Stuart Hogg: Ruthless and relentless Ireland can break the curse – they don’t fear the All Blacks any more

Ireland can soak up pressure and surge clear in transition to reach a first-ever Rugby World Cup semi-final, explains Stuart Hogg, but watch out for a fabulous France ready to dethrone South Africa

Ireland’s Johnny Sexton, left, and Tadhg Beirne celebrate against Scotland (AP)

I think it is absolutely tremendous that we’ve got four nations from the northern hemisphere in with a shot of the Rugby World Cup semi-finals. Everyone used to associate the World Cup with the southern hemisphere teams. They were the best of the best, and had been for generations. But international rugby is becoming more of a level playing field. The boys from the northern hemisphere are really starting to step up their game and show what they are about.

You always used to think that it was going to be New Zealand, South Africa or Australia who were going to win the World Cup. Now it is France and Ireland who are possibly the best teams in the competition.

We did learn a huge amount from the southern hemisphere and now it is about nullifying them, and getting better. The players in the northern hemisphere are making the game better to watch, and the Gallagher Premiership, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship (URC) have become tough leagues to play in. That is only going to make an international team stronger. It has made a massive difference over the past 10 years.

I remember being a kid and watching Super Rugby on Friday and Saturday mornings, waking up at the crack of dawn and absolutely loving it. Having played in the Premiership and what is now the URC, I truly believe that they are now the best team competitions.

You play in the Premiership and you are playing against Test match players week-in, week-out from a variety of different countries across the world. When you play in Europe, it’s then another step up. Games in the Champions Cup are the closest thing to a test match without playing internationally – and it is only getting tougher and tougher as the years go by.

Historically, you associated the southern hemisphere with attacking rugby and, for a while, in the northern hemisphere it was purely about defence. Now there is a more all-round game. The sport is ever-changing and it is whichever sides or countries that adapt to the new way of thinking or law changes that are successful.

Some of the smartest rugby players and coaches in the world are in the UK, Ireland and France, and that has made a massive difference in how the game is being looked at. Every team is going about trying to build their own identity, and I think it is brilliant for the game and this World Cup.

I’ve never been as unsure about anything in my life as I am about the semi-final line-up – but I think the winner comes from the game between France and South Africa.

Antoine Dupont is a gutsy, tough little guy and I think he will thrive leading from the front. He’ll never have played in a bigger game of rugby, and he has the ability to have a massive impact and influence on how this game goes. The hosts will want a loose, broken-up game in which they can show their talents. South Africa will try to squeeze the life out of them. If France can break down that defence, I think they will go on to win the World Cup.

That said, I was at the Stade de France last week and the Ireland fans were the best I’ve ever come across. It felt like a home game – I’ve played against Irish sides and national teams a lot, and there’s never been an atmosphere like what we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks.

France's scrum-half Antoine Dupont attends a training session on Wednesday at the Stade du Parc in Rueil-Malamaison (AFP)

They will make a massive difference against New Zealand, who Ireland will not fear at all, with Hugo Keenan at full-back vital to the Irish gameplan. They were ruthless, relentless and clinical against Scotland: they defended for 18 phases early on and Scotland weren’t going anywhere. Then Ireland won a scrum penalty, kicked it 40m downfield and from the set-piece attack ended up scoring.

To back up defending for so long with that clinical edge in attack shows the all-round game Ireland can produce. They will have to have that edge against New Zealand, though – you can never, ever write off the All Blacks.

Smith selection hints at England’s strategy against Fiji

Does the selection of Marcus Smith at full-back suggest that England are going to play a little bit more against Fiji? I really hope so. I love the fact that he’s getting a shot in the knockout stages.

To me, it shows England’s gameplan. They want to play this week because they know they have to. They can’t afford to sit back and just kick, playing monotonous rugby, because if you kick loosely to the Fijians, they will punish you.

If you look at the dynamic of playing George Ford and Owen Farrell together, it is very kicking-orientated: low risk, low reward. I didn’t think England could lose to a team like Fiji, but I think they learned from the defeat at Twickenham that, if their kicking game wasn’t on the money, they could be in danger.

Marcus Smith is set to start for England against Fiji (PA)

Smith has played at full-back in a few games now and offered a bit of impact. He brings something completely different to what others brings, a bit of X-factor. You still have the dynamic of the two No 10s playing together, but Smith brings something different to Ford and Farrell. They are all incredible rugby players in their own right, but everyone wants to see attacking rugby; Marcus Smith offers exactly that.

He’s a brilliant broken-field runner, a naturally gifted rugby player who has got the confidence to take on players. He’s not been used at full-back for his club Harlequins, but how many times have we seen him spark a great try on the counterattack? I’m really excited to see how he goes.

Stuart Hogg is the record try scorer and former captain of Scotland who announced his retirement from rugby in July