Rugby World Cup report card: How all 20 teams have performed so far
RANKED: We assess the country-by-country formlines heading into the final weekend of pool games at the Rugby World Cup
The burden of favouritism has been shouldered well by the hosts. They showed poise and conviction to see off New Zealand on the opening night and it even looks as if the horrendous injury to World Cup poster boy Antoine Dupont may not be as ruinous as first feared. .
There was a thought that the three-time champions might be on the wane after the pre-tournament hammering by the Springboks and then the loss to France but their sumptuous, all-consuming victory over Italy shows that they cannot be written off for honours. .
The Azzurri still have a chance for some sort of atonement when they face France in Lyon next Friday. Their 96-point shellacking by the All Blacks was a rude awakening and illustrates that they have yet to take that next step up to being a consistent, high-end performer.
The South Americans have impressed everyone with not just the resilience of their game but also their cleverness. Even though France fielded a second string, Uruguay thrilled the crowd with their spirited play and in flanker Manuel Ardao, have a back-row player the equal of any.
The whipping boys of the pool although they have never given less than their utmost to stem the tide that has engulfed them. The schedule did them no favours either with their games compressed into such a short space of time. Namibia were hearty but limited.
The roars that greeted the final whistle at the Stade de France last week, and the subsequent mass singing of The Cranberries ‘Zombie’ showed just how far Andy Farrell’s side have come and how much they have captured hearts and minds. Their hard-edged, hard-nosed win over South Africa made it 16 test victories in a row. They have done all that has been asked of them. So far. More stern tests await.
The ‘Boks came within a whisker of dealing with the Irish threat but lacked the rather important matter of a high-quality goal-kicker. Manie Libbok offers many things but he is no dead-eyed certainty off the tee. The 11 points squandered were costly on the night but may actually lead to a re-set by the Springboks in terms of bringing in Handre Pollard. Mapimpi on the wing will be a miss for them.
They were in danger of having to send out search parties for Gregor Townsend’s side after they were obliged to kick their heels for 14 days after their opening loss to South Africa, a disappointing defeat in its own right with two second-half tries conceded in quick succession. Scotland were keen to live up to their pre-tournament billing as lively outsiders and still have a chance to cause a bloody nose in the group when they take on Ireland in Paris next weekend.
This was a country that once induced anxiety in the best of opponents but that era (late ‘80s) is long gone and Romania’s fate here was to be something of a punchbag for the others, conceding 234 points in their three matches to date and only a measly eight scored. It has been a sobering experience and much needs to be done to get Romania back to their previous best.
Traditionally the weakest of the Pacific Island teams, Tonga are nonetheless canny operators, bolstered too by the presence of former All Blacks in their ranks, such as Charles Piutau and Malaki Fekitoa. That experience added steel as well as attacking sharpness and helped them make life difficult for all their opponents.
What Wallaby woe! Even if their travails got caught up in the Eddie Jones pantomime, the role of villain being one that sits very comfortably with the former England head coach, there is no escaping the simple fact that the Australian players did not turn up and perform when it mattered. Jones looked to have a muted dressing room as best and the 40-6 defeat to Wales was a low point in Wallaby rugby history.
Warren Gatland has done it again. Back in the early months of the year who would have bet on Wales being the first team through to the quarter-finals. The players were threatening strike action and Gatland himself admitted that there were splits in camp. Yet he managed to strip the challenge down to basics, got the squad fit and a semi-final place looks entirely possible.
Everyone’s favourite second team, the heart is invariably drawn to the Flying Fijians but these days so too is the head. If the sport is ever to become a truly global sport then the likes of Fiji have to prosper. Unlucky to lose to Wales, Fiji confirmed their current status with a deserved win over Australia to push them towards their first quarter-final since 2007.
It is a measure of the relative success of Georgia in recent years that a fine performance is no longer depicted as a heartening tale of the underdog discovering its bite. This was a tough group for Georgia to make a mark in and even if they will be disappointed with their points return their fabulously spirited showing against Fiji reminded us of their improved standing.
One of the darlings of this World Cup, Portugal have lifted the spirits with the exuberance as well as intelligence of their rugby, encapsulated in the lively and assured performances of full-back Nuno Sousa Guedes, and back-row forward Nicolas Martins. Head coach Patrice Lagisquet has shaped a side in his own image – dashing and resilient in equal measure.
They came to France with a tattered reputation after a poor build-up campaign and the upheaval of Eddie Jones’ sacking ten months earlier. Steve Borthwick’s side may not be easy on the eye but they have managed to forge an identity through adversity, their 14-man victory over Argentina setting the tone for a decent campaign.
Los Pumas have not yet lived up to their billing as World Cup troublemakers able to destabilise the best of them. They have struggled to impose themselves since the opening weekend reversal against England and now face a winner-takes-all match against Japan to go through.
We have certainly admired the pluck and occasional inventiveness of Chile, their fortitude symbolised by the gravelly presence of head coach Pablo Lemoine, a stalwart of the South American cause. But part-timers against professionals is an impossible task, much as Chile didn’t throw in the towel.
The Brave Blossoms are not the team of four years ago when they knocked over Ireland as well as Scotland and were credible quarter-final opposition against the eventual winners, South Africa. Captain Michael Leitch is still the warrior figure and with a shoot-out to come against Argentina there remains an outside chance of progression.
This has been a somewhat underwhelming experience for Samoa despite some reasonable outcomes on the scoreboard. Perhaps it’s a measure of how much we expect from them but with only a dozen tests played since the last World Cup, it’s no surprise perhaps that they did not quite reach the expected heights.
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