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The Rugby World Cup quarter-finals threw up four thrilling encounters in their own right that has whittled down the teams remaining in the tournament and provided huge debate in doing so.
South Africa needed a late try from scrum-half Fourie du Preez to see off a spirited yet depleted Wales side 23-19 on Saturday afternoon, but reigning champions New Zealand needed no such luck as they destroyed old World Cup rivals France 62-13 in Cardiff by running in an incredible nine tries against Les Blues.
But Saturday’s action was nothing compared to Sunday’s. First up, Argentina blew apart all expectations to beat Ireland 43-20 in one of the most incredible results seen in Rugby World Cup history.
But the controversy came in the final match of the quarter-finals as a late penalty allowed Bernard Foley to slot a last-minute match-winning penalty despite plenty of questions arising over Craig Joubert’s decision to award the penalty.
So who made The Independent’s team of the quarter-finals? Click on the gallery below to find out.
Show all 15 1 /15Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 15. Joaquin Tuculet (Argentina) The Argentina full-back scored the try that broke Ireland’s spirit as he finished expertly to touch the ball down over his head. Looked to join the rampant Pumas attack that exposed Ireland’s weakness out wide. Australia’s Kurtley Beale also gets a mention for an impressive performance.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 14. Juan Imhoff (Argentina) Two more tries for the powerful wing helped kill off the Irish, and while he plays on the left wing, he simply had to fit in to the team somewhere. Imhoff chased down Santiago Cordero’s to score his first on the right, before taking an offload from Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe to power away from the defence and side-step Rob Kearney as if the full-back had never tackled before.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 13. Matias Moroni (Argentina) Set the tone for Argentina’s incredible performance as he scored the opening try. Constantly threatened Ireland’s defence and his ability to run at speed with the ball in two hands – not as easy for most professionals as it sounds – kept the Irish guessing.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 12. Damien de Allende (South Africa) Has stepped forward in Jean de Villiers’ absence to star for the Springboks. De Allende constantly broke the gain line to keep his side moving forward, but it was his defence that was absolutely sublime. Marking Jamie Roberts is no easy task, but winning a penalty in the final minutes by turning Roberts over is some feat.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 11. Julian Savea (New Zealand) Simply unstoppable. The wing tore France to shreds and his hat-trick was full reward for one of the best performances you’ll see in a Rugby World Cup. His acceleration borders on scary, but added with his brute strength, you have the complete wing. The way he brushed off three French would-be tacklers was jaw-dropping and echoed the great Jonah Lomu in 1995.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 10. Dan Carter (New Zealand) The All Blacks fly-half put in one of his finest performances in recent years to see off France in stunning fashion. His pass out the back of his hand released Savea for his first try, and he targeted the French forwards all night to inspire the Cardiff rout. One step closer to his crowning glory in the World Cup final.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 9. Fourie du Preez (South Africa) The hero of the Springboks’ 2007 World Cup-winning campaign used brains over brawn to outsmart Wales and steal victory at the death. It was Du Preez who told Duane Vermuelen to break left off a scrum and attack the blindside, although the No 8 takes all the credit for his beautiful one-handed offload for Du Preez to score the match-winner. The scrum-half also led the team by example in De Villiers’ absence.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 1. Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa) ‘Beast’ was formidable in the scrum and carried well to take on the bulk of the carrying for the Springboks. He also contributed in in defence as Wales try to bludgeon their way through, with little success.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 2. Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa) What do you do when you see a 19-stone prop charging at you with the ability to side-step and offload like Sonny Bill Williams? Franks was brilliant with the ball in hand on Saturday and a rock in the scrum.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 3. Owen Franks (New Zealand) What do you do when you see a 19-stone prop charging at you with the ability to side-step and offload like Sonny Bill Williams? Franks was brilliant with the ball in hand on Saturday and a rock in the scrum.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 4. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand) Retallick started the rout with a charge down on Frederic Michalak that saw the giant lock gather the ball and gallop over with all the grace of a hippopotamus. He disrupted the French lineout all game, and the hard work he does as a battering ram regularly goes under the radar.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 5. Sam Whitelock (New Zealand) Whitelock’s beautiful offload in the second-half to release Ma’a Nonu should have resulted in a try, but the second-row was instrumental in the success the All Blacks had around the fringes as his partner in crime Retallick drifted further out. Either of Scotland’s Gray brothers could have made the cut.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 6. Blair Cowan (Scotland) It’s mind-blowing to think that Cowan was originally left out of the 31-man squad for the World Cup. He was everywhere on Sunday as the Scots had to do their fair share of tackling, and had he not been as influential as he was the Wallabies would have scored a lot more than the five tries they managed. Schalk Burger is unlucky to miss out after a powerful performance against Wales.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 7. Richie McCaw (New Zealand) How does the 34-year-old still do it? McCaw was a an unstoppable force on the ground as he constantly turned over French ball, and it took No 8 Louis Picamoles to deliver a cheeky punch to the chin to stop the openside. He was the first on the scene to nearly every ruck and he continues to belie his age for the All Blacks cause.
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Rugby World Cup team of the quarter-finals 8. David Denton (Scotland) Scotland’s standout player as they came within a whisker of stunning the Wallabies. Carried well in the first half as Scotland tried to impose out wide, and this led to the No 8 cropping up in space repeatedly. He was unable to take the final lineout that led to the match-winning penalty, but that should not subtract from a brilliant performance.
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