Schalk Burger is tackled by Richie McCaw during the South Africa versus New Zealand test match in July. Photo / Getty Images
Schalk Burger is tackled by Richie McCaw during the South Africa versus New Zealand test match in July. Photo / Getty Images
My word the All Blacks were good, which is all the excuse Rankings needs to load up the latest edition of the PPRs with men in black. But hang on a minute, Argentina were fine as well. South Africa were brutish and mainly effective and Australia proved sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
The PPRs have been pruned again to include only players who still have a chance to win a World Cup, so from last week's list we cull the following: Thierry Dusautoir (4), Iain Henderson (7), Greig Laidlaw (9), Wesley Fofana (11), Conor Murray (13), Dan Biggar (15), Rob Kearney (25). This is the part where Rankings, if he wasn't so humble, would give himself a pat on the back and say: "Look at the ratio of players on winning teams to losing ones."
It was 18-7 in case you were counting, but Rankings would rather let others salute his perspicacity. Of the available players, Sekope Kepu falls off the charts after the Wallabies scrum - admittedly it was Scott Sio's side - buckled against Scotland. Damian de Allende goes too, based on a hunch that there is another player in that Springbok backline who has the potential to hurt the All Blacks more.
The PPRs are assessed by a combination of Opta stats, game-changing interventions, influence and a dash of reputation. Although it is fraught, we try to project the player's worth going forward as much as we acknowledge their deeds to date. And, yes, there's a bit of All Black bias.
Often it is pure hunch and personal preference. If it doesn't match your own preferences, the best thing you can do is get ANGRY AND START THINKING IN BLOCK CAPITALS.
1. Schalk Burger (South Africa) - Flanker - (NC)
The thing is, when you put a player at No 1 and they respond by having another blinder of a match, you can't do anything but leave him be. Burger is a throwback of a player, but one every coach would love to have. Fourie du Preez might have got man of the match in the quarter-final against Wales, but once again Burger provided the beating heart. He has made an astonishing 20 more carries (80) than any other player at the tournament only Michael Leitch has more than his 35 across the gain line. Oh, and he's made 55 tackles (4th at RWC) and 17 offloads (3rd). We can forgive him his six missed tackles, don't you think?
South Africa's Schalk Burger faces the Wales team. Photo / AP
2. David Pocock (Australia) - No 8 - (NC)
Jeepers, the Wallabies missed him badly against the Scots and for this reason alone he stays at this vertigo-inducing position. Latest reports suggest he is good to go against Argentina and he is perfectly built to destroy their attacking flow. Against Ireland, Los Pumas steadfastly refused to kick, taking it into contact after contact. With a tournament-topping 10 turnovers despite missing two games, Pocock will be ready to strike.
The All Blacks are starting to look like Carter's team again. Not before time his critics will say (and Rankings has been among that group); perfectly timed his apologists will say. The truth almost certainly lies somewhere in the middle. Carter has been inexplicably ordinary too often over the past couple of years for it to be a matter of holding back for the main event, but the important thing is he's rediscovered his confidence, which has in turn revamped his running game and everyone from numbers 9 to 15 and 20 to 23 is enjoying the benefits. Of the main goalkickers left in the tournament, Carter's 80 per cent stands third behind Nicolas Sanchez and Bernard Foley, but ahead of Handre Pollard.
Daniel Carter kicks a conversion during the Quarter Final between France and the All Blacks. photo / Brett Phibbs
4. Agustin Creevy (Argentina) - Hooker - (up 1)
There was a point in the game against Ireland when, despite playing all the rugby, Argentina were getting penalised, were getting bossed at the breakdown and looked on the point of implosion. At one point a player, one of the locks if Rankings' memory serves, was ready to launch a broadside at referee Jerome Garces when Creevy grabbed his jersey and yanked him from a trouble spot. Ignore for a second Creevy's terrific core lineout and scrummaging skills, pay only scant attention to his turnover expertise (8), and marvel instead at his leadership that has rid this Argentine team of its volatility.
Argentina's captain Agustin Creevy celebrates winning the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match between Ireland and Argentina. Photo / AP
5. Kieran Read (NZ) - No 8- (up 1)
When Read muffed a simple kickoff against France you could hear the collective groan from Mangonui to Myross Bush. But good things come to those who put shift after shift in. For the rest of the game Read was sensational. Of the players left in the tournament, only Burger has more than Read's 25 carries over gainline. When you consider he's not even in the top 20 of carries overall, it's clear he makes every one count. Only Pocock and Creevy have more than his seven turnovers. Nobody has more than his five lineout steals and only a few more have more than his 22 lineouts won overall. If his hands were slightly softer, we'd already have someone working on a statue of him.
6. Sonny Bill Williams (NZ) - Midfield - (down 3)
He made the sort of intervention against France that would have been utterly crucial had the game been tight. As it was he was just piling on top of a blowout, but that's not his fault. What we are seeing from SBW at this tournament is the apotheosis of the impact player. Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu showed what a high-class starting combination they were against France and when Smith came off and Nonu moved out to centre to accommodate SBW, the potency needle moved into the red. With 24 offloads, he will soon move past brilliant Fijian lock Leone Nakarawa's 26. There is daylight to the next highest.
7. Julian Savea (NZ) - Wing - (up 13)
Noa Nakaitci is not a small man, or a scared man, but he joins Mike Catt on the list of players who have been steamrollered by a giant All Black left wing in a World Cup knockout game. Damn, Rankings has just gone and fed the Julian v Jonah machine. Oh well, no turning back now. There will never be another Jonah and Rankings, who likes to make lists, would have him No 1 on the Most Important Rugby Players of All-Time. He changed the sport and he did it at a time when casual racism was still in vogue, particularly when it came to Pacific Island players. Savea is a very, very fine wing. Unless he takes a precipitous fall, he will end up a great. We should all be grateful for that alone.
Julian Savea was back to his best against France. Photo / Brett Phibbs
8. Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina) - First-five (up 15)
He kicks a ball like Ernie Els swings a club - with an effortless ease that makes the striking of a static object something of rare beauty. But there's more to Sanchez' game than kicking. In fact, there are times when Sanchez should kick more out of hand. Of the first-fives left at this tournament, Carter and Handre Pollard have hoofed it 47 times out of hand and Bernard Foley 41. Sanchez comes in at 25. What he does do neatly combine with second pivot Juan Martin Hernandez to free up the most impressive quartet of outside backs at the tournament outside of New Zealand. The best Argentine No 10 since Hugo Porta.
Nicolas Sanchez celebrates Argentina's win against Ireland. Photo / Brett Phibbs
9. Ben Smith (NZ) - Fullback - (up 1)
A lot of people, a lot, believe that it is A Smith, not B Smith, who is most pivotal to the All Blacks' fortunes. Rankings is not one of them. That's not to say the nippy halfback isn't important, or isn't brilliant, but when B Smith has the confidence and the legs to start unpicking kick chases from the back, then the All Blacks go from being good to a juggernaut. No player has more than his 400m on the ground and only Anthony Watson made more than his 10 breaks. Smith is going to get a hell of a lot of work on Sunday morning from the Bok kicking machines. How he copes with it will go a long way to determining whether the All Blacks lace up their boots for a fourth World Cup final.
10. Bernard Foley (Australia) - First-five (up 6)
In a weak effort to slide the conversation from Craig Joubert's mistake to Australia's victory, coach Michael Cheika pointed out that the penalty-that-should-have-never-been still needed to be kicked. It's true and although it wasn't overly taxing it was an indication that Foley is built to handle pressure. He hadn't enjoyed a particularly good day to that point but he stepped up and nailed the biggest kick of his life (even including the other Joubert-inspired decider in the 2014 Super Rugby final).
Bernard Foley kicks the match-winner against Scotland. Photo / AP
11. Richie McCaw (NZ) - Flanker (up 1)
The big engine that keeps the old body motoring along started to purr against France after shuddering and missing its way through Pool C. You can't put a price on leadership at this stage of the tournament however and there will be nothing that happens on Sunday morning that McCaw wouldn't have seen at some stage of his epic career. It will be interesting to see who is the most influential No 7 on the field, even taking into account the fact the Boks configure their backrow differently.
You can't put a price on Richie McCaw's leadership. Photo / Brett Phibbs
12. Lodewyk de Jager (South Africa) - Lock (new)
Rankings has preferred the humourless Eben Etzebeth on this table up to now, but has switched to his second-row partner on the basis that, well, at this tournament at least he's been a better player. De Jager has a baby face on a beast's body, which must be quite disconcerting for the opposition who can't bring themselves to smash a kid. But the kid can play. The 22-year-old has a phenomenal work rate with 60 tackles (2nd behind Jonny Gray's 67), and 47 carries. Only Tjiuee Uanivi and Nakarawa have as many as his 26 lineout takes, while his three steals are only bettered by Read (5), Dean Mumm and Brodie Retallick (4). He has a foot injury that could force the Springboks to start fading veteran Victor Matfield.
This is a situational rise, not because Hooper has had a particularly impressive tournament, but because of the threat the two-headed Hydra of Pocock-Hooper pose to the Argentine gameplan. There's no question Los Pumas took advantage of the absence of Peter O'Mahony and particularly Sean O'Brien as they shifted the ball from breakdown to breakdown, but even then they were vulnerable for long patches of the game. There is no happy ending for Daniel Hourcade if they take the same approach against Australia. Incidentally, Hooper has won just a single turnover in three games thus far. To repeat, this is a placing based on reputation and anticipation, not form.
14. Aaron Smith (NZ) - Halfback (up 4)
Back to somewhere near his sparky best against France and make a couple of nice dummy snipes that sucked in defenders and allowed his outsides more space. His will be a chalk-and-cheese battle against wily veteran Du Preez, who was South Africa's best player when they won in 2007 and is shaping as pivotal to their chances this time around as well.
15. Fourie du Preez (South Africa) - Halfback (new)
He kicks more (35) than any other halfback whose team made the quarter-finals and that's what he's there to do. When South Africa lost to Japan and decided they needed to drop all pretence of an expansive game, Du Preez became their perfect 'manager'. It might be hard to watch, but his box-kick accuracy is a brutally effective weapon when combined with a committed chase, good tackling and a contest at the breakdown. Bok rugby, in other words.
He'd be higher than this if he wasn't so apparently fragile. He's made nine breaks, beaten 19 defenders and covered 343m, all near the top of the charts. He's also done that most important of things and turned that elusiveness into five tries. He's a bit of a freak, but a banged-up one.
Nehe Milner-Skudder is a bit of a freak, but a banged-up one. Photo / Brett Phibbs
17. Juan Imhoff (Argentina) - Wing (new)
Two great tries against Ireland and a bunch of really nice tournament stats, including 10 breaks, which puts him alongside Ben Smith and one behind Watson. He's also beaten 15 defenders and has scored five tries.
18. Santiago Cordero (Argentina) - Wing (new)
Slots in behind Imhoff only because he can be a defensive liability, with only players from Namibia and Uruguay having missed more than his 13 tackles. With the ball it's an entirely different story. He's scored three tries, made 348m (5th), beaten 18 defenders (3rd), made 12 offloads (12th), won five turnovers (12th) and seven breaks (10th). Oh, and he has one of the great in-and-aways.
19. Duane Vermeulen (South Africa) - No 8 (new)
Abrasive, tireless and occasionally brilliant, Vermeulen's battle with Read could be pivotal to South Africa's chances. For a loose forward he beats a lot of defenders (11) and it was his moment of inspiration that saw the Boks home against Wales when he put Du Preez away in the corner.
For a loose forward, Duane Vermeulen he beats a lot of defenders. Photo / Getty
20. Ma'a Nonu (NZ ) - Second-five (new)
In the twilight of his career, we've gone past the point where Nonu has to appear near the top of any statistical categories for us to know he's good. Nevertheless it is a surprise that the only category he appears anywhere near the top of is defenders beaten and even then his total of 13 is middling. To get a better sense of his value, watch the first half against France, how he ran Freddie Michalak out of the game before he departed early with an injury, and how he combined with Conrad Smith to put Milner-Skudder into a yard of space. Class.
21. Dane Coles (NZ ) - Hooker (new)
He's won more turnovers for the All Blacks than anyone not named Read. He is also taking the role of hooker-threequarter to new and dangerous places. He's a special player.
Rankings ummed and ahhed for literally minutes over which Argentine forward outside Creevy was likely to be the most influential against Australia. Would it be granite props Marcos Ayerza or the slightly more combustible Ramiro Herrera? What about the offloading Facundo Isa? Meanwhile Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe stormed back to prominence with a vintage performance against Ireland. But no, robust No 8 Senatore will be pivotal to Los Pumas semifinal hopes.
23. Stephen Moore (Australia) - Hooker (new)
It feels like this list is light on Australians, but despite getting out of the toughest pool in World Cup history, they have struggled in their past two games. Rankings still expects them to be playing the big game on November 1 (NZT) and one of the main reasons is they stay cool under pressure. The level-headed Moore is one of the main reasons for this. He might not wow you like a Creevy or a Coles, but he's a rock - and sometimes you need a rock to roll.
Australia's captain Stephen Moore is tackled by Scotland's John Hardie. Photo / AP
24. Brodie Retallick (NZ) - Lock (new)
For a long time this season it seemed the only people who didn't know what Retallick was going to do next were those who had never seen him play before. That didn't extend to opposition coaches and players. Retallick has had to make some subtle shifts to continue to be the sort of player who was rated best in the world last year. He's certainly getting there.
25. Israel Folau (Australia) - Fullback - (down 8)
The brilliant fullback has had a so-so tournament, but his menacing presence was undoubtedly missed against Scotland. There is hope he will have recovered from his ankle injury to play Argentina. It is a crime against his talent that he is so low on this list.
