RWC XV of Week 1

Welcome to the first Rugby World Cup XV of the Week and though the tournament has been underway for a just a few short days, there have been no shortage of exceptional performances.

From England’s bonus point win over Fiji on opening night to Japan’s spectacular, historic victory against South Africa in Brighton, the opening weekend has delivered an abundance of compelling rugby.

Here are our standout men from the opening three days.

15. Mike Brown, England

The full-back was at his sublime best against Fiji. Whether he was staying back defusing the bombs put up Ben Volavola or adding incision to the England back line in attack, the Harlequin barely put a foot wrong all game. He beat 11 defenders on his way to racking up 191 metres with ball in hand but most importantly, he crossed the whitewash for two of England’s four tries.

14. Ayumu Goromaru, Japan

Goromaru was responsible for 24 of Japan’s 34 points in their extraordinary victory over South Africa, as he kicked with unerring accuracy and provided an injection of speed which saw him cut through the Springbok defence on multiple occassions. His defensive work was also excellent and his tactical kicking helped Japan alleviate pressure as well as gain territory.

13. Corey Allen, Wales

The centre put on a class in finishing at the Millennium Stadium, gliding through the Uruguay defence for a hat-trick on his RWC debut. Unfortunately for Allen, he picked up a hamstring injury in the second half and looks to now be done for the rest of the competition, but he certainly made a great impression in the process.

12. Luke Fitzgerald, Ireland

It was a surprise for many that Fitzgerald was given the 12 jersey after Robbie Henshaw was rested as a precaution, but the versatile back rewarded Joe Schmidt’s faith in him with a fine outing against Canada. The Leinster back probably won’t stay at 12 with Henshaw returning to the starting XV, but he may have done enough to feature elsewhere in the back line.

11. Tim Nanai-Williams, Samoa

Nanai-Williams completes a back three which boasts three full-backs and no wingers and yet still had to see off competition from fellow 15s Scott Spedding and Rob Kearney. The Chief glided through the American defence with consummate ease and it’s impossible to underplay just how vital he will be to Samoa when they take on South Africa in a potentially decisive Pool B clash this weekend.

10. Jonathan Sexton, Ireland

Rather unsurprisingly, it was a two-horse race with Dan Carter for this spot, and though Sexton certainly had the easier opposition this week, he also had a more telling influence on his match than Carter did. Sexton controlled the game with ease for Ireland, unlocked the Canadian defence and played a big role in getting the midfield of Fitzgerald and Jared Payne firing.

9. Aaron Smith, New Zealand

The livewire scrum-half was at his very best as he sparked New Zealand into action against Argentina. His sniping breaks through the Argentinean defence and ensuing offloads ignited an All Blacks side which had looked unusually lacklustre at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

1. Mikheil Nariashvili, Georgia

Tongan tightheads are notoriously difficult to shift, but that’s just what Nariashvili did at Kingsholm on Saturday. The Montpellier loosehead was a rock at the scrum and worked well with Davit Zirakashvili to give Georgia a significant advantage at the set-piece.

2. Agustín Creevy, Argentina

Creevy just nudges ahead of Japan’s Shota Horie for this spot, as the former Worcester Warrior was the driving force behind a resilient Argentine display against the All Blacks at Wembley. The hooker was efficient at the set-piece and effective with ball in hand, repeatedly gouging the Kiwi defence for significant gains.

3. Rabah Slimani, France

Slimani capped his display with a well-earned try following a neat grubber from Frederic Michalak, but it was at the coalface where Slimani really excelled. The French tight five comfortably exposed their Italian counterparts on Saturday evening and the group was spearheaded by the Stade Français tighthead.

4. Iain Henderson, Ireland

The Ulsterman was in fine form for Ireland at the Millennium Stadium and although Canada were unable to pose much of a challenge to the Irish, Henderson’s work rate and effort never dipped below 100%. Most encouraging to Irish fans will be the way in which Henderson led the defence, something he may have to do much more regularly once Paul O’Connell’s Ireland career is over.

5. Leone Nakarawa, Fiji

The lock really tested England’s defence with his penchant for getting his arms free and offloading to support runners, whilst he was also a favoured target at the lineout for a Fijian set-piece which performed very well at Twickenham.

6. Michael Leitch, Japan

Leitch will go down in history as having captained Japan to the most remarkable victory in RWC history. In addition to his great leadership, Leitch also provided the Cherry Blossoms with a relentless source of gain-line-busting carries and powerful tackling.

7. Jack Lam, Samoa

Georgia’s Vito Kolelishvili was particularly unlucky to miss out, but Lam was decisive in ensuring Samoa got off to a winning start against the USA. The openside was a disruptive force at the breakdown, never allowing the Eagles any easy ball, whilst his contributions at the lineout helped Samoa to a significant set-piece advantage.

8. Mamuka Gorgodze, Georgia

The Georgian captain was entirely Herculean. The number eight consistently gave Georgia front foot ball with his formidable fends and leg drives after contact, as well as making an eye-watering 27 tackles in defence of the Georgian try line. No player was as vital to their nation’s cause over the opening weekend as Gorgodze was.