Five players left their mark in the group stage

The French winger finished as top scorer in the first stage with six goals in three matches. He also made the most crossings to date (11). His brace against Italy (60-7) allowed him to overtake Philippe Saint-Andre and then Vincent Clerc to come within three attempts of the French team’s record, held by Serge Blanco (38).

Since the start of 2023, the former Clermontua player has dropped 14 times during his 10 appearances for the Blues, with at least one try scored in the last seven matches. Benaud, who has irresistible skill, looks set to set another record: the number of tries scored in a World Cup. There are three who have scored eight goals: New Zealanders Jonah Lomu (1999) and Julian Savea (2015), as well as South African Brian Habana (2007).

2 Sam Whitlock (New Zealand)

The second row entered New Zealand rugby history during his team’s impressive performance against Italy (96-17), breaking the record for selections with the All Blacks (149), which he had shared until then with the legend Richie McCaw. “It’s a special moment,” he said at the time. The next match, against Uruguay (73-0), the future player of the Baloise Division (34 years old) made the history of World Rugby by becoming the player who played the most matches in the World Cup ahead of McCaw and the Englishman. Jason Leonard (22).

With 21 wins in 23 matches, he also became the player with the most World Cup successes. Two-time world champion (2011 and 2015), he dreams of a third crown to complete his international journey.

3 Bondi Aki (Ireland)

If Ireland has impressed a lot since the beginning of the competition, its center Bondi Aki (33 years old) is the perfect example. He has completed the most races since the beginning of the competition (61). His team’s top scorer (4), he is also the one who distributes the most passes after contact (5) and the one who completes the most passes (9). He is the only one, along with full-back Hugo Keenan, to play all four matches in the first phase.

After eliminating the competition in his position (Henshaw and McCloskey), he confirmed his strength in penetrating the lines but his technical range also allows him to cause a lot of other damage to the opposition defences. Saturday’s quarter-final against New Zealand, his home country, is shaping up to be one of the great moments of the tournament.

4 Jack Morgan (Wales)

The 23-year-old Wales captain, sitting in the third row, is a symbol of the renaissance of his country, which few observers could have imagined would reach the quarter-finals so easily. Author of two tries, Jack Morgan also made a name for himself with the famous 50-22 kicking game against the Aussies (40-6), a game in which he also scored a try, provided an assist and made 15 tackles.

Despite his lack of experience (15 caps), he already seems to be on the same page and has drawn praise from Sam Warburton, the former Wales and Lions captain: “Jack Morgan has technical skills that I don’t have. I’ve never seen them before. […] It is an exceptional World Cup. » The Argentines, the next Welsh opponent in the quarter-finals, have been warned.

5 Rodrigo Marta (Portugal)

It was the winger who allowed Portugal to achieve the first success in its history in the World Cup by scoring a decisive try against Fiji (24-23). He is 23 years old and is part of the “golden generation”, believes his coach Patrice Laguesquet who, despite his young age, made him coach during the current World Cup, because he is the only one in his team to have played all four matches.