It's a funny time in rugby at the moment because there is no rugby being played on an international level. And in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup, everyone is loving their team.

I'm looking at all the goodwill stories and everything that is being done out there. Everyone has their team up on a pedestal, but at the end of the day there is only one team that is going to win the tournament and there's going to be a whole bunch of players smashed from their pedestals who will, ultimately, go home with their tails between their legs. That's when the drama will start. But there are excuses already that are starting to come out.

Wales are getting injuries, and that is obvious.

England are having selections questioned.

South Africa have got politics in their background, they always have.

Australia are just an enigma, that's the way Australians have always been.

Ireland's history has always been against them.

And France? Well they're French and that's enough of an excuse for them. If any team fitted the Forrest Gump quote about the box of chocolates it is them because on any given day you do not know what is going to turn up.

Julian Savea, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read know a nation expects nothing less than victory © Getty Images

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New Zealand are the only team that hasn't come out with an excuse. They don't have any, and nobody hides behind excuses.

If the worst were to happen then New Zealand would fall the hardest, onto a slab of concrete. And the people who are loving them up now are the people who will kick them when they are down. So my advice would be to the All Blacks not to get sucked in, to be wary of the wolf in little girl's clothing or whatever, because you're there for a job and everyone trying to be your friend will let you know if you don't do that job.

Been there, done that. Bought the T-shirt, have several T-shirts.

Looking at the rugby side of it, obviously the opening game, Fiji vs England, is going to be exciting.

What the Pacific nations bring to a World Cup is fantastic; England are expected to win and all the rest of it, but just the 'what-ifs' associated with the Pacific teams is intriguing. What are Fiji going to bring? What are Tonga going to bring? What are Samoa going to bring?

Everyone's second team is probably a Pacific nation because the Islanders don't have a lot but they have the best rugby players in the world when it comes to body shape and athleticism; they are the perfect specimens for playing rugby.

And they play rugby for the right reasons. They don't grow up wanting to be a professional and earning lots of money that comes with it. They throw a ball around; that's what they do. On their day off they'll go and throw a ball around. They play rugby because they love the game.

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Fijians love to play with ball in hand © Getty Images

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It will be interesting to see how England fare against Fiji. England have got a very tough road in a tough pool, and that will be a great opening game. Fiji can go toe-to-toe for 40 minutes, and they can create something from nothing, but they will be exposed in the set-pieces. They'll have their frailties and they won't want to get into a slog fest or an arm wrestle. But watch out if they can draw England into an open, running game.

Fiji to shock England?

Maybe not in terms of the result, but there has been drama at every other World Cup and sure enough there is going to be drama in this one. Like I mentioned earlier, there will be teams that bow out unexpectedly in the pool stages, and the quarter-finals, and the whole rugby world is looking forward to a really tough World Cup; and I've already put notices on our office door that work hours may be a little random on game days.

It is going to be really interesting to see how Argentina fare in their opening game against the All Blacks.

You can see that the New Zealand players are all over the promotional stuff; they just want to play. Getting out there and getting the first game underway is a big moment, and someone like Argentina, who are the toughest game they are going to have in the pool and who made their mark earlier in the year, will make it interesting.

The Pumas posted two tries from driven mauls in their Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks in Christchurch so we'd expect them to kick to the corners and want to take us on there. They'll want to do a lot more mauling. But I am 100% sure that is one area the All Blacks will have done their homework so there'll be no surprises.

We have said many times before that the All Blacks turn up, and how they perform ensures the outcome is up to them. They go into the World Cup as favourites, but that means nothing. It's one game at a time.