After an auspicious start that saw the rugby league world champions and No.1 ranked team play out a classic 20-20 draw, the second round of the Four Nations tournament didn’t exactly play to script.

England and France were expected to be poles apart in class after the intensity of the New Zealand v Australia match. 

And despite the English coming back against the French late in their first match, it was considered a fait accompli that the ANZAC powers would fight it out in the final.

World champions New Zealand travelled to Toulouse in a match where even the flair of the Les Chanticleers was expected to have little impact against the physicality of the New Zealanders.

As against England, the French - the world's fifth-ranked nation – provided ample fight in the first half, again showing surprising mettle. They took the game to the Kiwis in the forwards and were only trailing 16-12 early in the second half.

However, the Kiwis ran riot in the last half hour, scoring a remarkable 46 points in the closing stages (including three tries in the last seven minutes) to give them an 11-try, 62-12 victory.

Despite that 50-point winning margin, by and large New Zealand were unhappy with their performance. Stephen Kearney, their coach and assistant of NRL premiers Melbourne Storm, felt  the Kiwis' poor first half was his fault.

But the players leapt to his defence, saying their performance had been a letdown. This solidarity is the main reason the world champions are making their mark on this tournament.

Iosia Soliola, the Kiwi back-row forward en-route to St Helens after this tournament, praised the squad’s team spirit and the concept of doing it for each other.

They play England this weekend in a game that will decide who moves through to the final.

Papua New Guinea will play in the 2010 Four Nations due to their Pacific Nations tournament win – replacing the French.

But France have shown, despite falling off in the second half against both England and New Zealand; that they have the ability to compete at the highest level.  For the sake of international rugby league legitimacy, the Tricolors need to keep receiving meaningful competition.

In the first half against England, the Kangaroos executed a 40-minute display that any coach would do well to record and show to his charges repeatedly.

It was as good a spell of attacking rugby league as anyone could hope to watch.

On paper, the Australian Test side is far beyond any team on the planet. As bold as it might sound, a collective World XV combining all the talents in the game would in theory struggle against the Kangaroos.

Surely if a team, or more to the point, backline was to be chosen by the Almighty, it would feature most of the Kangaroo backs. He would surely put Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston, Justin Hodges and Jarred Hayne in his XIII.

A five-tries-to-nil opening half saw the Australians run riot, and many believed the score would surpass the 52-4 drubbing England suffered against the Kangaroos in the 2008 World Cup.

But the second half saw an improved England come out and score three tries, revitalising the Wigan crowd. They also held Australia scoreless, further enhancing their credibility, and promoting the Kangaroos', shall we say, vulnerability.

New Zealand will play a strong team against England, although Steve Matai has been ruled out. Kieran Foran will be his replacement, the sixth debutant since the world champions began their campaign with their Tonga warm-up last month.

While the Kiwis have suffered a big injury toll, the hunger and ferocity of their youth has allowed them to make their impact in this tournament.

England have made three changes, bringing in Chris Bridge, Peter Fox and Kyle Eastmond. If they pull off an upset, they will eliminate the world champions from the competition.

In the other match, Australia have made a host of changes, but with their embarrassment of riches, they do not look any weaker. 

A case in point is Cooper Cronk, who has been recalled after a two-year Test absence, despite being one of the lynchpins of the all-conquering Melbourne Storm.

The Kangaroos should account for France, despite the fact that they have beaten Australia before. While the result may be all but guaranteed, it will be interesting to see whether the French can stay competitive at least for periods, as they did against New Zealand and England.

Round Three matches (Saturday): France v Australia @ Stade Charlety, Paris; England v New Zealand @ Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield.