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LONDON (AP) — The next Rugby World Cup is three years away, but the tournament will be preying on the minds of the best of the northern and southern hemispheres when they collide in the autumn internationals.

The November tests have some added spice and context this time round as they will determine the world rankings ahead of the pool draw for the 2015 World Cup, which is made in London on Dec. 3. New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have arrived in Europe at the end of a long, grueling season as the top three teams in the world.

The fight is on among the Six Nations sides to secure the one remaining spot among the four top seeded teams, thereby likely avoiding the southern superpowers at the World Cup group stage. Precious little separates England, France and Wales in that race and grabbing a rare victory over the Tri-Nations giants across the next month will go a long way to earning that fourth spot.

The top-ranked All Blacks, who haven't lost in Europe — outside of a World Cup — since November 2002, play Scotland and Italy before finishing their tour with games against England and Wales. Of all the tourists, the world champions are most at full strength and will look to return to winning ways after a 17-match run of victories was halted by an 18-18 draw against Australia in the Bledisloe Cup on Oct. 20.

"We have spent a few days searching for answers why we had a bit of a hiccup at Brisbane," New Zealand assistant coach Ian Foster said Wednesday. "The real fear is us not playing to the level we want. We don't want to lose, but we are also like any other international team in that we want to play to a high level and perform great every week."

With successive matches against France and England, injury-hit Australia has the toughest start of all the teams but will be buoyed by the way it kept New Zealand in check last month, consolidating second place in the rankings.

The Wallabies also finished second in the Rugby Championship, ahead of South Africa on points difference. After winning three out of four games in their 2010 European Tour, they want to go one better this time.

"We want to win four from four," said Australia lock Nathan Sharpe, whose team will be without key backs Will Genia, James O'Connor and Quade Cooper. "They are all very strong rugby nations. They will be gunning for the southern hemisphere teams, particularly with the (British & Irish) Lions coming up (in 2013). They will be conscious of that as well."

It is the Springboks, who are third in the rankings and within striking distance of the Six Nations big guns, who are most under pressure this month. Still led by a pack of powerful forwards despite the recent retirements of John Smit and Victor Matfield, the team has lost its normally deadly accurate kicking game with regular flyhalf Morne Steyn having been discarded.

South Africa, which is also crucially missing the injured Bryan Habana, is lacking the experience and control from the days of Smit, Matfield and former scrumhalf Fourie du Preez — and when Steyn was in form.

A second-half hammering at the hands of the dominant All Blacks at home last month underlined the gap between South Africa and the top team in the world. First up for South Africa this month is Ireland in Dublin, where it has only won one of its past four tests.

Europe has had the odd decent result against the southern hemisphere's big three in recent years but it's largely been one-way traffic. In 2010, the tourists lost just two of their 13 matches as New Zealand eased to a Grand Slam of the home nations.

Given Australia and South Africa's erratic form this year, the Six Nations teams should have cause for optimism, with England — currently holding that prized No. 4 ranking — looking to make further progress under new coach Stuart Lancaster.

"I've said to the players it's production time now," said Lancaster, whose team lost 2-0 in a hard-fought three-match series against the Springboks in June. "We've got some continuity, we've got some consistency in terms of selection and the coaching team, and we've spent some time together. The foundations are strong. Now we want to deliver."

If France beats Australia first up in Paris, the pressure is really on England to probably win two of its three matches against the Tri-Nations powers if it is to hold onto its ranking. Wales, the current Six Nations champion, lost all three of its tests in Australia in June — but only by a combined margin of 11 points.

If the Welsh find a ruthless edge sorely lacking among their provincial teams in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup this season, they should beat Argentina and Samoa before their massive games against New Zealand then Australia.

Ireland, Argentina and Scotland appear to be fighting for two spots in the second four-team band of seedings. The Scots currently have the unwanted ranking of No. 9 and, with a first-ever win over the All Blacks unlikely on Sunday, their best hope of an upset will come against South Africa seven days later.