The fourth Rugby World Cup is fast approaching and for a moment I think back over the previous three. From these, there is one image from each game indelibly printed in my mind.

The first is the 1987 captain David Kirk holding aloft the William Webb Ellis trophy with a smile a mile wide. The second was standing on the terrace at Lansdowne Road in 1991, at the start of my Garryowen sojourn, with a fellow Kiwi second rower,

Richard Knight from Otago (Wesley). Richard was two metres away from me and 15 minutes into the semi-final against Australia we turned to each other and gave a rueful shake of the head. Somehow we both knew that, on that day, the All Blacks would not be making it through to the final.

At the third World Cup I will never forget sitting at Ellis Park and thinking time had stopped as Joel Stransky, the Springbok outhalf, lined up and then drop kicked a goal in extra-time that united one nation and sent another into despair.

Now to this year. Again all New Zealanders hope and pray, and I do mean pray as rugby is a religion to many, that this year's image of the World Cup is akin to my first thought and not the latter two. Will it be final glory at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff in early November? Who knows, but in assessing whether it is likely, we need to look back to 1998 and then come forward.

Last year was, without doubt, the worst year in All Black history. The All Blacks hosted a third string English outfit as a warm-up for the Tri-Nations. They accounted for the tourists in two Tests, but the manner and style of these victories were the first warning signs that all was not well in All Black rugby. By the end of the season the Tri Nations title and the Bledisloe Cup had gone as the All Blacks lost five Test matches on the trot. Unheard of!

If past All Black history was anything to go by, heads must roll and the cutting knives were well and truly sharpened. Coach John Hart went to a meeting in Wellington fully expecting to lose his job. It was possibly only the fact that there was no ready successor (Graham Henry was already firing up the Welsh dragon) that allowed Hart to retain his position. He was instructed to be more hands on in his approach and to trim his management and coaching staff. I would suggest he was also told to "bring home the bacon" in 1999.

World Cup year started with a fresh, fit and rejuvenated squad as the All Blacks didn't tour at the end of 1998. Forty or so players underwent fitness tests and those who passed joined the SAS for a few days of army style training. Two noticeable absentees were Jonah Lomu and Isitola Maka. The latter had shown much promise in the heart-breaking loss to South Africa in Durban the year before. These two were deemed not fit enough to derive any benefit from the camp!

The Super 12 came and went with Otago and Canterbury both winning away semi-finals, and Canterbury going on to win the final in Dunedin. Following the Super 12, the All Black squad for the first part of 1999 was to be named. For players, being named in the World Cup squad at the end of August was their number one priority. However, making the squad for the home internationals against Manu Samoa and France as well as the Tri Nations that followed was definitely a step in the right direction.

For the rugby-mad populace there would be answers to many of the questions that had been the talk of the previous seven months: Would Taine Randell stay as captain and would he play at number eight or blind-side? Jeff Wilson or Christian Cullen at full back? What of Lomu? Had the midfield pairing to replace Walter Little and Frank Bunce been found? Would Hart pick on form or stay loyal to the older brigade?

On the playing front, there was one burning question awaiting an answer: Did the All Blacks still have the desire, the passion and, above all, the total fear of losing that in the past helped create the All Black legend? Or had money, endorsements and a professional sportsman's lifestyle dulled that edge?

The questions were soon answered to varying degrees. Taine Randell kept the captaincy and was positioned at number eight. He seemed more assured of his place in the team and played well. Jeff Wilson was moved to full back with Cullen on one wing and Tana Umaga on the other. This meant that the All Blacks were starting without the incomparable Lomu! He was confined to the bench and brought on as an impact player in the second half. Some luxury!

The midfield pairing settled upon was Alama Ieremia and Daryl Gibson and while steady, they haven't set the world or the potent back three on fire on too many occasions. In the tight, the Otago front row of Kees Meews, Anton Oliver and Carl Hoeft got the nod and came on well, holding the much vaunted Springboks in both Tests. The blindside flanker role remained a problem with neither Andrew Blowers nor Dylan Mika displaying consistent form.

THE "find" of the season has undoubtedly been Norm Maxwell in the second row. Hailing from Northland but playing for Canterbury, Maxwell is as rough and as hard as an uncut diamond. He showed a blatant disregard for his own safety as he charged relentlessly into rucks and mauls. He stormed around the pitch and won his own lineout ball with ease. His enthusiasm was infectious.

The All Blacks won the first five internationals and the Tri-Nations battle in the process. The ship was righted and was well on course towards the ultimate aim. . . . The confident All Blacks headed to Sydney in late August needing to beat Australia to regain the Bledisloe Cup and have a clean sweep for the domestic season. One problem - no one told the Aussies. The All Blacks wilted under a green and gold storm to suffer their biggest ever Test loss.

Many are saying this is a timely reminder, but this will only be the case if the lessons are learned. Desire, enthusiasm, skill, defence and front row dominance, rather than confidence, win the big games. And so to the Rugby World Cup itself. In six weeks from now we will all know who is the dominant nation in rugby.

For the All Blacks the 30-man squad has been named. The elaborate plan was for them to leave New Zealand in a plane adorned with a huge All Black logo and an 11-metre high graphic of the front row on the fuselage. And their new adidas playing strip is being unveiled. But don't be surprised if there are some team changes for their opening game against Tonga.

Hart is unlikely to have revealed his full hand at home and I, for one, would love to see Cullen at centre with the "big man" back on the wing. Who would want to defend against that? Another change may come in at number six with Rueben Thorne a likely replacement for Blowers and Mika.

As the tournament unfolds, a nation will hope and pray and hope some more that the All Blacks survive all the hype, the expectation, the referees and some highly skilled and determined opponents to allow us to savour a version of my first World Cup memory. This would allow us to reclaim that which so many of us think is ours - the mantle of World rugby champions.