Rugby World Cup 2007: Gerry Thornleylooks back on a World Cup where the up-and-under became the designer label fashion statement of the tournament.

Unless you were South African or English, Saturday's final won't have been particularly compelling viewing, and one doubts it would even stand up to a second viewing.

As the lowest scoring game of the 2007 World Cup, no doubt it underlined the rather tiresome if seemingly true adage that defences win cups or leagues, and it was almost depressing to hear a South African journalist ask Jake White if this proves he was right and that Graham Henry, more of a disciple of attacking rugby, was wrong.

On a strangely subdued night, the Boks' fans were typical of the muted Southern Hemisphere supporters throughout this tournament. Unlike the chanting and dancing Argentinians - who, like their team, left the most indelibly joyous mark on this tournament - or Europeans, they don't sing, or at any rate don't have any songs to sing bar a short-lived, repetitive chant.

The true winners were perhaps the French public and the grounds. The support was unforgettable, the bands playing, the Basque anthem, les Marseillaise. The night in Toulouse, perhaps because it was away from the almost claustrophobic joyless Irish scenario and the Toulouse public wanted to host France better than Paris does, was as good as any in over six weeks.

France were excellent hosts, less so the Scots and Welsh, even when France and the All Blacks were in town (Cardiff) for a tie which always looked being the match of the year, and duly was so.

The rugby winners, though, were South Africa; a template to the importance of the collisions, a rushing, impenetrable defence and a largely risk-free policy of scoring only off intercepts, turnovers or Percy Montgomery's boot.

Most supporters would have liked a more enduring legacy than that, but tough cheese. For those watching the final from afar, the Springboks' recently-appointed technical adviser, Eddie Jones, remarked: "This was Test match rugby. A slugathon. If people don't like that type of rugby, then they don't like Test match rugby. I thought tonight we showed that we were the best team in the competition. World Cup finals are knock-em-down, grind-'em-out kind of affairs." Ain't that the truth.

The levelling-out of standards, the huge strides taken by some of the third tier rugby nations, the stunning achievement of the Argentinians, the packed stadiums and support of the host country, have all made for a wonderful World Cup in many ways.

Previous World Cups have been almost too predictable. It was only four years ago that, save for Australia beating New Zealand in the semi-finals, and at a push England beating France at the same stage, every one of the 48 results went to form and the favourites four years ago.

If nothing else, this one has been the least predictable, so much so that the bookies' odds have been turned on their head in a number of games, Argentina against France, Fiji against Wales, England against Australia, France against New Zealand, and England against France; not to mention the host of games which made a mockery of the handicap, such as Georgia-Ireland, Namibia-Ireland and Fiji-South Africa.

The turning point of the whole tournament was set on opening night with that intercept by Horacio Agulla, an amateur player and student who was supposedly their weak link. Like so much else at the 2007 Coupe du Monde, so much for perceived wisdom.

In gambling on intercepting Remy Martin's pass when faced with a four-man overlap on halfway, Agulla not only effected a 12-point turnover which turned the opening match on its head, it turned the draw on its head.

Virtually at a stroke, France were pitted into the same half of the draw as the All Blacks, Australia and England; somehow England emerged, thereby leaving the Springboks with Fiji, Argentina and England on their route to glory.

It was also as if the template was set on the opening night. Argentina had shamelessly kicked high, often and long, usually down the middle or the tramlines without conceding throw-ins, making all their opponents play from their own half as much as possible. Suddenly, it was as if almost everyone copied them.

The up-and-under became the designer label fashion statement of the tournament, and territory and the scoreboard being king, drop-goal attempts were de rigueur, often boringly so, but unashamedly so in the case of Argentina and the player of the tournament, the extravagantly gifted Juan Hernandez, modest and quiet as a church mouse off the pitch, cocky as anything on what seemed like his own back garden.

Ironically, only 14 drop-goals were kicked, compared to a record 23 at RWC 2003. These 14 came from 73 attempts at a success rate of just 19.2 per cent, with Hernandez perhaps being the prime contributor. Why not devalue the drop-goal to two points? It's a haven for the unadventurous or unskilled.

This was typical of the often poorly executed tactical kicking, but even more disappointing was the often poor execution of skills; primarily converting chances into scores, be it three-to-two or more overlaps. Counter-attacking is almost dead. Anyone who takes a risk, tries something daring and it doesn't come off, is usually rounded on by the crowds, be it a Frederic Michalak, a Geordan Murphy or whoever.

Subconsciously, though we want entertainment, it's as if we're conditioned to bemoan risk-taking when it doesn't come off. Anybody caught running from deep is hastily pinged for not releasing if caught, amid roars from the crowd. In what may have been his only error of the final, even the world's best referee, Alain Rolland, fell into the trap of penalising Mathew Tait for not releasing, or a support rucker going off feet, when slipping inside his own 22, when clearly Francois Steyn didn't roll away.

Attackers need quicker ball and more space. Tacklers not rolling away should be penalised more harshly. The offside line is not being applied at the hindmost foot. Even pick-and-goes are being stopped at source by opposing defenders who are "fringing" with impunity.

Eddie Jones is right to a large extent. There's nothing wrong with arm-wrestling rugby, and the game needs variety, but the raft of daft rule changes being proposed wouldn't be necessary if the existing ones were applied more rigidly.

It dragged on, and never more so during that tortuous month with Ireland, unquestionably the biggest underachievers of the tournament which, in light of the IRFU's decision to grant their head coach a premature four-year extension, made them the laughing stock of the tournament as well.

They and France were most typical of the trend towards over-coaching. Heads-up rugby is dying. Players are not being encouraged to think on their feet or take chances. Systems and coaches are kings.

That's why, for sheer running rugby, the Fijians were the best of all to watch, along with Wales and the All Blacks.

The 9pm kick-offs (local time) were a pain, and it was long, too long, but for the sake of the players, it had to be, and perhaps this contributed to the pleasantly, surprisingly low injury count.

Picking a team of the tournament perhaps reflects the matches one attends. It's a truism of World Cups in many sports, or Olympics, that the best way to watch them is on television, and the accompanying selection is influenced by bearing witness to five of Los Pumas' matches. But when you close your eyes and think of the 2007 Coupe du Monde, they will be the ones who come most readily to mind.

Funny, the most abiding celebrations were Argentinian too. The sight of their squad dancing and chanting in harmony with the band of noisy supporters for up to half an hour after their third-place play-off dissection of the French, and hundreds of their supporters repeating the process while holding a 100-foot long flag outside the ground, the chant echoing in your head on the metro home.

To some extent, they may even have saved the 2007 Coupe du Monde, though the French might be least inclined to agree.

Gerry Thornley's World Cup XV

Fullback: Ignacio Corleto (Argentina)

Jason Robinson rolled back the years and in the tightest of semi-finals was the one player prepared to break from the game's shackles, while Chris Latham was one of Australia's few redeeming lights. At the end though, Ignacio Corleto was the most consistently excellent and error-free, his eye for an opening in broken play with rugby league-like late support runs initiating and completing Argentina's extraordinary story. A class act.

Right-wing: Vilmoni Delasau (Fiji)

A pretty good crop, what with little Luca Borges - socks rolled down, stepping in and out - giving a blast from the past, Paul Sackey, Vincent Clerc, Doug Howlett (why was he omitted in the quarters?) and others all having their moments, but no one epitomised the daring brilliance of the Polynesian islands more than Delasau, blessed with the deadliest sidestep in the world.

Outside centre: Stirling Mortlock (Australia)

Not a vintage tournament for centres in the over-congested, nothing-gives midfield zone. Jacque Fourie, Seru Rabeni and even Brian O'Driscoll, for his brilliance and bravery in a rapidly sinking ship, were exceptions. Although he blamed himself for those missed kicks against England, Mortlock was by some distance Australia's most potent go-to runner and likewise of all the outside centres.

Inside centre: Luke McAllister (New Zealand)

Felipe Contepomi, though not at his very best, showed his class and nerveless goalkicking either side of flu-ridden performances in the quarter-final and semi-final. James Hook and Francois Steyn provided some class and although his head was wrecked by the yellow card in Cardiff, up until then Luke McAlister's footwork, pace and lines of running were sensational.

Left wing: Bryan Habana (South Africa)

The easiest pick, the one shoo-in on everyone's team surely. It's Habana's anticipation (the intercept off Juan Hernandez would have been beyond most wingers, but he made it look easy) as well as pace which makes the Boks' rush defence so potent. Once he gets the ball in any space, there's usually only one outcome. Articulate and modest, the new face of his country's rugby.

Outhalf: Juan Hernandez (Argentina)

Butch James was composed throughout, Jonny Wilkinson had his talismanic effect on England but Hernandez was a sheer joy to watch with his unique kicking style and array of kicks, strength in the tackle, off-the-cuff running and distribution - the left-to-right pass for Aramburu's try was the pass of the tournament from the player of the tournament.

Scrumhalf: Fourie Du Preez (South Africa)

A vintage tournament for a vintage crop - Agustin Pichot, Andy Gomarsall, George Gregan and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde - while Moses Raulini was excellent for Fiji, but du Preez augments a reliable quick service and strong kicking game with physicality and an ability to score tries, even from long range. For a scrumhalf, his threat and vision in broken play or off turnovers is peerless and he's keeping one of the best around, Ruan Pienaar, on the bench.

Loosehead prop: Rodrigo Roncero (Argentina)

The Stade Francais bull from the pampas must be horrendous to play against. Fired-up even more when donning the blue and white, narky and in yer face, and not content with being a strong scrummager, he is immensely strong carrying the ball and forces turnovers in the tackle. Rarely, admittedly, has a prop so influenced a game as Andrew Sheridan did when England beat Australia but Roncero's was the more complete, enduring tournament.

Hooker: John Smit (South Africa)

Mario Ledesma was his typical barnstorming self but Smit is the best. A huge man, dynamic in the loose and strong close-in, and, in their greatest 20 minutes of need, Smit it was who led by word and by deed. Ultimately too, he was the World Cup-winning captain.

Tighthead: Phil Vickery (England)

Carl Hayman, like all his team-mates, was a victim of his team's easy pool and sudden exit, while Martin Castrogiovanni epitomised the muscular play of the Azzurri pack, but when it mattered Phil Vickery came up with a big performance in the quarter-final, and an even bigger one in the semi-finals, when he seriously shunted the left side of the French scrum, notably on the pivotal five metre put-in after Sebastien Chabal was held up just short.

Secondrow: Simon Shaw (England)

A bit of a personal pick. Bakkies Botha's peerless front-of-the-line jumping, unbridled and unstinting physicality, are hard to better, but Simon Shaw is one of rugby's good guys, and like so many in Grandad's Army, to see such a phlegmatic, straightforward bloke and such astonishing skills in a big man finally displayed on a World Cup stage was uplifting.

Secondrow: Victor Matfield (South Africa)

Ali Williams and Ben Kay had big tournaments, but Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield form the best lock pairing in the world and ultimately, Matfield did more than anybody to help South Africa past their most difficult opponents, Argentina, in the semi-finals by destroying their lineout and then dominating the final with increasing imperiousness as the night wore on. Phenomenal. And now he's going to play in the French second division?

Blindside flanker: Theirry Dusautoir (France)

A host of big performers, Jerry Collins' re-invented handling set figured as prominently as his hits, and of course, there was the awesome, utterly fearless and sometimes dangerous physicality of Schalk Burger. France did produce perhaps the performance of the tournament in the match of the tournament and were led from the front by Dusautoir's strength, big hits, 29 tackles and a try. He was also one of the semi-finalists most consistent players.

Openside flanker: Juan Smith (South Africa)

In point of fact, you'd have expected a bigger impact from the opensides. Maybe it is a dying art, as such. Richie McCaw looked set to give another master-class when on a hat-trick seven minutes into the tournament, and did so in a meaningless pool before his leadership cracked in the quarter-final, and ultimately Smith's physicality, rangy running and support play left a bigger imprint.

Number eight: Gonzalo Longo (Argentina)

A cracking tournament for number eights, some of whom were relatively unheralded beforehand. Portugal's captain Vasco Uva was inspiring to play with and watch, Fiji's Sisa Koyamaibole threatened to beat South Africa on his own with his line-breaks, Danie Rossouw is probably the best around and there was the sheer presence and strength of Finau Maka. But, though missing the opener, Gonzalo Longo appeared to be everywhere thereafter.

Replacements: Andrew Sheridan (England), Mario Ledesma (Argentina), Bakkies Botha (South Africa), Vasco Uva (Portugal), Agustin Pichot (Argentina), Felipe Contepomi (Argentina), Jason Robinson (England).

Coaches of the tournament: Jake White (South Africa), Marcelo Loffreda (Argentina).