KEY POINTS:
Sound the bell, it's gong time. The pool play is over, the World Cup now gets serious for the eight still standing.
The quarter-finals are upon us, so what of the pools? What were the best and worst? Who caught the eye?
Best game
Fiji 38 Wales 34. A thriller, and with the right result. A presence in the last eight for the Pacific Islands, who deserved at least that. Will they topple the Springboks on Monday morning? Highly unlikely. But they'll leave a few bruises on the South Africans and won't die wondering.
Runner-up
South Africa 30 Tonga 25. Brilliant, and one bounce shy of the greatest of all cup upsets.
Worst game
It's hard to sink lower than Italy 24 Romania 18. Dire stuff. Ireland 32 Namibia 18 was pretty awful, too. Indeed most things Irish were average, especially for a team who arrived harbouring high hopes.
Best finish
See best game, on both counts, and a third placegetter: Fiji 35 Japan 31. That was the game Japan's coach, John Kirwan, looked set to explode on the sideline. He'll be turning grey double quick if that carries on much longer.
Best try
Plenty of contenders, team and individual. But for sheer exhilaration, you won't get better than Kosuke Endo's effort for Japan against Wales.
Best hair
Finau Maka, Tonga's No 8 with the big woolly bouffant. A shame it wasn't allowed to be turned green for the pool A decider against England. It would have been some sight.
Most unlikely looking player
Has to be Portuguese prop Rui Cordeiro. Before the game he was mistaken for the Portugal manager. Balding and, er, portly, he came on at halftime and scored Portugal's try against the All Blacks.
Best name
Ulia Ulia (Samoa). So good he was named twice. Todd Clever (US) who wasn't, when he ran into a Samoan thigh at full speed. Juan Somoza (Portugal) - good enough to eat - Jane du Toit (Namibia), surely a misprint; and Lu-Wayne Botes of Namibia; not forgetting Italy's WWF bad guy lookalike Martin Castrogiovanni and Argentine Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, for a touch of the exotic and a dropped goal expert to boot, as Ireland discovered.
Best club affiliation
World Fighting Bull (Joe Vaka, Tonga and Ifereimi Rawaqa of Fiji), Gentlemen of Aspen (Alec Parker, US) and Park City Haggis (Matekitonga Moeakiola, US).
Most unpronounceable name
Most of the Georgians, take your pick from Khinchagashvili, Kvirikashvili, Magrakvelidze, Shkinin and Urjukashvili.
