Rugby World Cup Team of the Week: Semi-finalists dominate our selection

Planet Rugby
Split with Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Owen Farrell (England) and Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

Split with Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Owen Farrell (England) and Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

Following some outstanding quarter-finals that saw Argentina, New Zealand, England and South Africa advance to the final four, we have settled on our Team of the Week.

There is strong representation from the four teams that advance whilst some players from the losing sides did make the cut through their efforts.

Firing backline

15 Beauden Barrett (New Zealand): A player who perhaps has been unfairly scrutinised during this World Cup cycle but one that proved his worth and more on Saturday. The most experienced of the Barretts was a revelation in the backfield, managing that area with aplomb. He joined the line regularly and found delight with some dinks over the top of the defensive line. His turn of pace and athleticism is ever impressive and with the rugby brain he has, it makes the versatile man a game-breaker. Ireland’s Hugo Keenan was typically fantastic again despite their loss.

14 Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina): The wing found his kicking boots after missing one attempt early on, but then went on to score 16 points including a penalty from inside his own half. In open play, his aerial prowess was a joy to watch. It was a memorable shift for a very important Argentine. Springbok flyer Kurt-Lee Arendse was on fire yet again whilst Will Jordan of New Zealand crossed the line for his side, maintaining his outrageous strike rate in Test rugby.

13 Jesse Kriel (South Africa): Improving every single week and without a doubt his best performance at Test level. The centre was everywhere on defence, continuously putting his body on the line. His grubber in behind to Cheslin Kolbe was perfect and summed up a brilliant weekend for Kriel. England’s Joe Marchant deserves a mention for his outing against Fiji.

12 Bundee Aki (Ireland): Could well be the player of the tournament up until this point and proved that again with another outstanding shift which included a try against his country of birth. His carrying ability is second to none at the moment and unfortunately, another great performance could not keep his team in the competition. He gets the nod ahead of All Blacks hero Jordie Barrett and the powerhouse Springbok Damian de Allende.

11 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa): Arguably one of his greatest games in green and gold. The wing showed incredible determination to charge down a conversion attempt which proved decisive. Kolbe got a try for his efforts after looking to make something happen whenever he had the ball. A massive game from a big player. There were also some blockbuster outings from star Fijian Semi Radradra and rampant All Black Leicester Fainga’anuku.

10 Owen Farrell (England): Any question marks around his selection quickly evaporated after the veteran produced a commanding performance to power his team into the semi-finals. The skipper ended with 20 points complete with two try assists as he managed to extract some excitement from the English backline. All Blacks star Richie Mo’unga was not far behind after his brilliance against Ireland whilst Springbok Manie Libbok stood up on the big stage.

9 Antoine Dupont (France): The mere fact that the French skipper ran out to face the Springboks so soon after his facial fracture is extremely impressive. It is even more so when he produced a solid performance. Sunday’s clash may not have been the best he has played but he was one of the stars keeping Les Bleus in the game. The Springboks prepared well for the scrum-half but he still made several crucial interventions including a try assist for Peato Mauvaka. Springbok Cobus Reinach was neat throughout for his team.

8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): There were strong performances from Ben Earl of England and South Africa’s Kwagga Smith but despite their fine efforts, it’s Savea who makes our team after delivering a superb all-round display in New Zealand’s win over Ireland. The 30-year-old was solid on attack as he gained 46 metres from 15 carries, proved to be a menace at the breakdown and put in a huge shift on defence with 15 tackles made.

7 Sam Cane (New Zealand): The All Blacks skipper silenced his critics with an outstanding effort in his side’s triumph over Ireland at the Stade de France. Cane impressed with his leadership skills, especially his decision making during a tense encounter. He also did his bit as a ball carrier but made his biggest impact on defence as he completed a match-high 22 tackles during a 75-minute stint on the field. Fiji’s Levani Botia also impressed.

6 Courtney Lawes (England): The 34-year-old came to the fore with an excellent display in his side’s win over Fiji in Marseille. Lawes did well as a ball carrier, gaining 42 metres from 13 carries and was a valuable source of possession in the lineouts where he did well on his own throw-ins and his opponents’. He also shone at the breakdowns and finished with eight tackles made on defence. Elsewhere, Charles Ollivon and Marcos Kremer also played well for France and Argentina respectively.

5 Maro Itoje (England): The England second-row wore the number four jersey against the Flying Fijians but we’ve moved him to the number five position for our team. Itoje did his bit in the lineouts as he was England’s go-to man in that department but also made a big impact in other facets of play, especially with ball in hand where he gained 62 metres from nine carries which included a lean break, one defender beaten and an offload.

4 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa): Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne emptied the tank in a losing cause against the All Blacks and gets a mention but it’s Etzebeth who gets the nod after putting in a colossal effort for South Africa against France. The Bok enforcer proved a real handful with ball in hand and was rewarded with a well-taken try for his efforts. The 31-year-old also caught the eye with his impressive lineout work and shone on defence with 10 tackles made.

3 Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand):?Due to two separate knee injuries, the All Blacks hard man returned to action at the weekend after playing for just 30 minutes prior to his country’s win over Ireland. However, he hit the ground running in Paris as he made his mark with a brilliant scrummaging performance but he also put in a big defensive shift as he finished with 13 tackles made. Lomax comes in ahead of experienced Bok front-row Frans Malherbe who had a good game against France.

2 Peato Mauvaka (France): South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi walked off with the official man-of-the-match award after their win over France but his counterpart Mauvaka makes our team as he proved a real handful with ball in hand. The 26-year-old finished with a team-high 95 metres gained from 13 carries which included two clean breaks, five defenders beaten and a couple of offloads. Argentina captain Julian Montoya also had a good game against Wales.

1 Cyril Baille (France): The 30-year-old faced a tough assignment against Malherbe in the scrums but gave a good account of himself in the set-piece during his 50 minutes on the playing field in Paris. However, he made his biggest contribution to Les Bleus’ cause as a ball carrier and crossed for two tries. The Springboks’ replacement front-row Ox Nche also caught the eye with a solid shift when he came off the bench.

READ MORE: Two Cents Rugby’s five takeaways from the Rugby World Cup as quarter-final curse strikes again

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