HALFBACKS
10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
9. Gareth Davies (Wales)
There has been some tough competition for both halfback spots, with two French stars missing out on the jerseys. In the absence of Romain Ntamack, fly-half Matthieu Jalibert has risen to the occasion for France, to take them to top spot in Pool A. Also, Antoine Dupont’s unreal standards continue to rise, yet an unfortunate cheek-bone fracture hindered his influence upon the latter stages of the pools.
So, we have cast our picks for the nine and ten jerseys, with Wales’ Gareth Davies and Ireland Johnny Sexton’s taking to the mantles. Starting off with Sexton, the Leinster legend finished the pool stages as the third highest points scorer, with 51 (behind Thomas Ramos: 61 and Damien McKenzie: 53). Sexton slotted the second most conversions with 14 (again behind Ramos: 19), but his most impressive accolade came in the win over Tonga.
Sexton’s try against the Tongans saw him overtake Ronan O’Gara’s long standing record, as Ireland’s all-time leading points scorer. Sexton was instrumental in Ireland’s win over South Africa, and continues to drive his side forward towards a historic first ever Rugby World Cup title. Partnering Sexton at scrum-half is Wales’ Gareth Davies. The Scarlets man played in each of Wales’ four matches, as Warren Gatland’s men completed a clean sweep to the top of Pool C.
Davies started in the victories over Fiji and Australia, and came off the bench in the triumphs over Georgia and Portugal. Davies scored a key try against the Wallabies, as Wales upset Eddie Jones’ side with a significant 40-6 landslide. Davies’ efforts see him keep out the World Cup superstar scrum-halves to the nine jersey, with Dupont dropped to the bench in our squad.
FRONT ROW
1. Gareth Thomas (Wales)
2. Peato Mauvaka (France)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
The forward pack begins with Wales loose-head Gareth Thomas occupying the number one jersey. France prop Cyrill Baille was a contender to this spot, but an unfortunate injury saw him miss the opening two rounds of action. Thomas put in three big shifts on the loose-head, as Wales secured a clean run of victories to see out Pool C in style. Thomas ran out for an immense 71 minutes against Fiji, which is rarely seen by a prop in the modern international game.
He followed this up with a 66 minute outing against the Wallabies, and earned a well-deserved breather against Portugal. Another impressive run out against Georgia saw him fall just shy of the hour mark, but his on-field efforts presented just how much gas Thomas has in the tank, which will aid his side to no end in the quarter-final clash with Argentina. Slotting inside Thomas is France hooker Peato Mauvaka, who has been one of the break-out talents of the tournament.
Mauvaka was called into action early, after an eleventh minute hamstring early injury to Julien Marchand, in France’s opening round match against the All Blacks. The hooker impressed all onlookers, for a 69 minute run-out at the Stade de France. Mauvaka followed this up with a try against Uruguay in round two, and two starts against Namibia and Italy. Mauvaka doubled his try tally, as he crossed over against the Azzurri last weekend.
Evergreen tight-head Tadhg Furlong gets the nod to start in our three jersey. Still rightly amongst the conversation with the world’s best tight-head props, Furlong has had a significant impact upon Andy Farrell’s side, with his welcomed return to form following injury absence in the 2023 Six Nations. He started each of Ireland’s four pool stage matches, and like Thomas, ran out for a marathon 71 minute showing against Tonga. A key pillar in the Irish front row, Furlong’s presence certainly contributed to his side taking top spot in Pool B.
LOCKS
4. RG Snyman (South Africa)
5. Ollie Chessum (England)
An honourable mention is in order for Sam Whitelock, as who became the most-capped All Black of all time against Uruguay. Whitelock surpassed Richie McCaw’s record for his 150th cap, and in doing so also took the title of most Rugby World Cup caps, with 23. However, Whitelock misses out on our team of the pool stages, with Springbok’s lock RG Snyman and England’s Ollie Chessum getting the call-in.
Chessum featured in all four of England’s pool stage matches, and featured just once off the bench. The Leicester Tigers man has steadily established himself amongst Steve Borthwick’s go-to options, and has built a nice second row pairing with Maro Itoje. Chessum’s try against Samoa kicked England into gear, and towards an eventual victory despite the albeit unexpected fight put up by Manu Samoa.
Packing down the scrum with Chessum, RG Snyman has been impressing during his extended run in the ‘Boks fold. A regular member of the ‘bomb squad’, Snyman replaced Eben Etzebeth early in proceedings against Scotland, as the Sharks man suffered a shoulder injury. Snyman then followed this up by dominating Romania for the entire second half, and having a physical impact upon Ireland.