RWC XV: Backline of the semi-finals

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MARIETTE ADAMS selects a backline from the individuals who were impressive in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

15 Elliot Daly

Elliot Daly is England’s answer to New Zealand’s Ben Smith. The fullback has a low error-rate and does the basics really well. In the semi-final against the All Blacks, Daly didn’t do anything out of the ordinary and yet he outperformed Beauden Barrett, who struggled to get into the game because he wasn’t afforded the freedom and space opposition defences usually give up against them. Back to Daly, he carried for 13m, made one offload, four passes, one clean break, beat one defender, executed two kicks from hand, made one turnover and importantly boasted a 100% tackle success rate from five attempted hits. Reliable.

Honourable mention: Leigh Halfpenny was superb for Wales against the Springboks. He was one of the few Welsh players whose standard of play did not drop throughout the 80-minute arm-wrestle.

14 Anthony Watson

The dreadlocked Englishman didn’t score, but he asked plenty of questions of the All Blacks defence. Anthony Watson was a constant threat down the right touchline and even more frustratingly for New Zealand, he never gave up the tackle fight when the roles were reversed. Tenacious.

13 Manu Tuilagi

It doesn’t get much better than a second-minute try against the mighty All Blacks on the grandest stage of all. Tuilagi was a menace who the All Blacks just couldn’t work out how to shut down. It was especially his excellent defensive reads and rush defence that prevented New Zealand from getting the ball wide to their pace men. Tuilagi was simply outstanding. Instigator.

12 Damian de Allende

For two weeks in a row, Damian de Allende was short-changed for the Man of the Match award, not that I think he much cares about such accolades. But the point I want to make is that De Allende has produced two blinding performances in the Boks’ playoff matches and it should not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Coupled with scoring a brilliant try, he was South Africa’s third-highest tackler behind Pieter-Steph du Toit and Lood de Jager. Valuable.

Honourable mention: Owen Farrell’s leadership ability shone through against the All Blacks. But unfortunately, he misses out of selection because he fell off six tackles.

11 Josh Adams

An ace finisher, Adams is now the leading try-scorer at the World Cup with six touchdowns after dotting down against the Boks. Adams was in a battle for supremacy with Sbu Nkosi and came out on top. He could possibly equal or break the record for most tries scored in a single tournament if he scores at least twice against the All Blacks in the bronze medal playoff. Flyer.

10 George Ford

Restored to the starting lineup a week after he was relegated to the bench for their quarter-final against the Wallabies, Ford was as impressive against the shell-shocked All Blacks as any other Englishman on the field. In addition to his 12-point (four penalties) contribution, he made 13 dominant tackles, expertly marshalled England’s attack and handed both Barrett and Richie Mo’unga a masterclass in tactical kicking. Maestro.

9 Ben Youngs

Ben Youngs played the perfect support role for Ford. The scrumhalf grew into the game steadily and by the time he was replaced (in the 62nd minute) Youngs had made 92 passes, more than double the amount by the next best passer, Aaron Smith. Youngs also kept the All Blacks defence honest with a couple of probing runs, resulting in one clean break and four defenders beaten. He was also denied a try by a TMO intervention. Like his halfback partner, Youngs kicked from hand 10 times. Livewire.

Photo: Getty Images

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Mariette Adams