World Cup – Eleven finalists, Springboks, two French, no English: our World Cup XV

A full-back position which sparked debate within our editorial staff. Thomas Ramos finished second best director of the tournament (74 points) a small point behind Owen Farrell, but did not perform well in the quarter, a match which sounded the death knell for the French course.

Beauden Barrett is the player who has covered the most meters with the ball in hand in this World Cup (496), but his unsuccessful final really left us wanting more. Then came the Irishman Hugo Keenan, 3 tries on the clock including two in the decisive qualifying match against Scotland. Always impactful, serious and well placed in the ranking of the best ball carriers, his consistency opened the doors to this XV.

Transparent during the final, his contribution in the other matches was such that his presence in the typical World Cup team was not a subject. With eight attempts on the clock, he finished top scorer in the competition and equaled the absolute record in one edition (8), co-held with the South African Bryan Habana (2007) and two compatriots: Jonah Lomu (1999) and Julian Savea (2015). Beautiful people that he would have left in his rearview mirror without a treat from his fly-half Richie Mo’unga in the half against Argentina.

As for Keenan, the bonus for consistency is given to the second center of the Springboks, who obtained six match sheets including five starts in this World Cup. In addition to his punchy try against Tonga in the group stage, we will also remember his decisive pass with the perfect foot for Cheslin Kolbe during a quarter against the Blues where he was also the one who made the most tackles (14), as well as as the red card of New Zealand captain Sam Cane which he provokes in spite of himself in the final. Generous in the effort and in the fight, he made his contribution in the coronation of his team.

Like Ireland, its journey ended earlier than expected and it is a real regret as it was monstrous in this World Cup. The true spearhead of a formidable Irish attack, Bundee Aki got his World Cup off to a strong start with a double and an astronomical total of 190 meters covered with ball in hand against Romania. A preferred option in the center of the field to open gaps, he continued to advance and wear down the opposing defenses.

Another double for him against Tonga, a final try and a titanic match in the quarter against the Blacks, which however was not enough for the Clover XV to go further… the Connacht player left an indelible mark although ( too) short on the competition. It was necessary to move ahead of the excellent Jordie Barrett in the starting team.

The competition was tough with the New Zealander Mark Tele’a, the player who beat the most defenders in this World Cup (40). But Cheslin Kolbe had this decisive side to him which made the difference in his favor at the time of choice. The only South African try scorer during the Pool B clash against Ireland (8-13), the former Toulonnais mainly placed his paw on the quarter against the Blues. By his essay, already, but also by his counter on a transformation of Thomas Ramos, controversial but which will remain as one of the strong images of this World Cup.

There was a match with the New Zealander Ritchie Mo’unga and the Englishman Owen Farrell, the latter having finished best director of the competition (75 points). But Handré Pollard’s story deserved to be rewarded for us. Absent from the South African “squad” at the start of the competition, the former Montpellier player was drafted following the injury to hooker Malcolm Marx and the need to integrate a good scorer after the repeated setbacks of Manie Libbok.

Replacing the latter at the start, Pollard saw his destiny change during the semi-final, where his staff called on him from the half-hour mark to be the executor and metronome of a restricted game plan . Like his entries into play, his final perfectly met the expectations of his staff and his 100% success on goal was a determining factor in the South African coronation. In a word, he was the somewhat austere boss that the Springboks needed to win their arm wrestling matches.

The scenario was written for Antoine Dupont but the skull of Namibian Johan Deysel and the painful elimination of the Blues in the quarter changed the script. And it was Aaron Smith who naturally took the role. Charismatic leader of the Haka, the New Zealand scrum-half was above all a field leader for the All Blacks. An outstanding ejector and dynamiser despite the weight of his years (34 years), he was one of the essential links in the fluidity of the New Zealand game during the competition. Author of a hat-trick in the group stage against Italy (96-17), he gave himself a brilliant try in the half against Argentina and was (logically) refused a try in the final against South Africa. South. This World Cup was his last challenge with the All Blacks and he can say goodbye to them with his head held high.

To be frank, we would have loved to start in this XV Charles Ollivon, remarkable in every way during this World Cup. But the Toulonnais will have to be content with the bench because it was complicated to remove Pieter-Steph du Toit from the “starting fifteen”. Named man of the final, the South African flanker was the shadow hero with his 28 tackles, also reminding us why he had been named best player in the world four years earlier. “He was phenomenal, exceptional. A machine“, said his coach Jacques Nienaber about him. As in the half against the English, he was the embodiment of unsexy but ruthless rugby which helped the Springboks win.

A name that is unanimous and that we slept first in this 5-star XV. This shows his impact in a position where the Englishman Ben Earl also shone. But Ardie Savea is an extra-terrestrial and could not stand any competition whatsoever. Overpowering with the ball in hand, even from a standing start, the Hurricanes player constantly put the Blacks in the lead. Much more than his three tries, including one in the clash of the titans in the quarter against Ireland (28-24), Savea above all gave a lot of confidence to his team after the initial failure against the Blues (27-13). His election as player of the year 2023 at the World Rugby Awards the day after the final is just the logical conclusion of a titanic World Cup.

Returning just before the competition from a cruciate ligament rupture, Siya Kolisi took on the mantle of leader of the Springboks with great conviction. Exemplary on the field and off, he cannot be dissociated from the coronation of his family, being the guarantor of a collective solidarity which allowed South Africa to win its three decisive matches by the smallest of margins. Driven by the passion for his country, he transmitted this sense of duty to his entire team. At the end of the final, he reiterated that this coronation went beyond rugby. Just like his role in the triumph of his selection.

Of almost all the rucks, the youngest of the Barrett siblings has made obscure tasks his hobby horse. Annoyed at having collapsed during the last summer preparation match against the Springboks, the second row responded with serious and regular performances, culminating in his quarter-final where he tackled the Irishman with all his might. (18 tackles). Still in the final, he had to step up to compensate for the rapid exclusion of his captain Sam Cane. Solid and rough, he earned his place in this XV where his South African counterpart Franco Mostert could also have appeared.

His tap at the start of the match against the Blues, which had a 99 chance out of 100 to be considered as a voluntary forward, and to be sanctioned with a penalty try, has at least if not much more importance than Kolbe’s counter on Ramos in the same match. To drive the point home, it was he who scored the winning try against the Blues. How decisive in the quarter, Eben Etzebeth has often excelled in the role of the villain, but not only that. His knowledge of counterattack and his aggressiveness also weighed in close matches. An indisputable holder of our XV.

For his last international competition, the right-hander from La Rochelle lived up to his reputation in closed scrum. A sector where he prevented the Blues from sinking into the heart of New Zealand’s domination in the opening match and which again proved his strength during the quarter. A match where his absence weighed heavily in the last half hour, his replacement Dorian Aldegheri making mistakes twice. Even if he weighed less in the scoring zone, he was nonetheless this quiet and reassuring force on which the French pack could count. He is therefore rewarded, finishing first in our ranking of right-handers ahead of the South African Frans Malherbe and the New Zealander Tyrell Lomax.

Are we being a bit chauvinistic to place the Toulouse man before world champion Bongi Mbonambi, who had to assume almost single-handedly the role of hooker for the Springboks following Malcolm Marx’s injury at the start of the competition? Maybe not ! The World Cup performance of Peato Mauvaka, inducted after Marchand’s injury in the first quarter of an hour of the opening match, was nothing short of breathtaking. Omnipresent on the pitch, as capable of making big shots as of taking intervals and speeding up the game, he gave the feeling of knowing how to do everything well.

If France had beaten South Africa in the quarter, his rating would have been very close to 10 out of 10, he who scored a try, covered 95 meters with the ball in hand and was constant poison for the Springboks. As with Bundee Aki, we would have liked to see him enjoy himself and give us one or two more matches.

His status as an “impact player” did not seem compatible with this luxury XV, a bit like his compatriot RG Snyman in the second line. But Ox Nche had the ability to change the destiny of a match, of a semi-final at that, which is not common for a player of his position. His entry into play against England and his ability to twist his opponent Kyle Sinclair in the scrum first saved his team from sinking, then overthrowing the XV de la Rose (16-15). In memory, never has a pillar been so decisive in the conquest of a world title. The hour of glory of a “giant” – 1.73m – who generally brought all his strength to each of his entries and deserved to change the selection rule of our typical team.

To pay tribute to the duo Jacques Nienaber – Rassie Erasmus, who innovated during this World Cup by offering a 7+1 bench, we have also decided to strengthen our bench with seven forwards who distinguished themselves during this World Cup . We find the New Zealand left-hander there Ethan de Grootthe South African hooker Bongi Mbonambi and the Springbok right-hander Frans Malherbe on the front line, and the legend Sam Whitelock second for all of his work and because he ended the most beautiful match of the competition, New Zealand – Ireland, thanks to an inspired scratch.

Jack Morgansparkling with Wales, deserved to be there, just like the Englishman WellEarls and French Charles Ollivon in the third line. This is the first center Jordie Barrett, who would have appeared in the starting XV if he had not had to suffer from competition from the extra-terrestrial Bundee Aki, who was chosen to be the only representative of the back lines on this strongest bench.