It is not always the result of a game that defines great players. Sometimes it is how they react to failure or crushing disappointment, particularly at a World Cup. This tournament will be remembered for what happens over the next 12 days, but the dignified exits of Brian O'Driscoll, Mario Ledesma, Victor Matfield and Mils Muliaina will also linger long in the memory.
There is something particularly life-affirming about watching true rugby gladiators depart the ultimate stage for the final time. Unlike cricket, there is no one to give them a raised-bat salute in the evening shadows; too many, as was the case with Muliaina and Bakkies Botha, end their Test playing days in the harsh light of the medical room, the message delivered with a quiet shake of the head from the doctor rather than a standing ovation from the fans outside.
I've always had a soft spot for Ledesma, not least because he always looked at least 10 years older than he actually was. Watching him repeatedly tuck the ball under his arm and set off around the corner to meet the inevitable lynch mob was not unlike watching Brian Close bat against West Indies fast bowlers in 1976. Some are born tougher than others; one or two absorb such staggering levels of punishment it is a miracle they can still stand in their late 30s, never mind still pull a pair of boots on.
The Pumas hooker is about to become the forwards coach at Stade Français but you suspect his cussed example will also set the benchmark for future generations of Argentinian forwards. He and Rodrigo Roncero were outstanding against the All Blacks at the weekend, balding warriors to the last. O'Driscoll still has his own hair and will play on for a little while yet but he is cut from the same steel-lined cloth. One minute he was hammering away desperately at the Welsh defence, still searching for the holy grail of victory, the next he was generously and graciously congratulating Wales on their success. "You have to suck it up when you haven't performed on the big stage," said the ultimate Irish competitor. No whingeing, no public self-pity. Kipling would have approved.
Matfield, similarly, will leave a lasting legacy. "I could sit here for an hour speaking about the value and contribution he has made to South Africa," said his long-time team-mate John Smit, another departing colossus, after the defeat by Australia. "I think the most valuable thing about Victor is how he makes the players around him feel. When he's picked in the side, there's a calmness about him, a composure that he possesses. Hopefully the youngsters will have learned from that. He's a huge player. In my opinion, the greatest Springbok that's ever been." It is a big call but Smit should know better than most.
With 100 caps to his name, Muliaina can also claim to have been among New Zealand's greatest servants. There were tears in his eyes as he bid farewell, the victim of a first-half shoulder injury against the Pumas. "I really wanted to finish in a couple of weeks' time but it is not to be. I am bitterly disappointed … but I am particularly proud to be an All Black. The biggest thing I'll miss is the people. I've spent almost a third of my life here and it has been outstanding. What other job can you go to where people get out of their seats and cheer you? Or criticise you? I am just so proud and grateful for all the opportunities." He even thanked the assembled media on his way out. Next time you hear people talking about the impossibility of being a nice guy at the top end of professional sport, point them in Muliaina's direction.
No one, of course, can entirely write their own scripts. Smit may one day come to regret his post-match pop at the Kiwi referee Bryce Lawrence. Neither Jonny Wilkinson nor Lewis Moody, both fantastic servants for England, left the tournament with a song in their hearts. But in an era when rugby players seem to be behaving increasingly badly, the valour and selflessness of the game's departing heroes deserve wider recognition, too.
Lion King
Win or lose at the weekend, this will go down as a wonderful tournament for Wales. They have been everything England proved not to be: positive, focused, energetic and a credit to their country. In the process they may well have unearthed the next Lions skipper in Sam Warburton, not to mention most of the back division. The 2013 tour to Australia, like the last mission to South Africa, already looks likely to have a strong Celtic representation. If any of England's chastened World Cup stragglers wish to be on the plane they have to start raising the bar rather than propping it up.
Worth watching this week
Graham Henry v Robbie Deans. An Australian win this weekend would not only sent the host nation into mourning but call into question the NZRFU's decision not to appoint Deans when it had the chance. The Wallabies won the last meeting between the sides in Brisbane and are the reigning Tri-Nations champions. If "Dingo" Deans has the last laugh on Sunday, the fallout will be huge.
