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While there has been plenty of excellent rugby over the past three weekends, with Wales nearly pulling off an historic win against the All Blacks, Ireland out-muscling South Africa and France dominating Australia, no single nation has really announced itself as the dominating force in world rugby.

Bragging results are still to be won or lost but, thankfully, the best has been saved for last.

Two matches stand out this Saturday that will go a long way to revealing the current pecking order in world rugby: France v New Zealand at the Stade de France, and England v Australia at Twickenham.

These are the same four teams that contested the semi-finals of last year's World Cup and, with no disrespect to South Africa (this year's Tri Nations champions), the standard-bearers for northern and southern hemisphere rugby in recent times.

It is a sign of these wonderful times that it is almost impossible to pick the winners from these two games, although home advantage will count for a lot.

After an exceptional victory over Australia two weeks ago suggesting Laporte's men had arrived as serious heavyweights, France then revealed all the inconsistency of old by allowing a scrapping Argentina to comprehensively beat them in Marseille last weekend.

It must have had French rugby fans tearing their hair out.

One minute the most cold-blooded and ruthless team on the planet, combining the best of the northern hemisphere (a physical and disciplined pack) with an expansive running game and traditional Gallic flair, the next a bunch of clueless schoolboys, whingeing about the wind and unable to put Plan B into action.

The All Blacks know only one style of rugby themselves, but they are very good at it: Explosive speed and wondrous handling skills make their back line the most feared in world rugby, but they currently do not have a forward pack to complement it.

Against Wales last week, they very nearly lost a kamikaze-style game of attacking rugby, and both attack and defence will have to be more polished if they want to avoid the same fate that befell Australia at the Stade de France two weeks ago.

Two months ago England were in disarray.

By August, the descent that was to be expected after the World Cup peak was summited last November had turned into more of a freefall.

With players dropping like flies through injury and retirement, a miserable Six Nations, and Sir Clive Woodward running out of motivation, drastic change was in order.

Enter Robinsons #1 and #2... Andy has assumed the managerial reigns with aplomb, having been instrumental in England's coaching set-up during the Woodward era, while Jason's unbelievable trajectory in rugby union shows no sign of a dip.

In Wilkinson's absence, Jason Robinson is an inspired choice as captain. He is a leader by example and his form looks all the better for his sitting out the summer tour of New Zealand and Australia.

A regulation 70-0 thrashing of Canada paved the way for a similairly impressive 32-16 destruction of South Africa at Twickenham last Saturday, and the manner of both victories came as a breath of fresh air after the pragmatic 'winning is everything' philosophy Robinson's predecessor.

Australia, by contrast, have not hit the heights expected of them so far in November.

Despite two relatively easy wins over Scotland, the 27-14 loss to France came as more of a blow than Eddie Jones is letting on. The simple fact is that they were outgunned and outmuscled at the Stade de France.

Unless Australia's front five can impose themselves on their English counterparts, and George Smith can win every loose ball on offer without conceding penalties, Australia will struggle to release their talented backs.