With six of the eight quarter finalists already decided - Australia, Ireland, France, England, New Zealand and Wales – Saturday, November 1 looms as D-day for another four sides, with second place in Pools B and C still up for grabs.
With France assured of top spot in Pool B, Scotland and Fiji will vie for second place in the pool at Aussie Stadium in Sydney.
Later that same night, Samoa and South Africa will fight it out at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for the remaining quarter final spot behind England in Pool C.
While all four contenders have had previous RWC experience in the last eight, that will count for little when they go head to head in do-or-die games.
The contenders - Pool B
Scotland slowly but surely
Scotland will be disappointed with anything less than a quarter final appearance after making it to the last eight in the previous four Rugby World Cups.
After a slow start in their first-up 32-11 win over Japan, Scotland moved up a gear recording a solid 39-15 win over USA.
But the Scots hopes for a top eight finish were brought back to earth with a thud in their last outing against France, the Tri Colores topping the half-century mark in their 42-point win.
With the winner assured of an extra week at the Tournament, Scotland captain Bryan Redpath declared his side wouldn’t need any extra motivation for the sudden death match against Fiji.
“(It) is a massive one-off game, whoever wins goes through (to the Quarter Finals), that is a big incentive," Redpath said.
Fiji flying high
The sight of Fijian flair and the return of flying wing Rupeni Caucau from suspension have boosted Fiji’s stocks in their bid to reach the Quarter Finals for the first time since 1987.
Fiji had a narrow one-point escape over the USA after being convincingly beaten 61-18 by France in their opening game.
However, their fortunes took a turn for the better beating Tournament darlings Japan 41-13 in their last start.
The much-anticipated Fijian flair finally surfaced as full back Norman Ligairi and his back line colleagues put on their best performance of the Tournament against the Cherry Blossoms.
Fiji coach Mac McCallion gave an interesting insight into what it is like coaching the spontaneous Pacific islanders.
"It's pressure all the way. You're jumping up and down one minute, and your heart's in your mouth the next," McCallion said after the win over Japan.
Despite their mixed form Fiji captain Alifereti Doviverata remains confident his side can progress to the Quarter Finals.
"We watched Scotland on Saturday night and we feel we have a good chance to topple them. We will be putting everything into this game," Doviverata said.
History shows…
A win to Scotland will set them on the path to match or better their best ever RWC finish, a fourth placing at the 1991 Tournament after losing to the All Blacks 13-6 at Cardiff Arms Park.
Fiji were defeated by England 45-24 at Twickenham in a quarter final play off in 1999, last making the quarter finals in the inaugural World Cup back in 1987.
The contenders - Pool C
Samoan surprise packet
Though Samoa were widely praised for their early success in Pool C, with two wins from two starts over Uruguay and Georgia, one man - Samoa coach John Boe - didn’t get too carried away. He knew there were still two big games to come.
But even he would have taken some satisfaction from his side’s 35-22 defeat by England, proving they were more than just title pretenders in pushing Tournament heavyweights England all the way.
From day one Boe has said his team is not here just to make up the numbers, words echoed by Samoa’s inspirational captain Semo Sititi, after the number 8 put in a five star performance against the England pack.
"We're here to get to the quarter finals and then go beyond," Sititi confidently declared.
But after their gruelling encounter against the number one side in the world Boe admits the Samoans might find it difficult to advance beyond the pool stages.
"It's a real problem that we may have run out of petrol after this one. We'll just have to see if we can come up with the goods," Boe said.
"The defence was awesome. They gave all they had. At the end of the day we just couldn't hang on. Never mind, we just look forward to the next match.”
Boks upbeat
Springboks coach Rudolph Straeuli could be excused for settling for a Quarter Finals appearance after his side’s preparation for the Tournament was full of disruption.
The Boks got their Tournament challenge off to an impressive start with a 72-6 win over Uruguay, before stumbling with a 25-6 loss to England.
Then, fielding an inexperienced side, Straeuli’s men chalked up a hard fought 46-19 win over rugby minnows Georgia.
Impressed with Samoa’s performance against England, Straeuli is under no illusions about what to expect from the Pacific Islanders.
"We hope it's the same kind of game because we'd like to contest it in that way. We've prepared ourselves. That's what we expect from Samoa," Straeuli said.
"We know how to play against Samoa. We've played against them a lot of times and have huge respect for them. We know exactly what we should do."
History shows…
Samoa has made the Quarter Finals on two occasions, in 1991 and 1995. More recently, they were beaten 35-20 by Scotland in a quarter final play off at Murrayfield in Edinburgh in 1999.
South Africa won the Tournament at their first attempt in 1995 and finished third in 1999, after defeating New Zealand 22-18 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Catch all the action right here
Both matches are not to be missed as the hopes and prayers of two tiny Pacific Island nations are pitted against more fancied opponents.
Be sure to catch all the weekend action here at rugbyworldcup.com commencing with Scotland versus Fiji from 16:00 on Saturday, 1 November.