The Rugby World Cup Flop XV

Chris Robshaw was the only choice to captain the World Cup all-flop XV. Photo / Getty

15. Israel Folau (Australia)
There have been plenty of worse full backs - see Spedding, Scott - but Folau has been the biggest letdown purely because he has been playing far below his own ridiculously high standards. Saturday would be the day to right that wrong.

14. Alex Cuthbert (Wales)
Again context is needed with Wales' back division suffering a casualty rate on a par with the black death. Into the fray stepped Cuthbert whose every contribution seemed to be a negative one.

13. Brad Barritt (England)
Is it possible to be underwhelmed by the most underwhelming centre in international rugby? Barritt somehow managed that feat being at fault for Gareth Davies' try in the defeat by Wales.

12. Mathieu Bastareaud (France)
We were told that he was far more than a big, lumbering ox. Apparently that is wrong.

11. Alesana Tuilagi (Samoa)
His most noteworthy contribution was to receive a five-week suspension (reduced to two) for basically running into a Japanese tackler (Harumichi Tatekawa). Other than that rarely made his considerable size count.

10. Ben Volavola (Fiji)
Horrible kicking cost Fiji - contributing to 11 missed points against England and six in the defeat by Wales as well as all the charge-downs. Also gave a nervy England momentum with that opening-minute fumble that led to the scrum-penalty which George Ford kicked through the sticks to take a 3-0 lead at Twickenham.

9. Nick Phipps (Australia)
Nearly gave the game away when coming on against England, prompting the Sydney Morning Herald to call him 'a liability', when he gave that horribly miscued pass at Twickenham that forced Kurtley Beale to scramble back 50 yards to save the Wallabies.

8. Ben Morgan (England)
Never suggested that he had regained full match fitness after his eight month lay-off with a broken leg, an injury that was compounded by other knocks, despite what the management said. Looked so short of match fitness, his selection bordered on the negligent.

7. Chris Robshaw (England)
Regardless of his decision to kick for touch against Wales, far more harrowing was how he was played off the park by David Pocock and Sam Warburton at the breakdown.

6. Damien Chouly (France)
Came into the tournament red hot, but froze. Generally anonymous against Ireland apart from the moment that Robbie Henshaw outwitted and outpowered him to win a turnover, he was dropped to the bench for the quarter-final defeat by New Zealand.

5. Mariano Galarza (Argentina)
One of Daniel Hourcade's 'favourite sons', the coach waited for his key line-out man to recover from shoulder surgery until the last minute only to watch the Gloucester second row come on as a replacement against the All Blacks and stick his fingers in Brodie Retallick's eyes which cost him a tournament-ending nine-week suspension.

4. Josh Furno (Italy)
Newcastle Falcons second row was part of an Italian pack that didn't show up and for all Peter O'Mahony's fine efforts to stop him scoring against Ireland, the lock with the flowing locks utterly botched his finish

3. Uini Atonio (France)
Amazing how the heaviest prop in the competition can be so ineffective. One start against Romania when Mihai Lazar turned him inside-out and France had to summon Nicolas Mas to shore up a struggling front row.

2. Tom Youngs (England)
Strange how Youngs' travails made people feel sympathetic towards Stuart Lancaster's decision to ostracise Dylan Hartley. Utterly unable to make the set-piece stand out against Australia.

1. Joe Marler (England)
Troubled by Fiji front row, and demolished by Australia after being placed under intense scrutiny. He fell foul of referee, Romain Poite, who warned him after giving away a succession of penalties.