Injured XV of the Rugby World Cup

Most major nations at the World Cup have been dealt injury blows during the tournament. Photo / Getty Images

The injury count from the Rugby World Cup continues to mount with the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies all dealt blows in the weekend.

Here's our selection of the top XV players who have missed out action or have been ruled out from the tournament due to injury:

1 - Andrew Sheridan (England)
The England prop was ruled out of the tournament after damaging his left shoulder in his side's opening win over Argentina.

2 - Jerry Flannery (Ireland)
Flannery suffered a tournament-ending calf injury during training in the opening week of the Rugby World Cup.

3 - Nicolas Mas (France)
The veteran French prop has battled a hamstring strain throughout the Rugby World Cup with hopes in the camp that he'll be fit to play against England in their quarter-final clash.

4 - Bakkies Botha (South Africa)
Botha limped off the field in the Springboks 87-0 demolition of Namibia on September 22 with an Achilles injury and has been battling to get back to full fitness.

5 - Johann Muller (South Africa)
Back-up Springboks lock Muller was set to play off the bench against Fiji in the second week of the tournament but failed a fitness test due to a hamstring injury putting more pressure on the South African squad.

6 - Wycliff Palu (Australia)
The Australian back-rower's tournament came to an end a week ago after he suffered a recurrence of a long-term hamstring strain.

7 - Taiasina Tuifu'a (Samoa)
Samoa's starting flanker missed the side's crucial pool match against Wales after suffering a rib injury after the opening win against Namibia. He bounced back to play in the remaining games but the damage was done as Samoa missed out on the quarter-finals.

8 - Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina)
The Argentina back-rower faces six months on the sideline after tearing a ligament in his left knee during the Pumas 13-12 win over Scotland.

9 - Danny Care (England)
The Harlequins halfback didn't even get to New Zealand after a toe injury in a warmup loss to Wales in August.

10 - Dan Carter (New Zealand)
Rated as one of the greatest no.10s of all time, Carter suffered a groin tendon rupture during Saturday's captain's run a day out from the All Blacks' final pool match against Canada. A cruel blow for Carter who went through the last World Cup under an injury cloud before limping of from the quarter-final loss to France.

11 - Drew Mitchell (Australia)
The Wallabies' injury toll increased in their thrashing of Russia in the weekend when the 44 test veteran limped off with a hamstring tear in the second half.

12 - Frans Steyn (South Africa)
The Springboks will be without Steyn's might boot for the rest of the tournament after he took a serious knock to the shoulder in the side's final pool match against Samoa.

13 - Gonzalo Tiesi (Argentina)
Tiesi damaged knee ligaments in a collision with England lock Courtney Lawes in the Pumas opening World Cup match.

14 - Digby Ioane (Australia)
Ioane looks set to return in this weekend's quarter-final clash with South Africa after breaking his thumb in Australia's opening match against Italy.

15 - Alexis Palisson (France)
The French winger missed the opening three matches of the tournament because of back muscle injury, or to be exact a torn psoas muscle.

- HERALD ONLINE