The 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament is all over. Who would made your form team for the tournament? Here’s mine.
15. Ayumu Goromaru (Japan)
His performance against South Africa was one for the ages. He scored 24 of Japan’s 34 points and amassed 58 in total for the tournament, which was second behind Scotland’s Greg Laidlaw at the end of the pool stage.
Goromaru attacks with flair, kicks accurately and is a reliable defender. Ben Smith was in imperious form most of the time, but he misses the cut because his yellow card in the final cost two tries.
14. Nehe Miller-Skudder (New Zealand)
A nominee for IRB Breakthrough Player of the Year, Miller-Skudder narrowly pips Adam Ashley-Cooper for a place in the team on the back of his superior final. Hungry for work, has electric feet and he scored six tries.
13.Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
Predictably headed the offload count with 12. Made a big impact every time he came on, especially against Argentina when the All Blacks were in a pickle. A great offload started Ma’a Nonu’s run to the tryline in the final.
12. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
An imperious presence in the New Zealand midfield. His try in the final was a classic. In the top ten for defenders beaten. The greatest second-five the All Blacks have had.
11.Julian Savea (New Zealand)
Despite being quiet in the semi and the final he finished the tourney as the leading try scorer with a record equalling eight. His quarter final hat-trick against France was devastating.
10. Daniel Carter (New Zealand)
Made a somewhat shaky start, but enjoyed his finest hour in the final winning the man-of-the-match award. A 42-metre drop kick and 49-metre penalty in the last ten minutes blunted a fierce Australia revival. Scored 82 points by kicking 33 goals from 41 attempts.
9. Greg Laidlaw (Scotland)
Scored 26 points against Samoa to win Scotland a place in the quarter final against Australia, against whom he scored 17 points to almost cause an upset. Laidlaw has a lively pass, good judgment and had a great tournament.
8. David Pocock (Australia)
The player of the tournament? Immense presence at the breakdown, great cribbing off mauls and an improved carrier. Pocock is a genuine star.
7. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Since 2001 the All Blacks have only won 19 of 26 Tests without McCaw, that’s 68%. When he is in the team they win 89% of the time. Delivered the last pass for tries in the semi and the final. He doesn’t have the same presence at the breakdown as Pocock, but is a valuable and tireless worker all the same.
6. Scott Fardy (Australia)
The unsung hero in Australia’s forward pack, he too was a menace at the breakdown and a useful lineout option. Jerome Kaino narrowly misses out. After an underwhelming start to the tournament he was big in the finals stages.
5. Leone Nakarawa (Fiji)
The ex-army man was a beast at this World Cup. Explosive with ball in hand he made more offloads (10) in the group stage than any other player. He also claimed 26 lineout catches and provided a strong push in the second row of a vastly improved Fijian scrum.
4. Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)
Made a crucial lineout steal late in the semi-final against South Africa. Toiled around the park, as usual.
3. Ramiro Herrera (Argentina)
Caused every opponent he faced trouble. Did a job on Tony Woodcock and the Pumas scrum kept the semi-final against Australia competitive.
2. Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
A really inspiration figure for the Pumas. Scrummaged powerfully and is an accurate lineout thrower with a big presence with ball in hand.
1.Soane Tonga’huia (Tonga)
Gave All Black veteran Owen Franks a torrid time in the scrums. Strong with nimble hands, worked his backside off.
ken
Guest
Yep the sooner James Hanson is installed as WALLABY hooker then better..Best lineout thrower in oz by a thousand miles and a higher workrate then MOORE and TPN
Chinmay Hejmadi
Roar Guru
Yep, New Zealand managed this tournament exceptionally well.
cuw
Guest
no he named a team to play the champions, as was done in cricket some time back. and im sure he had Giteau somewhere in the team :)
Council
Guest
Genia and Mitchell over Smith and Bus? No thank you sir.
Council
Guest
Eben and Whitlock with Retallick on the bench. Stats don't tell the whole story.
Council
Guest
Lood de Jager, Bismarck (I hurt people named Carter) Du Plessis, Jesse Kriel and Damien ade Allende. Oh and Eben is a too three Lock. Any of those players woukd be a serious consideration for a workd 15 player.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Given the sides selected at the end of pool play had no more than two or three players I think it's fair to say the side knew EXACTLY what they were doing in pool play.
Jonathan
Guest
Schalk "Bulldozer" Burger Not that Fardy or Kaino aren't also deserving in the 6 spot. And Read, for all that he's not nearly the player he was in 2013, is still "merely" a world-class player instead of a world-bestriding colossus.
somer
Guest
Incorrect, I watched the game a second time, McCaw made 3 turnovers.
Matthew Barrett
Roar Rookie
My team of the tournament: Scott Sio Dane Coles Joe Moody Brodie Retallic Sam Whitelock Duane Vermullen Kieran Read Richie Mccaw Aaron Smith Daniel Carter Julian Savea Ma'a Nonu SBW Adam Ashley-Cooper Ben Smith I've got Read ahead of pocock for lineouts and speed around the pitch, he would be on the bench though. Heavily Nz but they do deserve to dominate a dream team
Matthew Barrett
Roar Rookie
Mccaw plays big in the big games. It's the intensity that lifts mccaw and when it matters, he can't be matched
Chinmay Hejmadi
Roar Guru
Was it a clause to exclude the New Zealanders and South Africans?
Matthew Barrett
Roar Rookie
Put mccaw in the wallabies and they will win more games
Matthew Barrett
Roar Rookie
Mccaw has a great balance with all the attributes an open side should have. A mixture of pocock and hooper. His biggest though is heart, pocock is unchallenged when it comes to pilfering and hooper is awesome with ball in hand but unfortunately they are only masters of those attributes. The rwc final, the speed the all blacks played was too fast for pocock to be a menace. He lacks a bit of speed
Shop
Roar Guru
I hardly noticed him against SA and he wasn't prominent in the final either. SA game a bit harsh because of the weather and tactics and I agree about NZ playing different styles in the pool games but even though it is not his fault it isn't a justification to put him ahead of other wingers. Cordero consistently made breaks in all the games he played and scored and set up some great tries.
Chinmay Hejmadi
Roar Guru
ESPN'S Team of the Tournament was pretty good in my view : Ben Smith Santiago Cordero Jesse Kriel Matt Giteau Julian Savea Dan Carter Fourie Du Preez Marcos Ayerza Dane Coles Sekope Kepu Brodie Retallick Lood De Jager Scott Fardy Michael Hooper David Pocock I would have probably picked Milner-Skudder over Cordero looking at their respective knockout stage performances. Cordero was pretty good in the knockouts, but he was sometimes guilty of not playing it smart, like when he chipped the ball over the Irish defence and it led to Ireland’s first try. Australia gave him a hard time in the semi too, but the guy has really good attacking talent. He'll have a blinder in Super Rugby next season.
grant1021
Guest
you cant have moore in there. the majority of Australia's problems stemmed from the lineout
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Wouldn't a lot of the value of stats depend on the coaches instructions? IF the coach tells a loose forward to rage wide and look for running opportunities with the ball then that's what you'd expect that forward to do. And you'd judge his performance on runs made, tackles busted and metres gained. On the other hand if the coach told his forward to get his head into every ruck, win as much ball as possible and disrupt the opposition as much as he could then penalties won and turnovers gain would be the best performance measure. I dunno about you guys but I have no idea what the coaches instructions to either Pocock or McCaw were.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Here is Sir Clive Woodward's World XV excluding NZ (courtesy of www,stuff.co.nz- no Englishmen nor South Africans Ayume Goromaru (Japan), Santiago Cordero (Argentina), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), DTH van der Merwe (Canada), Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina), Greig Laidlaw (Scotland), Scott Sio (Australia), Agustin Creevy (Argentina), Ramiro Herrera (Argentina), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Leone Nakarawa (Fiji), Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia), David Pocock (Australia), Sam Warburton (Wales, capt)
Rah
Guest
And the AB's and McCaw then used France, SA and Australia as full contact training partners in their build up to the RWC finals 2015 Seb V lol. And when they got to the finals, no one was there to greet them, so they ended up playing no one lol.