Top teams should have no problems this weekend

Apart from the French losing 17-12 to Argentina in the tournament's curtain raiser last night these early group matches amount to top teams enjoying run-outs before facing bigger games.

New Zealand, Australia and England find themselves in that situation as seven World Cup venues take centre stage.

England have once again lost Jonny Wilkinson, a source of huge frustration.

Jonny has featured in just seven of England's last 40 Test matches since the 2003 World Cup final, and while he remains a world-class player, his lack of matches is a concern.

I don't anticipate problems for England at Stade Felix-Bollaert, where they will be looking to establish some rhythm before Friday's showdown against South Africa.

Favourites New Zealand will also look for a good run-out against Italy, and it promises to be a useful test for them as the Italians are tough to crack.

Japan won't be good enough to threaten Australia , but these work-outs are important as they provide a chance for players to sharpen fitness and accuracy.

Wales are first in action tomorrow against Canada in Nantes. The Canadians have been talking things up, targeting a physical aspect to the game, but Wales will dominate.

The game that intrigues me most is tomorrow's South Africa v Samoa. The Springboks will

look to dominate the set-pieces, but if the game starts to get a bit loose, then Samoa have players who could take advantage. I anticipate a very physical encounter, with South Africa winning.

Scotland, who meet Portugal, and Ireland's clash against Namibia both fall into the category of run-outs.

The major challenges for Ireland will come later in the month, with France and Argentina both on their horizon. One of those teams - they are all ranked in the world's top six - will miss out on the quarter-finals.