Rugby World Cup 2015: Best XV from Quarter-Finals
Weekends of rugby don't come more drama-filled than that.
The 2015 World Cup quarter-finals compacted into four games just about every human emotion you can think of.
Irish heartbreak, Welsh pride, Scottish despair, French embarrassment, unconfined South American joy, South African doggedness and no small amount of Antipodean relief were thrown into a heady mixture of one of the most memorable knockout rounds the tournament has ever seen.
At the end of it all, we are left with a truncated version of the annual Rugby Championship to decide the winners of this tournament, a deflating thought for the northern hemisphere sides who came with so much expectation but were found to be short on the required quality.
There were still a few individual Celtic performances that have merited inclusion in this week's team of the quarter-finals, as we take a look at the best XV from a punishing first knockout stage of this year's World Cup.
15. Kurtley Beale
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Kurtley Beale would not immediately spring to mind as your first-choice man to turn to in a downpour.
But, in the Australian team for the injured Israel Folau, the versatile Waratahs man was Mr Reliable at the back for the Wallabies, claiming the aerial stuff with confidence and providing a cutting edge in attack.
14. Santiago Cordero
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Park, for a moment, the dazzling footwork of Nehe Milner-Skudder that brought the New Zealander a sumptuous try against France.
Instead, applaud the speed, skill and intelligence possessed by 21-year-old Santiago Cordero.
The little fireball crafted Argentina’s first two quickfire tries that had Ireland reeling. The first when he was up against Dave Kearney and had the pace to skitter outside his opposite man in order to create a two-on-one that Matias Moroni finished off.
That was no mismatch of wing versus lock, that was wing on wing, and Cordero turned Kearney into a statue.
The second when he lofted a chip with just enough club to stay in-field for Juan Imhoff to chase and touch down.
If you’re looking for black marks, you might have thought he could do better to keep Luke Fitzgerald on his leash for Ireland’s first try.
13. Tevita Kuridrani
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Australia’s outside centre smashed his way through Tommy Seymour to create a try for Adam Ashley-Cooper and then had the strength to stretch and score his own try after powering his way to the line.
A big game from the big man in Australia’s midfield.
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12. Juan Martin Hernandez
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Juan Martin Hernandez, eight years ago, was the driving force behind Argentina.
Playing at full-back then, he tore Ireland apart to knock them out and was the star of a hugely entertaining side, catching bombs, booming drop goals and striding through space.
The pace and panache has gone these days, but the rugby brain is intact. Now as inside centre, Hernandez knows his job is not to dazzle but to provide the platform for the world beaters outside him to strut their stuff.
He kept the wheels oiled for the Pumas in Cardiff, allowing that outrageously talented back three of Cordero, Imhoff and Tuculet to wreak the havoc that was once his stock-in-trade.
11. Julian Savea
5 of 15Julian Savea stomped all over France like a bulldog in an old lady’s flowerbed.
The giant Wellington wing was fed for the first of his hat-trick of tries by a sublime Dan Carter offload, and his third was an easy run-in, long after the French had thrown in the towel.
It was try No. 2 that took the billing as the jewel in the crown. In a rampage reminiscent of Jonah Lomu skittling Englishmen in Cape Town, Savea smashed through three French tacklers to crash over the line and leave them on the seats of their shorts, wondering what day it was.
On the left-wing berth, we must give mention to Argentina’s Juan Imhoff, who scored twice to break Irish hearts and is pushing the All Black hard for this spot.
10. Dan Carter
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New Zealand spent the week in the build-up to their quarter-final with France batting back questions about their defeat to the same opposition at the same ground eight years ago.
But amid the denials of motivation from that night, Dan Carter undoubtedly had some wrongs to right. The fly-half hobbled out of that game in 2007 and watched on as it all went belly-up.
This year, he saw the 80 minutes out, sore right leg and all, and was magisterial in the way he orchestrated his team.
9. Greig Laidlaw
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The agony for Scotland was tangible at the end of their controversial defeat to the Wallabies, and it was down to their captain Greig Laidlaw to make sense of it all in front of the TV cameras.
He did well just not to swear, and he deserves as much credit for that as for the way he played in the sopping-wet Twickenham conditions.
His goal-kicking was on song, nailing five penalties and two conversions, keeping his team in a game during which they were outscored five tries to three.
8. David Denton
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Described in the Independent as the man who least deserved to be on the losing side for Scotland, Dave Denton had a towering game for his adopted nation.
He led the statistics for his team with 14 carries for 56 metres and had the measure of the vaunted Wallaby back row, which was far from its most effective without David Pocock.
7. Richie McCaw
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The praise for No. 7s in this tournament has largely been lavished elsewhere than the All Blacks captain.
No more.
Richie McCaw was at his best against the French, slowing ball down, turning it over, smashing people in the tackle and putting in the sort of performance that suggests he could carry on after this tournament if he really wanted to.
Honourable mention goes to Pablo Matera of Argentina, who crossed the gain line time after time to keep the Pumas on the front foot.
6. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
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Argentina's blindside had an outstanding game in a team of stellar individual performers against Ireland.
He gets into this side for the way he carried and tackled but also for the handling skills that saw him link so well with his backs.
It was the back rower's pickup off his laces and superb miss pass that set up Santiago Cordero to create Matias Moroni's try. Ask yourself this: Would any English No. 6 have the hands to pull that off?
Honourable mention goes to Schalk Burger. South Africa went for the sledgehammer to try and break Wales down, and it was usually being wielded by the big Stormers man.
5. Tomas Lavanini
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Ireland wondered how they would fare without Paul O'Connell in the second row, and they got their answer.
Lavanini was the standout lock on display, ruling the lineout and carrying powerfully alongside his young second-row colleague Guido Petti. At just 22 and 20 years old, this pair has the potential to amass a lorry-load of caps at the heart of the Pumas scrum.
It's also worth remembering this area of the Argentine team lost the experience of Mariano Galarza after he was banned for contact with the eye area in the Pumas' opening game.
They haven't missed a beat without him.
4. Brodie Retallick
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The outgoing player of the year displayed just why he won the accolade at the end of 2014.
All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick scored a fine try after charging down Frederic Michalak’s kick and was full of an energy and work rate the French couldn’t live with in Cardiff.
3. WP Nel
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Nel was the source of many of Scotland's points through giving Australia's Scott Sio hell at scrum time.
Coach Vern Cotter has added a real weapon to his armoury with the introduction of the South African to his front row.
2. Rory Best
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Carried, tackled and turned over like an extra back-row player, as though with all his experience, he just knew he had to play like two men in the absence of Ireland’s first-choice 6 and 7.
Rory Best, playing out the final minutes of his World Cup career, was the leading light in an Irish pack that came second best in every other head-to-head.
1. Marcos Ayerza
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Argentine loosehead Marcos Ayerza gave Ireland's Mike Ross a rough ride at scrum time in Cardiff.
If there is a better scrummaging No. 1 currently playing the game, can he please make himself known?
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