Robert Kitson
Player of the tournament
I suspected it might be Australia’s David Pocock and so it has proved. The Wallabies seldom missed a beat when their turnover supremo was on the field.
Breakthrough player
So many excellent RWC debutants to choose from – Lood de Jager, Jesse Kriel, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Bernard Foley, Iain Henderson, Waisake Naholo – but the 21-year-old Santiago Cordero was electric on the wing for Argentina.
Best match
No contest. Japan v South Africa in Brighton delivered the biggest shock in Test rugby history. It was a privilege to be there.
Best try
For sheer synchronicity Foley’s give-and-take with Kurtley Beale to create the Wallaby fly-half’s second try against England was as sharp as any.
Most inspiring moment
The anthems before England v Wales. It made even the tournament’s opening night at Twickenham sound like a garden fete.
Biggest disappointment
No contest in this category either. Had England somehow made the latter stages, rugby fever in this country would have disappeared off the scale.
Funniest moment
Hard to beat an overexcited Boris Johnson taking out the 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of street rugby in Tokyo.
One thing I would change for 2019
A fairer, more equitable fixture schedule for every nation is a must. The sport is now too intense to play two Tests in five days and squad rotation favours the bigger teams.
Andy Bull
Player of the tournament
David Pocock. 57 tackles, 40 carries, 17 turnovers and three tries, all in only five matches. Sorely missed when Australia almost lost to Scotland, seriously influential in their wins against England, Wales, and Argentina.
Breakthrough player
Gareth Davies, called into Wales’ first XV for the first time when Rhys Webb was injured, then scored five tries in five matches. Lood de Jager runs a very close second.
Best match
Of the ones I was there for, Scotland v Australia. Eight tries, but rarely more than one point between the teams for the final 40 minutes, all building up to that excruciating finish.
Best try
Vereniki Goneva for Fiji against Wales. Three men, two crazy passes and a full-tilt sprint from their 22 all the way to the Welsh try-line, with seven defenders beaten on the way.
Most inspiring moment
Japan beating South Africa. Certainly one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport and it may yet turn out to be one of the most influential too.
Biggest disappointment
Most disappointed for Wales, who came so close despite all those injuries. Most disappointed in England, who spent four years talking about the tournament then turned up for about 80 minutes of it.
Funniest moment
Michael Cheika’s press conferences. I’ve never met anyone more intolerant of the games journalists play. By the end, you had to be a brave man to ask a leading or loaded question.
One thing I would change for 2019
World Rugby has to stop stacking the odds against the teams from lower tiers. No more scheduling short turnarounds between matches against top teams.
Mike Averis
Player of the tournament
David Pocock. More than any other he shaped the tournament’s style, proving that speed and skill matter more than bulk and brawn.
Breakthrough player
Nehe Milner-Skudder. He might not have reinvented the side step but the New Zealand wing made it popular again.
Best match
Thank god for Japan. After England’s drab opening night victory, Eddie Jones’ side lifted the tournament with their thrilling defeat of the Springboks.
Best try
Julian Savea’s second in the hat-trick against France, although all three should be taken together. The first for precision, the second for power in bumping off three big challenges and the third for straight-line speed.
Most inspiring moment
Watching Jacques Burger score twice and Namibia get close to their first World Cup win at Exeter against Tonga and their sensational wing Telusa Veainu.
Biggest disappointment
England don’t need a review board to reveal mistakes in mindset and selection. League and union are different. One can learn from the other but that’s all.
Funniest moment
It will be a while before the aficionados/Shed heads of Teague’s Bar opposite Kingsholm watch a couple of Argentinians big enough to grace the second row tango outside their front door.
One thing I would change for 2019
Get the refs to stand up to their TMOs. The standard of refereeing was fine, but a few more should tell the man in their ear (politely) where to go.
Owen Gibson
Player of the tournament
David Pocock. Despite failing at the last, he did more than anyone to propel Australia to the final with his predatory work at the breakdown and calming onfield presence. And besides, given his off-the-field activism, has there ever been a more Guardian friendly rugby player?
Breakthrough player
Nehe Milner-Skudder. A superb try in the final capped off a fine tournament for the 24-year-old. Was put under pressure under the high ball in the semi-final versus South Africa but came through the fire and should be a fixture for years to come.
Best match
All four quarter-finals were gripping in their own ways, particularly New Zealand’s demolition of France and Australia’s last-ditch victory over Scotland. But for sheer jaw dropping sporting drama had to be Japan’s shock pool stage win over South Africa.
Best try
At times the All Blacks seemed to be staging their own contest and the way they play seemed to be distilled into that Julian Savea try against France. Ben Smith to Aaron Smith to Brodie Retallick and then a direct run from Savea during which three French defenders seemed to simply bounce off him.
Most inspiring moment
That call from Japan’s Michael Leitch to go for the try against the Springboks rather than kicking for the draw. When Karne Hesketh eventually went over the line, sparking mass hysteria it was not only one of the great sporting shocks but was a victory for bravery and sheer collective will.
Biggest disappointment
Has to be England. All that money, all that planning, all that rhetoric counted for nothing when Stuart Lancaster seemed to suffer from a paralysis of decision making and the much vaunted culture seemed to stultify rather than inspire. A flatly depressing missed opportunity.
Funniest moment
More tragi-comic than funny but for anyone not from Scotland, Craig Joubert’s dash from the pitch at full time held a certain comedic value. As for World Rugby’s Brett Gosper suggesting it was because he needed the toilet, that was just taking the…
One thing I would change for 2019
Some blatant injustices in disciplinary charges and scheduling for some of the tier two nations threatened to undermine all their impressive progress on the pitch. Also, referees should be allowed to consult TMO if they deem it necessary at any time in exceptional circumstances (such as, for example, the last minute of a World Cup quarter-final).
Michael Aylwin
Player of the tournament
David Pocock. Some people are on a mission in life. They achieve greatness, save the planet, resolve global poverty and dominate the breakdown. Pocock has taken the latter discipline to new heights.
Breakthrough player
Gareth Davies. The try-scoring chart of this World Cup is dominated by wings who made the semi-finals – and this guy, who scored five while answering Wales’s crisis call for a new scrum-half.
Best match
Ireland v Argentina. On the assumption that at least one of my colleagues has gone for South Africa-Japan, let’s lob this in for variety. Sheer brilliance from an underdog – this tournament summed up.
Best try
Vereniki Goneva for Fiji against Wales. This dazzling try from their own 22 brought Fiji to within four points of Wales in a game they might have won with a smidgeon of reasonableness from the referee.
Most inspiring moment
Karne Hesketh’s try for Japan against South Africa. The media centre at Twickenham nearly gave way to the euphoria at the images beamed over from Brighton. Wizened hacks and former internationals leapt about like children. Anything seemed possible.
Biggest disappointment
The officiating, on the field and off. No one really believes in a conscious conspiracy, but the instinctive bias against the lesser teams of referees and citing officers is too consistent and obvious to be an accident.
Funniest moment
Jamie Cudmore’s eavesdropping on the French. To see a front-five forward renowned for his aggression indulge in something so cheeky was a reminder that, when all the blood and thunder is done, this is just a game
One thing I would change for 2019
Ban the bans. And those banning. All bar two (Michael Hooper’s and Manasa Saulo’s) were disgraceful injustices and a wrecking ball to World Rugby’s reputation. Ruined the World Cup for honest players.
Paul Rees
Player of the tournament
Daniel Carter. Simply the best.
Breakthrough player
Gareth Davies. Had not started a match for Wales for a year before the World Cup, but his five tries took his side to the verge of the last four.
Best match
South Africa v Japan. The biggest shock in World Cup history set the tone for the next six weeks.
Best try
Nehe Milner-Skudder’s for New Zealand in the final showed why they are a class apart, power, pace, precision.
Most inspiring moment
The rapturous reception received by the Japan squad on their return home was proof of how the game has grown since the first World Cup.
Biggest disappointment
World Rugby’s precipitous statement on referee Craig Joubert after his late penalty against Scotland; it was not his decision that was at fault but the governing body’s rules and regulations.
Funniest moment
The French-speaking Canada captain Jamie Cudmore eavesdropping as the France forwards went into a huddle during the group match in Milton Keynes.
One thing I would change for 2019
Given the growing competitiveness of the tier two nations, it should be a week longer to ensure full recovery time for all players.
