Thorne: Anyone who writes off Aussies is a fool
The spectre of New Zealand's shock World Cup semi-final defeat to France in 1999 still hangs heavy over Thorne, and he is determined there will be no repeat.
Four years ago, France struggled through the pool stages and New Zealand made the fatal mistake of casting half an eye forward to a place in the final.
It proved costly as the French defied the form books with a stunning display, fighting back from 14 points down to win 43-31.
Fast forward four years; the Wallabies have shown a similar lack of form and have faced a barrage of criticism from their own media throughout the tournament, despite moving unbeaten into the semi-finals.
The record-breaking 142-0 victory over Namibia was preceded by reports of divisions within the squad; the narrow victory over Ireland, which booked top spot in Pool A, was greeted by calls for captain George Gregan and five other players to be axed.
Those sharp criticisms increased after Scotland gave Australia a tough time in Saturday's quarter-final.
The Wallabies have been ranked as 8-1 outsiders to win the World Cup, but Thorne recalls Twickenham 1999 and will take nothing for granted.
"These are knockout games, and anything can happen. We have been there before," he said.
"It's been made clear to the team by the senior players nothing else matters now except the game in front of us.
"Form is one thing, but what happens on the night is totally another.
"We never write them off. Anyone who writes off the Australians in any sport is a fool. Their second half against Scotland was quite impressive at times.
"There is nothing there that can't be fixed pretty quickly. They are a very intelligent side, and I am sure they will be on to it pretty quickly."
Thorne made reference to the improvement the Wallabies made between the first and second Bledisloe Cup meetings of the year.
The All Blacks romped home 50-21 in Sydney but battled to a 21-17 victory two weeks later in Auckland.
"They certainly were in that game. The score indicated that, and they had opportunities they missed that could have made a difference," said Thorne.
"They know us well; they know how we play, and I'm sure they will be prepared for that.
"I'd hardly say our form was white-hot either. There's a lot to work on, and we made a hell of a lot of mistakes against South Africa."
Nevertheless, New Zealand squeezed the life out of the Springboks with a dominant display through the forwards.
With that platform, exuberant fly-half Carlos Spencer helped create enough chances to win a host of games but the All Blacks converted only three.
"It is a concern, but the best thing was that we were creating chances and we took enough of them to win," said Thorne.
"Pace is beating teams at the moment, but its a combination of things really. You have to be strong up front, win the ball, get it on the front foot, get the go-forward and that creates space elsewhere.
"France were very good at doing it. We were able to do it against the Springboks. I don't know whether we will be able to do it again. We'll certainly try."
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