How many Irish players made Gerry Thornley’s team of the Rugby World Cup?

15 - Hugo Keenan (Ireland)

As safe as houses, as usual, Keenan played every minute of Ireland’s five games, making 59 carries and five clean line breaks, as well as scoring three tries. He hardly ever makes a mistake and his positional play, ground coverage, fitness and work-rate are exceptional. Might Ireland be getting even more from him?

14 - Will Jordan (New Zealand)

Jordan and Damian Penaud both were at the upper end of the try-scoring charts, with eight and six, and made the most breaks, 12 by the Kiwi and 13 by the French winger. Admittedly, their tallies were inflated by dipping their bread against Namibia, a woeful Italy, and Uruguay, who were more competitive. Nor did did Penaud rise to the occasion in the quarters or Jordan in the final, but the latter’s tally did equal the World Cup record. He would have broken it if Richie Mo’unga opted to pass to him in space against Argentina.

13 - Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji)

An exceptionally natural and gifted player, who has ploughed a brilliant long furrow in the French club game, the Fijian captain beat people up for fun, was a potent runner and epitomised everything brilliant about the flying Fijians.

12 - Bundee Aki (Ireland)

At 33 and in the form of his life. If Ireland had beaten the All Blacks he could well have been player of the tournament. Only Ardie Savea (82) made more carries in more matches played than Aki’s 81. Played every minute of Ireland’s five games and didn’t do him any harm, only Penaud and Jordan had more than Aki’s ten clean breaks and five tries.

The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times

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11 - Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

Didn’t scale the heights of four years ago yet still scored crucial tries against Ireland and France, and made several more key interventions, especially in defence, if not always legal. Why doesn’t rugby look closer at highly questionable charge downs? Finished the final with his head buried under a towel in the sin-bin, but his one-handed knockdown may actually have won the Boks the final.

10 - Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand)

He’s always been a classy performer but along with Aaron Smith and Ardie Savea, Mo’unga became one of the All Blacks’ cornerstones. Sliced and diced a few midfields too, not least Ireland’s, and his creation of Smith’s overruled try in the final would have been one of the all-time final plays. Mention too for Owen Farrell, the tournament’s leading points scorer, as well as the others of the Six Nations olde guard, Dan Biggar and, of course, Johnny Sexton.

9 - Aaron Smith (New Zealand)

One could certainly make a case for Antoine Dupont as the best player in the world, albeit he had a quieter game in the opening win over New Zealand than when pulling the strings against South Africa. But Smith’s speed to the breakdown and laser-like passes were as sharp as ever, and he was unluckily denied a fifth tournament try in the final.

1 - Ox Nche (South Africa)

By rights, Andrew Porter would be in this team but for Wayne Barnes’ scrum interpretations. He started all five Irish games and his 287 minutes was more than Nche’s output (251) over the South African’s seven games, five of them off the bench. But there’s no doubt his scrum work was the most telling contribution of any loosehead, even if Nepo Laulala kept him quiet in the final.

2 - Peato Mauvaka (France)

Julien Marchand’s injury would have damaged most teams but Mauvaka’s electric performances - footwork, acceleration, strength and five clean line breaks - made light of it. The balding, bearded Portuguese hooker Mike Tadjer was one of the outstanding figures of the World Cup, and that amazing kick clearance against Fiji was one of the moments if the tournament.

3 - Frans Malherbe (South Africa)

An impact replacement in their Tokyo triumph, four years on Malherbe was the rock in the South Africa scrum, starting five of his six appearances and playing a total of 321 minutes. Probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Malherbe made 15 tackles in his 66 minutes in the final, a tally bettered only by three teammates.

4 - RG Snyman (South Africa)

The Bomb Squad had such a telling effect on this World Cup that it didn’t seem unreasonable to include two of them. Every time he came on, you knew that with his explosiveness and his octopus-like offloading, he would make a huge impact. Whatever Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert were doing, Snyman had to come on. Stay fit RG. Touch wood.

5 - Theo McFarland (Samoa)

Carried on his form in the warm-up against Ireland when he almost single-handled ate into the Irish lineout, doing more of the same in Samoa’s pool games and was inventively used as an effective target for cross kicks.

6 - Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

Included due to his stunning performance in the final when making that astonishing haul of 28 tackles. Jordie Barrett will have visions of the flanker looming into view as he’s about to move the ball for many, many moons to come. Typified their match-winning mentality too. Manuel Ardao was the stand-out player for a Uruguayan team which was great value.

7 - Ben Earl (England)

Strictly speaking, Earl was the answer to England’s prayers as a ball-carrying number eight given the off-colour Billy Vunipola was their only specialist in that position. Earl played in every game, starting all but the 71-0 win over Chile, and along with carrying for 64 metres, his seven clean breaks were the most of any forward in the tournament.

8 - Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

As ever, one of the strongest positions, with Earl, Gregory Alldritt, Caelan Doris among the competition, but Savea went to new levels of darkness and brilliance in dragging the All Blacks up field continuously, especially in the final. Just never stopped showing up. His 82 carries were the tournament’s highest, and he scored three tries and had eight offloads.

Try of the tournament: Bundee Aki (Ireland) v New Zealand, quarter-finals

In the 27th minute of the game, Ireland were trailing 13-3 and in need of inspiration. They began to build phases, Dan Sheehan showing his footwork after Mack Hansen linked with him, and a few phases later James Lowe stepped infield to feed Aki. Gathering the high ball there seemed little on, until the Irish centre beat Rieko Ioane and Shannon Frizell with his footwork and fended Ardie Savea for a stunning score.

Tournament High

Viewed through the prism of green-tinted glasses for sure, but it has to be the estimated 50-60,000 Irish supporters singing Zombie in the immediate aftermath of the wins over Scotland and South Africa in the Stade de France.

Such was the fervour with which The Fields of Athenry was sung at one point during the latter match that some Springboks supporters actually responded with applause.

For such a small island where rugby is the fourth most popular team sport, it was remarkable that Ireland were the best supported away team in France 2023. Matches were akin to home games, and the colour, chanting, singing and sheer energy they brought to those games was off the charts.

[ How did the anti-IRA Zombie by The Cranberries become an Irish rugby anthem? ]

Maybe you had to be there not to be one of the begrudgers, and the world service feed said it best when they said nothing at all, ie by deciding to stop talking and let the celebrations speak for themselves for a minute or so.

There’s never been anything quite like it at Irish games abroad.

Tournament Low

On-field animation/celebrating and sledging have, alas, become an increasingly staple part of rugby’s diet, and in the heat of the moment, probably every team is guilty of it, with Ireland no exception. But Owen Farrell would have been forgiven for headbutting Willie le Roux when the South Africa fullback sprinted into his face after the semi-final full-time whistle.

As disrespectful was Reiko Ioane cupping his fingers at the Irish crowd when the final whistle went after the titanic quarter-final against the All Blacks. Worse, and more disrespectful, was Ioane saying to Sexton as the two teams shook hands something along the lines of enjoy the flight home.

The All Blacks can be a bit sanctimonious about their high standards on and off the pitch, and the New Zealand Rugby Union even has a policy of ‘no dickheads’, which seemed all the more hypocritical in those moments.

Quotes of the tournament

“I am very powerful but I do not yet control the weather. It is a bit above my pay grade.” – Argentina head coach Michael Cheika on whether he wanted rain for their semi-final.

“He’s got real BMT [big-match temperament], a big set of nuts on him and plays pressure situations really well.” – Ulster-bound South Africa prop Steven Kitshoff on Handré Pollard after his match-winning penalty two minutes from the end of their semi-final win over England.

“When you are actually out on the field it is pretty normal, it’s just rugby, man. Once you are in the cathedral you just get going and trust your process. The trust the guys have in myself and the trust I have in them...if you miss it, it’s not the end of the world for us, we don’t see it that way.” – Handré Pollard after returning from injury and extending his run of successful kicks in the knockout stages to nine (a couple of them from 50 metres).

“For me now, it will be remembered as a nice place to kick. Not all stadiums are like that unfortunately. I will have fond memories of this place for sure.” – Pollard again, who has landed his last 18 kicks at the Stade de France dating back to 2017.

“Sport can be cruel sometimes, I guess that’s why we love it.” – Ireland head coach Andy Farrell after their epic quarter-final defeat by New Zealand.

“We didn’t die wondering.” – New Zealand scrumhalf Aaron Smith after their 12-11 defeat in the final by South Africa when playing over an hour with 14 men.