1 Australia are in the ascendancy

Quade Cooper may be enjoying himself playing the pantomime baddie but Australia's stock continues to rise with a mature victory over Italy at the North Harbour Stadium. Italy are no pushovers these days (ask France), but after a first half spent sizing up the problem, Australia turned on the after-burners. Their performance was quite unlike that of the All Blacks on the opening night when the favourites were quick out of the blocks but then lost the plot. First-half problems against the Azzurri produced a mature response from Australia before three tries in eight minutes. James O'Connor was also back in the good books of coach Robbie Deans, getting on in the second half after his ban, but Cooper continues to play to the crowd here, tweeting about his post-match drugs test: "Apparently its random lol not convinced, because I'm public enemy number one."

2 Kiwis see the plus side for England

New Zealand jitters about England's performance suggest a rise in the home choke-factor, with some serious admiration for the tactics of Martin Johnson's men coming in unusual as well as usual places. On the television, Phil Kingsley Jones, father of the former Sale and Gloucester coach and one-time agent to Jonah Lomu, had great fun pointing out the pluses in the victory over Argentina, while Gregor Paul raved about the match in acres of space devoted to the World Cup in the Herald. "The brutality was thrilling as two massive packs lined each other up and had a go" wrote Paul, suggesting without a touch of irony: "This was the perfect antidote to the running, pass and catch rugby that was on tap earlier in the day."

3 Kiwis see the down side for England

England's plodding victory over Argentina is also generating negative headlines and articles, a sure sign that the locals reckon there is something to fear about the men in black, with England's alternative kit on Saturday going hardly down well here. "Dress Like Tarzan, Play Like Jane" exclaimed the Dominion Post in Wellington. "Maybe Adidas's [the All Blacks' kit supplier] production standards are as high as their prices. The Nike jerseys worn by England not only looked a pale imitation, but were falling apart all over the place." No mention of Sonny Bill Williams' shredded sleeve.

4 The minnows can provide a scare

After three days of rugby, one thing is apparent. Yesterday's minnow are no longer pushovers and New Zealand has been quick to applaud the performances of Romania, Fiji, Namibia, Romania and Japan, who the All Blacks meet in Hamilton on Friday. Given that Japan have only previously won once in 21 World Cup appearances, they are not expected to make it two, but their performance against France impressed guys like Tana Umaga. "I was struck by the way the lesser-fancied sides stood up in their opening matches," said the long-time All Black captain. "Romania had an impressive set of forwads, Japan were relentless against France, Namibia never let up and, of course, Tonga gave the All Blacks plenty to think about." Umaga also waded into the national argument about who should play in the New Zealand midfield: "I'm sure Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith are still the prime midfield partnership," said Umaga, before adding that he "liked what he saw when the coaches picked Sonny Bill Williams to start."

5 Lievremont still can't get best out of France

We all know Marc Lièvremont is on his way out but the France coach continues to give ample evidence of why he cannot get the best out of the considerable talent he has available. Plain speaking is fine, and a coach telling the truth is even better, but he has to take care not to damage brittle egos so early in a tournament. Lièvremont has obviously learned the lessons of the defeat by Italy in the Six Nations because, this time, he did not accuse his players of cowardice. However, he must have irritated his influential No8, complaining that Imanol Harinordoquy had not taken the match seriously enough. Lièvremont even admitted that when the Japanese pulled the score back to within four points, he contemplated a shock defeat. Something might have been lost in translation but if true, his words are hardly likely to impress a squad which, he knows, can become easily disaffected.