South Africa's Schalk Burger is tackled by captain Samu Manoa, left, and John Quill of the USA. Photo / AP
South Africa's Schalk Burger is tackled by captain Samu Manoa, left, and John Quill of the USA. Photo / AP
It's sayonara Ayumu Goromaru and Michael Leitch. It's a sad nakhvamdis to gargantuan Georgian Mamuka Gorgodze. It's ni sa moce to the brilliant Leone Nakarawa and p***-off to old angry-head Mike Brown.
The PPRs have been pruned this week to include only players who still have a chance, albeit slim in some cases, of being garlanded with a World Cup winners' medal. Some tricky decisions to make here. How far do you drop Johnny Sexton, who at best must be limited by his groin strain, at worst debilitated.
Another first-five is proving perplexing to rank. Every time you get to the point where you think ordinary is the new normal for Dan Carter, he reminds you that he can still play a bit. Is it enough to get you through three tight knockout games though?
Even the No 1 player, David Pocock showed he was destructible against Wales, while last week's No 2 Kieran Read proved the captain's armband can make a man a foot shorter.
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 really worked up and write to me.
1. Schalk Burger (South Africa) - Flanker - (up 2)
Rankings will put their hand up and confess that there are better players left at the World Cup than the ageing Bok warrior, but none are likely to play as pivotal a role this weekend as Burger. Wales have fallen back on a big-muscle game that revolves around the toughness and mobility of their loosies led by Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric. If Burger plays like he has this tournament, Wales are going to get utterly short-changed in this area. Tackles, carries, carries over gainline, offloads... Burger is near the top of the pops in all those categories.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pocock didn't look as sharp without Michael Hooper alongside him. Wales' forwards didn't allow him to settle over the ball and he appeared at one point to take out his frustration with his knee on Scott Baldwin. Being a campaigner for social injustices, Rankings is sure Pocock would have recognised the laughable double-standard of him being let off with a warning for kneeing off the ball, while Alesana Tuilagi got five weeks (reduced to two), for running into a ball player with the ball. This is almost a provisional spot given there are still doubts about his calf injury.
David Pocock was down on his game without Michael Hooper next to him. Photo / Getty Images
3. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand) - Midfield (up 1)
Look around the top eight teams and what do you see a glaring lack of? Don't worry, Rankings will save you the trouble - game-breakers. With his size and second-only-to-Nakarawa ability to offload in the tackle, Williams is a defence coach's nightmare. You can only guess that Williams will be brought on for the final half hour and will be asked to run at Frederic Michalak who, with eight missed tackles and weak shoulders, is clearly vulnerable. Watch for Ma'a Nonu to soften up Michalak and Wesley Fofana, and SBW to lay waste to them.
All Blacks second-five Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Brett Phibbs
4. Thierry Dusautoir (France) - Flanker (new)
He's been on the list before, then fallen off, but no team girds his loins quite like the All Blacks. Remember the 38 tackles he made at Cardiff in '07... oh wait, that's right, we're not allowed to talk about that. It's not relevant. It's in the past. Spare my days that it might be an interesting storyline, but no, we'd far rather sit back and talk about quick ball at the breakdown and lineout drives and... someone prop me up as I drift off to sleep. Ranking will tell you this for free: if the score remains close and Dusautoir is running around like a madman, cutting attacks off behind the advantage line and driving his troops on like a bigger, browner version of Napoleon at Austerlitz, the only thing we're going to be thinking about is 2007 and, to a point, 2011.
Thierry Dusautoir features in the power rankings once again. Photo / Getty
5. Agustin Creevy (Argentina) - Hooker (up 19)
Ireland would rather be playing Argentina than the All Blacks, make no mistake about that, but that doesn't mean they'll be looking forward to the South Americans. This is a match that will be played on the edge of reason and sometimes Argentina have been known to cross that line. Creevy, the bull-necked hooker, is the man who can keep them playing with controlled fury. His ability to snaffle turnovers (6), and run with purpose should not be overlooked.
Argentina's captain Agustin Creevy is tackled during his side's defeat to the All Blacks. Photo / AP
6. Kieran Read (New Zealand) - No 8 (down 4)
So calamitously bad were his hands against Tonga that on one insipid up-and-under didn't even make contact with his palms, instead passing straight through his arms. Read is still getting through his work (seven turnovers won, fourth-best at tournament), has more carries over the gainline (23) of any player left at the tournament bar Ireland's Sean O'Brien, and is New Zealand's go-to lineout option (19 takes, eight more than next-best Sam Whitelock, and three steals), but the superbly skilled edge runner seems to have disappeared. A showdown with hard-as-nails Louis Picamoles may be just what is required to get him back to his best.
Kieran Read. Photo / Brett Phibbs
7. Iain Henderson (Ireland) - Lock (up 2)
Ireland are still counting the cost of their crushing victory over France, but one thing they need not fear is second-row proficiency. Paul O'Connell had not reached the Victor Matfield point of being useful in the lineouts and nowhere else, but it was not coincidental that Ireland's game lifted appreciably when Henderson joined the fray. His mobility and tackling aggression was impressive, has been throughout, and he has also shown the maturity to be able to adjust his game from the needs of a starter to an impact player. He's a keeper.
Iain Henderson is vital for Ireland. Photo / Getty Images
8. Dan Carter (New Zealand) - First-five (up 17)
If Carter's management team thought about moving into the merchandising space, they should look at marketing the Official Dan Carter RWC Yo-yo. Poor against Georgia, Carter bounced back with a polished performance against Tonga that quelled rising panic. But the real reason he is this high is this: Steve Hansen, Ian Foster and Grant Fox have effectively staked four years' worth of reputations upon Carter's boot, hands and head. The time to 'stick' or 'move on' was a couple of years ago - they chose 'stick'. Nobody either, should doubt how much Carter wants this.
Daniel Carter in action against Tonga. Photo / Brett Phibbs
9. Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) - Halfback (nc)
He's Scotland's goalkicker and playmaking halfback, but he's also a bit more than that. He's a bit old school in some respects, constantly yapping and trying to play the referee. In the two big games Scotland won - against Japan and Samoa - he played the referees to perfection in the second halves. Rankings is skeptical as to whether that will be enough against Australia, but it's worth a crack.
Greig Laidlaw's a bit old school in some respects. Photo / AP
10. Ben Smith (New Zealand) - Fullback (up 4)
Nobody left has more than his 306m made on the ground, or his eight clean breaks. Only Burger and Sean O'Brien have more carries than his 45. But Smith is capable of even more. If he backs himself to beat a few more defenders (he's not even in the top 20 in this category) with his elusive running, he could provide the dagger thrust that has been missing. It's been said once but it is worth repeating: Smith plays too often like he doesn't realise just how good he is.
11. Wesley Fofana (France) - Midfield (down 5)
He's a heady player with lightning quick feet and great instincts, but if Philippe Saint-Andre isn't particularly interested in utilising his skills, then there's not much point in Rankings promoting him as a top 10 player.
Rankings has lists in front of him. Lists and lists and lists. They table the Top 25 players for categories including but not limited to metres made, defenders beaten, turnovers won, tackles made, lineouts won and so on. You can change the mode from aggregate to average to take into account those players who might have been injured, suspended or rested for a game. Let me break it to you - the future Sir Richie does not appear on a single one, not even the penalties conceded list. I know he's over there, because I've seen him on telly, but so far his most spectacular intervention was a heartfelt speech to Ma'a. It's Thierry time, Richie, time to crank it up.
13. Conor Murray (Ireland) - Halfback (new)
With Johnny Sexton a bit sore, Murray is going to have to be the focal point of the Irish attack and his combination at the base of the scrum with Jamie Heaslip is going to be vital. Murray is a very nice player - injuries and suspensions in the Irish camp now means he has to elevate from there to great.
Ireland halfback Conor Murray in action against France. Photo / Brett Phibbs
14. Michael Hooper (Australia) - Flanker (up 1)
Pocock was slightly less effective without his running mate and was probably lucky not to suffer the same fate as Hooper with his stray knee. But unless Pocock's calf plays up, the twin breakdown terrors are locked and loaded to go again. If he is a late scratching, then watch Hooper elevate his game to insanely involved - and sometimes counter-productive - levels.
15. Dan Biggar (Wales) - First-five (down 10)
He missed a penalty - shock, horror - against Australia but that is not why he takes such a precipitous drop. Watch a replay of that second half, when the Wallabies were down to 13 and clinging on for dear life, and it becomes clear that Biggar had an opportunity to take control and he didn't. He was a peripheral figure and when called upon, just didn't play smart. Carter might be a shadow of his former self, but if he'd been the Welsh 10, that game would have likely had a different result.
16. Bernard Foley (Australia) - First-five (down 8)
Well, this clown has already gone on record as saying they think Foley's stock will sink as this tournament progresses, so who is Rankings to argue. After the game of his life against England, Foley found the going tougher against Wales. The Scots would be wise to attack his channel.
Australia's Bernard Foley. Photo / AP
17. Israel Folau (Australia) - Fullback (down 4)
There's no other way to put it, Folau appears to be drifting through this World Cup. He is clearly banged up and when Merab Kvirikashvili has made more breaks than you with a fraction of the opportunities, it points to a quiet tournament. A bounce back must be imminent.
He's the sparkplug that ignites the All Black machine but it's just not quite happening. He's still good, but he hasn't shown the world how the speed of the game can be accelerated by a great No 9. That could be to come.
19. Damian de Allende (South Africa) - First-five (new)
He's beaten 18 defenders! I mean, sometimes you even feel bad about saying things like this about legends, but Jean de Villiers injury enforced retirement might just turn out to be the turning point in this South African campaign. The combination of Handre Pollard, de Allende and Jesse Kriel, all who could have easily made this list, could be great for years to come.
South Africa's Damian De Allende on the charge against USA. Photo / AP
20. Julian Savea (New Zealand) - Wing (up 3)
After a slow start to the year, Savea took his hat-trick well against Georgia and will be itching to return after having a rest against Tonga. No one is going to want to mark The Bus from here on in.
21. Nehe Milner-Skudder (New Zealand) Wing - (new)
When they drew up their RWC playbook, you suspect they saw Nehe Milner-Skudder as the third wing option behind the twin giants Savea and Waisake Naholo, and the third fullback behind Smith and Beauden Barrett. His feet have moved too fast for them though and now he's emerged as their most potent weapon out wide. Of the remaining players in the tournament, only Smith has more metres, only de Allende has beaten more than his 16 defenders and only Smith, Juan Imhoff and Bryan Habana have matched his eight breaks.
22. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa) - Lock (new)
He and Lodewyk de Jager are going to terrorise some sides for a long time to come. It would be a relief for the remaining teams at this RWC to see the name Victor Matfield on the team sheet.
Eben Etzebeth. Photo / AP
23. Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina) - First-five (new)
A chronically under-rated playmaker, Sanchez' penalty range extends to the halfway line and he's one of the great natural ball strikers (though every now and then the radar gets really messed up). Argentine backs like Joaquin Tuculet, Imhoff and particularly Santiago Cordero - who would be on this list if it were not for 10 missed tackles - have been really good this tournament and the work of Sanchez inside them has been instrumental.
The lampooning of the Wallaby scrum had become a default setting. Not anymore. With captain and nuggety hooker Stephen Moore flanked by Scott Sio and Kepu, the Wallaby scrum is no longer just seeking parity, but dominance. Blow me down with a feather.
25. Rob Kearney (Ireland) - Fullback (new)
Another player whose consistent excellence sometimes gets overlooked, especially in this part of the world where we often appreciate flash more than dash. He might not be the best player in the world, but he's definitely the best player in his family.
