I've been asked if I think Australia can win this World Cup and I have to say that I do. However, I didn't think the same way 12 months ago.

A pattern that has emerged is that teams with a four-year cycle or four-year view can come into a World Cup very strong, even if the coach is changed mid-cycle.

I believe that the Southern Hemisphere teams have been able to do that better that the Northern Hemisphere sides, with the notable exception of France.

To digress for a moment, the resting of players for tournaments and tours has become a very difficult issue for all unions. The only real money in the game comes from these international test matches that can sell out the bigger stadiums around the world. The vast majority of that money goes towards the running of the game, not to the players.

The environment to play young players is therefore increasingly more difficult. Australia have said they will no longer accept touring parties that have left their best players at home. New Zealand have found it easiest to manage, because they have great depth.

The teams that have 30-plus players at close to test level have been the teams that look able to win the Webb Ellis Trophy. This is due to the internal pressure for positions and the coaches' freedom to interchange players without a decline in performance.

The Australians have unearthed a productive combination within the squad. If you look back less than a year ago the Australian media were calling for the head of the captain George Gregan. When John Connolly took over as head coach from Eddie Jones, his strategy was not to oppose the media.

People who had been looking at the team knew that it was not Gregan, but that the combination of the eight forwards that was the problem.

Connolly, however, played three other players at nine in test matches and eventually it proved that Gregan was not the issue at all - and, in fact was the best player to play in that position. It took a long time, but eventually the media called for Gregan's reinstatement and Connolly did that. Now, Gregan, who is back in as captain because Stirling Mortlock is out injured, is central to the way Australia play the game.

Gregan gives width to Stephen Larkham at outhalf. Larkham then goes straight and throws another long pass to Matt Giteau and most of the moves are played off Giteau, where he is out wide and where there are fewer defenders.

Australia are also very strong with their outside backs and if you look around the park you will see Mortlock, Lote Tuqiri and Chris Latham. They are all very big guys, all of them over 6ft 3in.

The engine to create the platform for those players are "The Pigs", as the forwards are known in Australia. This current pack had its genesis at the time close to when Jones was being sacked. Jones was sacked for not getting the results, but what he did do was to blood players.

That has become a huge dilemma for coaches now as they try to build sides and also try and get results. It is a balancing act in which the coach needs support from the employees' home union. Jones did not get it in Australia.

But Australia is reaping the reward of Jones' development. It takes 20 to 30 games for a player to be really comfortable at test match level. That equates to about two to three years.

The players have to be comfortable with the environment. It also takes this period of time for international standard fitness levels to be reached, especially with individual power scores.

And their mental strength is also developed so they can deal competently in the international environment. Australia is now the personification of that goal.

The second part of the Australian revival has come from dismantling the highly structured game that was there in the past. Jones had many good assets as a coach, but he was too controlling and structured.

As a result Australia became too predictable and shackled. So the creative part of their natural game was diminished. Some suggest Ireland are currently suffering the same illness.

We now see the Wallabies playing more openly, creating opportunities and being unpredictable. For a long time, that was not the case.

Part of their psyche is that they are very comfortable in World Cup competition. Knowing how to perform when a team gets here is crucial. The Wallabies are littered with World Cup medal winners and finalists. That is not the case with New Zealand.

They have been at their best between World Cups and their performances at previous competitions have been questionable. None of the New Zealand players or staff have had any "winning" world cup experiences. However, their performances to date have been flawless. For the moment, though, there is no evidence in the Northern Hemisphere sides that they have yet got that four-year cycle working correctly.