quickly become a cult hero.
The Springboks have mirrored their 2019 campaign, dropping a game to a red-hot favourite before building into the tournament.
The South Africans are stacked with big-game experience and it will come in handy when dealing with the hosts France at the Stade de France.
They are enjoying the best of both worlds: playing their club football in the northern hemisphere whilst still in the Rugby Championship and it shows in their game style.
Jacques Nienaber’s side has the potential to create history as the first team to go back-to-back at World Cups.
With a win, the Springboks dynasty will go down as the greatest of all time and captain Siya Kolisi will be cemented as one of the greatest leaders in modern sport.
Wales has slowly turned into a powerhouse under Warren Gatland in this tournament.
They have gone through the pool stages undefeated, only threatened late in their opener against Fiji.
Wales will fancy their chances of making the semi-finals once again as they take on Argentina, a team they enjoy considerable success against.
From there, it’s anyone’s game as their blend of youth and experience takes the World Cup by storm.
Expect them to surprise a few people if they can get through Argentina.
For the majority of fans, Fiji is everyone’s second team thanks to their infectious attitude and joyous style of Rugby.
They are such an easy team to get behind and have quickly become national superstars, in similar vain to the Sevens stars in 2016.
Simon Raiwalui has added the tweaks and polish necessary to turn the Fijians from excitement machines to legitimate world beaters, showcased in their wins over England and Australia.
Whilst they have stumbled in their past two games, there’s a real toughness within this side that has been missing in past campaigns, replicating their efforts in 2007.
They'll enjoy entering the quarter-finals with no expectations against the English, an opposition whom they got the better of two months ago.
On the 20th anniversary of their first triumph, Steve Borthwick and the English side will look to bring the World Cup back to the ‘home of Rugby.’
Borthwick’s team haven’t been pretty in the group stages but they have been effective. They’ve come under criticism for their style of play but the masterclass of tactics against Argentina showed they can play the type of Rugby that often delivers results in knock-out games.
It’s been a remarkable recovery for a side that delivered mixed results leading into the tournament, headlined by their loss to Fiji.
As they prepare for a rematch, the presence of Owen Farrell will have a calming effect on the squad.
They will draw on all the players left from 2019 for experience in the big games.
Michael Cheika returns to the quarter-finals four years on from 2019 with a new team and reinforced style of play.
Argentina have basically been playing knockout football since their loss to England, including a great win over Japan.
The Pumas are World Cup specialists, often flying under the radar and finding themselves in the semi-finals.
They’ll fancy their chances against Wales, learning from their seven point defeat last year that saw the Welsh race out to an early lead.
The wave of passionate Argentinean fans that will descend on Marseille will only boost their chances.
