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Rugby World Cup 2023: Marcus Smith, Gareth Anscombe, Emiliano Boffelli and more in Team of the Weekend

Rugby World Cup 2023: Marcus Smith, Gareth Anscombe, Emiliano Boffelli and more in Team of the Weekend

It was another dramatic weekend in the Rugby World Cup as Wales became the first to qualify for the quarter-finals, humbling Australia again, Ireland defeated defending champions South Africa and England racked up a huge win.

The Wallabies, winners in 1991 and 1999, have never missed out on the quart-erinfal but back-to-back pool game losses, for the first time in 36 years, means their fate is out of their hands.

England and Ireland will be confident of topping their groups, along with New Zealand, while South Africa will be disappointed by the defeat - and their kicking - but look to have done enough.

Standard Sport’s Nick Purewal runs through the team of the weekend…

15 Marcus Smith, England

Two tries and a display of pace, balance and wit, and all on his first-ever start at full-back in the 71-0 thrashing of Chile

14 Emiliano Boffelli, Argentina

The versatile back-three operator delivered a try, a conversion and three penalties to help the Pumas see of Samoa 20-9

13 George North, Wales

Proved the scourge of the woeful Wallabies all night on Sunday, with power and pace through the middle

12 Bundee Aki, Ireland

The player of the Rugby World Cup so far, the Ireland centre pummeled South Africa with and without the ball in Paris

11 Henry Arundell, England

The former London Irish wing claimed five tries as England ran riot against Chile, to level the Red Rose scoring record for a single match

10 Gareth Anscombe, Wales

Pulled the strings with boot and hands after Dan Biggar’s injury, to help Wales flatten Australia in some style

9 Gareth Davies, Wales

The impish scrum-half finished a fine first-phase move for a startling try from which Australia never recovered

1 Andrew Porter, Ireland

Dealt with both sets of Springboks front-rows, and dominated in absolutely every aspect

2 Theo Dan, England

Rampaged around to fine effect and kept his set-piece work very tidy on a fine win for England

3 Tadhg Furlong, Ireland

Dominated the revered Bok set-piece and helped Ireland keep vital footholds around the park

4 Tadhg Beirne, Ireland

Excelled at the breakdown and on the fringes, to add to a rock-solid tight game

5 George Martin, England

The Leicester powerhouse locked out the scrum, dominated the lineout and put himself about around the park too

6 Peter O’Mahony, Ireland

Every trademark O’Mahony performance feels like a raging against the dying of the light, or at least against the machine. But the man just keeps on coming, in a mixture of fury and focus at the breakdown and beyond.

7 Jac Morgan, Wales

A sumptuous 50-22 punt from a stolen lineout summed up a perfect night from Wales’ multi-skilled openside star

8 Taulupe Faletau, Wales

Back to his barnstorming best and just in time as Wales secured a place in the quarter-finals with a brutal victory over Australia