The winners of the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be determined on October 31 when the final takes place at Twickenham.

We take a look at four factors that could have a major impact on who lifts the Webb Ellis Cup.

Can England capitalise on home advantage?

Three of England's pool games take place at their usual home of Twickenham - the meeting with Uruguay at the Etihad Stadium serving as the exception - and Stuart Lancaster's men will remain at HQ for the remainder of the tournament if they make it into the knockout stages, unless they are involved in the third-place play-off at London's Olympic Stadium.

While England would appear to remain a work in progress, amid suggestions that the current crop of players are a couple of years from reaching their peak, they can be encouraged by recent results at home against their major pool rivals.

Australia and Wales have each been beaten on three of their last four visits to Twickenham, the latter winning only twice at the venue since 1988.

England will therefore be confident of gaining valuable early momentum and making Twickenham a venue to be feared for opponents in the knockout stages.

Will New Zealand be ready for the quarter-finals?

The All Blacks come into the tournament as defending champions and favourites to retain the title they secured four years ago with a slender victory over France.

Those two nations could well meet in the last eight this time around, with Ireland the other likely quarter-final opponents for Steve Hansen's men.

However, New Zealand may find their preparation for a potentially tricky knockout tie is far from ideal, given that an opening pool match against Argentina will be followed by three clashes with somewhat less challenging opposition.

While Tonga should at least provide a physical test for the All Blacks, Georgia and Namibia will surely be swatted aside with the minimum of fuss.

Hansen will need to make sure his side are fully focused and ready for the step up in class that awaits them once their pool campaign is complete.

Can the mercurial Michalak deliver? 

France's highest points-scorer in Tests, Frederic Michalak remains an unpredictable figure - seemingly capable of delighting and frustrating in equal measure.

This was arguably never more apparent than in the 2003 World Cup, when the fly-half followed a fine display in a quarter-final victory over Ireland by enduring a torrid time as France bowed out in the last four against eventual winners England.

After playing a part in the 2007 tournament, Michalak was not selected four years ago when France made it to the final.

A serious shoulder injury then threatened to end his career at the highest level, but Michalak duly returned to national duty and was preferred to Francois Trinh-Duc when coach Philippe Saint-Andre named his final 31-man squad to travel to England.

Michalak's creative ability has never been in doubt and French followers will hope the Toulon number 10 now boasts enough maturity and experience to enable him to make full use of his rich talent.

Will racism allegations prove a distraction to South Africa?

Twenty years on from a World Cup triumph on home soil that provided the uplifting sight of South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, presenting Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup, the Springboks have once again faced questions over a lack of racial diversity in their squad.

Coach Heyneke Meyer has been accused of "racist choices" in selection by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, an allegation he strongly denies, while South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins felt it necessary to pen an open letter last week - insisting "our sport is massively transformed from where it was in 1992 [the end of apartheid]".

South Africa's players may welcome the opportunity to turn their attention to on-field matters when they begin their pool campaign against Japan in Brighton on Saturday.

However, the ongoing tensions surrounding race and South African rugby could well prove a distraction as the Springboks seek to claim a third world title.