Handre Pollard, Kieran Read and Virimi Vakatawa. Photos / AP
Handre Pollard, Kieran Read and Virimi Vakatawa. Photos / AP
Eight teams have been trimmed to four as the knockout stages claimed their first victims. But while some teams were unable to progress, some didn't miss the opportunity to make (or leave) their mark on the tournament. Christopher Reive brings you the form XV of the quarter-finals.
1. Joe Moody(New Zealand)
Arguably his best performance in a black jersey this year, Moody seemed to show up everywhere on defence and was a physical attacking presence.
Joe Moody impressed for the All Blacks. Photo: NZ Herald/Mark Mitchell
Saw one lineout throw fall to the wrong team but had an otherwise stellar performance against the Wallabies, with plenty of grunt work helping to lay the platform for his backs.
3. Tom Francis (Wales)
Kept himself busy on defence to rack up his tackle count and do his part to fill any gaps in the line. He was quick to the breakdown on attack and gave glimpses of his ability with ball in hand.
Worked hard at the breakdown and made some crunching tackles; showed some deft passing ability too.
9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
Had a great read on the game and didn't try to force his hand. Distributed brilliantly and made the right plays. Scored two scintillating first-half tries to knock the wind out of the Irish.
10. Handre Pollard (South Africa)
Handre Pollard collects a kick. Photo / AP
Reliable as ever with ball in hand - whether he made the decision to run with it or kick for space. Had a strong performance off the kicking tee and trieed hard on defence.
11. Marika Koroibete (Australia)
Always tough to bring down with the ball in his hands, Koroibete made plenty of metres, beat defenders at will and scored his side's only try against England.
12. Damian de Allende (South Africa)
Led the way defensively with the highest individual tackle count (17) and forced a few turnovers in his side's match against Japan. He was also a common feature of the Springboks' attack and threatened the line a few times.
13. Virimi Vakatawa (France)
Virimi Vakatawa put on a strong display against Wales. Photo / AP
With his side going a man down, he got stuck into his work on the defensive side of the ball while trying to make his presence felt on attack.
14. Sevu Reece (New Zealand)
Tried hard to get involved early and was rewarded with plenty of carries. He looked dangerous every time he got his hands on the ball and also made some good defensive reads.
15. Maxime Medard (France)
Had the chance to show all of his tool and didn't waste it. He ran the ball for more than 100m, flashed his offloading and kicking ability, and show a sound defensive game.
