Rugby World Cup 2015: Power Ranking Teams Going into Quarter-Finals

Australia and Ireland were among the biggest winners to emerge from a climactic closing weekend of the Rugby World Cup 2015 pool stage, beating Wales and France to top Pool A and Pool D, respectively.

Those victories and many more helped form the tournament's quarter-final lineup, which will now see New Zealand meet France, South Africa take on Wales, Ireland face Argentina and Australia encounter Scotland.

Tournament hosts England are the biggest casualty of the pool stage, tumbling out of the reckoning and down our power rankings as we take another look at the pecking order before heading into the next phase of the competition.

Be sure to check out last week's form-based ranking to see how your team has fared before we switch our attention to the final eight.

Non-Qualified Teams

20. Uruguay: Down One

Uruguay's World Cup was always going to be a matter of pride and passion, which unfortunately didn't come to the fore as hoped en route to a 60-3 thrashing at the hands of England on Saturday. 

19. Namibia: Up One

By claiming their first-ever World Cup point in a narrow 16-17 loss to Georgia, Namibia went a long way to silencing those naysayers who claim rugby's "lesser" nations don't deserve a World Cup spot.

And although Sunday's 64-19 drubbing at Argentina's hands proves they remain acres off any elite pace, that scoreline doesn't properly paint the picture of how determined and adventurous Namibia showed themselves to be. 

18. Canada: Down One

Canada's World Cup came to a sour end when they surrendered a 15-point lead to lose 17-15 at Romania's hands last week, and coach Kieran Crowley is correct to assert his side needs more game time opposite elite nations, per ESPN Scrum's Tristan Barclay.

17. United States: Up One

The United States can be bitterly disappointed at failing to claw in even a single pool-stage point this year, losing 28-18 to Japan on Sunday in what was their second first-round defeat by 10 points or fewer.

That form suggests Mike Tolkin's side aren't too far off their competition, but a total score of just 50 points puts the Eagles second only to Uruguay in identifying the least-threatening outfit.

16. Romania: No Movement

Once again Romania rallied late on in Week 4 of the competition, this time scoring three tries in the final 15 minutes of a 32-22 loss to Italy, albeit unable to replicate the feat of their comeback win over Canada. 

15. Tonga: Down Two

Just about the last thing any team needs at the crescendo of an exhausting pool-stage campaign is a make-or-break fixture against world champions New Zealand, but such were the cards Tonga were dealt.

Mana Otai's men ensured the 47-9 defeat was uncomfortable for periods, but conceding 45 points for the second game in succession suggests Tonga remain suspect when it comes to strategy.

14. Samoa: Up One

A blistering start against Scotland on Saturday couldn't be maintained, but Samoa exit the World Cup with a grin on their faces after leaving a substantial blow on a side now heading through to the last eight.

Scrum-half Kahn Fotuali'i described the 33-36 defeat to the Scots as "the real Samoa," and there are certain positives to rally around from a result in which they led 26-23 at the break and were dominant for huge patches.

12= Georgia: No Movement

A close-fought 17-16 win over Namibia assures Georgia of a place in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, a tremendous achievement for the emerging European nation whose forward-heavy style has its own unique allure. 

12= Italy: Up Two

Qualifying from Pool D always looked like an impossible task for Italy as long as Ireland and France were around, and their third-place finish was confirmed last week despite some promising signs before then.

Following an impressive display in the 16-9 defeat to the Boys in Green, the Azzurri can be content with a 32-22 win over Romania on Sunday and hope for Jacques Brunel's coaching replacement to make a swift impact. 

11. Fiji: No Movement

Fiji were one of the first teams to see their Rugby World Cup come to an end after beating Uruguay 47-15, but John McKee's side don't suffer a fall despite not featuring in the closing weekend, such was their entertainment value throughout. 

10. Japan: Down One

Eddie Jones' men captured the world's attention and can count themselves terribly unfortunate not to qualify for the quarters, becoming the first team in World Cup history to win three pool games and not advance.

Their 28-18 win over the United States on Sunday was an ideal way to sign off, with not a peep of outrage heard from their camp despite the first-round departure. Classy to the end. 

9. England: Down One

Beating Uruguay by a gargantuan 57 points may be a laudable result, but it seems almost like extra salt in the wound for a side that had so much expected of it heading into a home competition.

Nick Easter and Jack Nowell came in to score hat-tricks and showed they perhaps could have been useful inclusions when it mattered more, with England's gloom likely to continue swirling for some time yet.

8. Scotland

Movement: Up Two

Scotland fans were made to sweat it out as a Samoan storm shocked their system at St James' Park on Saturday, but Vern Cotter's men showed no small amount of grit in turning the tide to emerge 36-33 victors.

Captain Greig Laidlaw was precisely the leader his side needed as he hauled in a massive 26 points to become the tournament's leading try scorer thus far, but the star displays didn't end there.

In a way, Samoa's evident indiscipline played its role in the comeback, but nothing can be taken away from a Scottish lineup that persevered until the bitter close, booking their quarter-final opposite Australia as a result.

7. France

Movement: Down One

A replay of the Rugby World Cup 2011 final is slated for next Saturday after France deservedly finished second-best to Ireland on Sunday, during which their second-half collapse funded the ascent of their opponents.

Opta's Russ Petty illustrated just how inferior Les Bleus proved to be when conceding turnovers to Ireland in recent matchups, and ball retention was at a minimum once again as they leaked two tries in the closing 30 minutes.

Whereas Ireland's depth and squad balance across the board is a strength, France seem to suffer from the opposite, and a shortage of real leader figures seems the most likely inhibitor to their chances of success at this point.

6. Argentina

Movement: No Movement

It speaks volumes of the strength of our quarter-final lineup that Argentina aren't placed higher than sixth in our power ranking, preparing for what promises to be a world-class encounter with injury-hit Ireland next.

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is fully aware of the Pumas' threat, too, following their 64-19 hammering of Namibia on Sunday, insisting they weren't that far off New Zealand during their pool defeat, per Murray Kinsella of The42.ie:

"

I think they’ve been incredibly good, not just since the Rugby World Cup started but I had a very good look at their win in Durban (in the Rugby Championship). 

To put the South Africans away like that is a major performance. They have cruised through their group.

They maybe should have been a few points further ahead at half time against the All Blacks in the first round of their pool and that didn’t work out for them at the end, but they put the All Blacks under an immense amount of pressure.

"

To reiterate a point discussed at length this World Cup, Argentina's backs are highlighting the fact the team are no longer founded on their pack strength, unearthing a host of dazzling playmakers and finishers alike.

5. Wales

Movement: Down Two

Seldom has there been a more appropriate time to assert that the better team won than when a weakened Wales fell to Australia 15-6 on Saturday, despite playing a decent chunk of that game with a two-man advantage.

Warren Gatland's warriors battled through the difficulties posed by a number of crucial first-team absences, but they just lacked the incisive touches needed to break down the Wallabies—even with a man or two extra.

Wales have also been pained to learn a foot injury means Liam Williams is added to the growing injury list, and an in-form South Africa look like intimidating opponents for the quarters.

4. South Africa

Movement: Up One

It will be 10 days between matches by the time South Africa line up against Wales on Saturday, a rest that promises to do Heyneke Meyer's side the world of good while their opponents scramble to field a fit-and-healthy team.

South Africa's pool stage came to an earlier close following 64-0 drubbing of the United States, a result that ended up being the only unanswered scoreline of the first round—evidence of the team's flourishing confidence.

After the disastrous start against Japan, Meyer's men look motivated like never before, and if the likes of Bryan Habana, Jesse Kriel and Co. keep up current form, this Springboks team might be capable of wonders.

3. New Zealand

Movement: Down One

Part of the curse that comes with being New Zealand is that the world expects the audacious, the tremendous and even the ridiculous—but we didn't quite get all that in the 47-9 win over Tonga.

Of course, one would be right to insist Steve Hansen's side had its share of second-stringers present, but while the likes of Australia and Ireland are being tested, the All Blacks have cantered to the Pool C summit.

France will do their utmost to test whether that will have a detrimental effect on New Zealand in the next stage, but the All Blacks drop in our rankings for now as a result of the excellent form shown by their peers.

2. Ireland

Movement: Up Two

Ian Madigan's full-time tears spoke a thousand words on Sunday as Ireland fought through adversity to claim a 24-9 win over France, securing safer passage through the quarter-finals thanks to their topping of Pool D.

That's not to do a disservice to Argentina, of course, but the Pumas certainly appear the preferred opponent, especially for a team that's going to be severely hampered for the remainder of the competition.

The Press Association confirmed on Monday that Peter O'Mahony's World Cup is over with a knee injury (h/t ESPN Scrum). Meanwhile, ex-Wales international Shane Williams discussed how veterans Paul O'Connell and Johnny Sexton look likely to be absent and Sean O'Brien awaits word on a possible citation for his punch on Pascal Pape.

Hope is far from dead, though, and Madigan blossomed as one of the replacements, as did second-row Iain Henderson, giving Irish fans hope that coach Schmidt might have a trick or two up his sleeve yet.

1. Australia

Movement: No Movement

If Australia looked like the tournament's in-form team prior to Saturday's rousing 15-6 win over Wales, they certainly do in wake of that most uplifting of results—at least from coach Michael Cheika's perspective.

On one hand, the helmsman would have been saddened to see his side weakened—thanks to the yellow cards picked up by Will Genia and Dean Mumm—but he'll be boosted evermore by the fact his remaining troops made it seem as though there was no player deficit.

The Wallabies scrum more than held its own despite those crippling odds, and Australia's defence looks like a new beast, with the likes of Bernard Foley and Adam Ashley-Cooper leading their back-line ranks with expert precision.