Rugby World Cup 2015: Winners and Losers from Sunday's Games

With the world of rugby still giddy from Japan’s jaw-dropping accomplishment on Saturday, three games had the task of living up to the most momentous day in Rugby World Cup history on Sunday.

It was always going to be a tall order for Uruguay to mirror the shock pulled off by Eddie Jones’s men, and they duly restored order with a 54-9 defeat to Wales.

It was far from a pleasing afternoon for Warren Gatland’s men, however, as the injury victims continued to mount up.

Argentina also tried their best to provide another monumental upset by pushing New Zealand hard at Wembley, London, only to run out of steam in the final 20 minutes to allow the All Blacks to claim the spoils.

Samoa secured a hard-fought win over the USA in Brighton, England, to get their campaign off and running, and now we take a two-day break from the action before the next tranche of fixtures.

Let’s have a look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s Rugby World Cup 2015 matches.

Winners: The All Blacks' Bench

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New Zealand were losing 16-12 at Wembley against Argentina until Steve Hansen turned to his bench.

He replaced Ma’a Nonu with Sonny Bill Williams, and the former rugby league man made an immediate difference, using his power to break tackles and look for offloads.

One such instance saw Nehe Milner-Skudder fumble Williams’ offload with the try line at his mercy, but a later raid from the centre led to a score for Aaron Smith that handed New Zealand a lead.

Another sub in the form of Sam Kane added a try to make it a 10-point lead for the All Blacks, proving the depth in their squad could yet be the key to a successful defence of the trophy.

Losers: American Fans Have Insult Added to Injury

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Supporters of the US Eagles back home hoping to see their side take on Samoa in Brighton via a live stream were denied the chance when the broadcasting website crashed, per Martin Pengelly in the Guardian.

When they did finally learn the game's outcome, a 25-16 defeat, it would have capped a thoroughly miserable start to the Rugby World Cup for the American fans.

Having seen Japan pull off the biggest shock the sport has ever seen in the same pool, the Eagles will not fancy their chances of getting a win against the Brave Blossoms, which could mean, with Scotland and the Springboks also left to play, Mike Tolkin’s men are heading for last place in this section.

Winner: Pumas' Defence Creates a Little Piece of History

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Argentina may have lost 26-16 to the All Blacks at Wembley, but they still stopped the World Champions scoring a bonus point.

And that, according to ITV match programme host John Inverdale, is the first time the All Blacks have been denied that privilege in World Cup pool play since bonus points came into effect.

The Pumas are a well organised unit and, thanks to their inclusion in the Rugby Championship, do not arrive at this World Cup in awe of teams like New Zealand.

If the Pumas make it through as the second–placed side in the pool, they will be a formidable quarter-final opponent for anyone.

Losers: Wales’ Latest Injury Victims

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Warren Gatland must be racking his brains trying to remember if he has recently walked under a ladder, smashed a mirror or run over a black cat.

Given the casualty toll from his side’s opening win over Uruguay, he may have done all three. Twice.

Having lost first-choices Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb on the eve of the tournament, Wales’ 54-9 win over the South American minnows has seen that injury list grow alarmingly.

According to Wales Online, hat-trick hero Cory Allen is now out of the tournament after tearing his hamstring, Liam Williams needs a scan on a thigh problem picked up, props Paul James and Samson Lee collected a calf problem each and hooker Aaron Jarvis popped rib cartilage.

Winner: Tim Nanai-Williams

It’s rare that a Super Rugby star in New Zealand who has the required residency to qualify as an All Black turns his back on the lure of the fabled jersey to represent the country of his parents’ birth.

But that’s what Auckland-born Tim Nanai-Williams did earlier this year, per stuff.co.nz, and his decision was rubber stamped in Brighton on Sunday with a try and man-of-the-match performance for Samoa as they got off to a winning start.

Pool B could now be wide open following Japan’s win over the Springboks, and a confident Samoa could be the side to capitalise.

Nanai-Williams will be a key man for the Islanders should they seek to turn this great start into a place in the quarter-finals.