Former All Black pivot Grant Fox believes whiz kid James O'Connor is the player to lead the Wallabies around from No.10 if the Australians are to perform at their peak in the World Cup in New Zealand.

Fox admires incumbent Wallaby five eighth Quade Cooper who is odds-on to be coach Robbie Deans' first choice but suggests the Wallabies' could pay a high price for Queenslanders' suspect defence.

"I know they won't necessarily play him at 10 in defence, but World Cup games are sometimes attritional and you just can't hide him," Fox told BackPageLead in Auckland where the Wallabies will play Italy and Ireland in pool C matches. Russia and the USA are the Australians' other early-round opponents in September.

An integral part of the only All Blacks squad to ever win the World Cup and acknowledged as one of the game finest place kickers, Fox also backs O'Connor to take on Australia's goalkicking duties.

"He has to be there, doesn't he?" Fox says of the Western Force's star back. "He's proven he's up to it this year."

O'Connor goalkicking and general play for the Force has been exemplary. He's amassed 156 points this season to lie second behind Cooper as the competition's leading points-scorer.

"You can see how much he means to the Force," says 46-Test veteran Fox. "When he was playing at 10 they were a different team."

O'Connor shifted to inside centre after filling the pivot role in early rounds and may have the inside running as the next No.12 for the Wallabies, although Fox is convinced he could be a dominant force as five eighth.

"Regardless of where he plays, he needs to be there," he says.

Now a television commentator, Fox, 48, shares many New Zealanders' reluctance to confidently predict an All Black World Cup victory.

The New Zealanders have arguably been potential winners in each of the six World Cup tournaments held to date but have only won once, with Fox's methodical 1987 side.

Playing at home and boasting world class talent in almost every position, the current crop will rightly start the Cup hot favourites, but there's more than a grain of truth in Australians' ‘choking' jibes.

"This (All Blacks squad) is a very talented group, but we can take nothing for granted, we've learned that."

Fox expects England, South Africa and Australia to provide the biggest threats, with an All Blacks-Wallabies final a distinct possibility.

"There's no doubt Aussie has the talent to do something special," he says. "They are on the up."