"Ford Included" - Top 5 Performers From Rugby World Cup Match Day One

Pool B began with the biggest win of the weekend, as Ireland put the sword to Romania, scoring more than a point per minute in the 82-8 dismantling. Andy Farrell was sure to have watched on, as the Springboks then battled it out with Scotland for a 18-3 win, despite the resilient efforts of Gregor Townsend's men.

Pool C witnessed Eddie Jones' Wallabies return to winning form, with a 35-15 triumph over progressing contenders Georgia. Wales and Fiji's match-up was a thrilling encounter, with Warren Gatland's men achieving a crucial 32-26 win over the Pacific Islanders.

All eyes were on Head Coach Steve Borthwick for the opening Pool D match, with England able to produce the goods in their 27-10 win over Argentina. Japan and Chile then closed out the action in Pool D, with the Brave Blossoms announcing their intentions to progress out the pool, with a 42-12 win over the Rugby World Cup debutants.

Here are the top five performers, from the opening round of the 2023 Rugby World Cup pool stages.

George Ford was the man of the hour for England, and dutifully stepped up the the fly half mantle in the absence of the suspended Owen Farrell. Ford slotted each and every one of England's 27 points against Argentina, with six penalties and a hat-trick of magnificent 'Wilkinson-esque' drop goals to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Ford's talents were not limited to the boot, as he led his back-line with aplomb in what was England's best performance since Borthwick took over as Head Coach. Alongside scrum half Alex Mitchell, Ford maintained England's blistering tempo in attack, which the Pumas could not contain. Argentina were on the back-foot, and gave away repeated penalties at the breakdown, with Ford more than happy to kick extended daylight from the tee.

With these 27 points, Ford eclipsed his previous record points haul in an England jersey by three, after accruing 24 points in the 2020 Six Nations win over France. A positive start for England, despite facing an albeit poor Argentina side. After an underwhelming run of form the previous Summer, England's adage of 'coming good at the Rugby World Cup', seems to be taking shape. Ford's contributions were essential in the victory, with England now turning their focus to Japan this Sunday.

Wales lock Will Rowlands put in a massive defence shift against Fiji, as Warren Gatland's side recorded a crucial win to start their World Cup campaign in Pool C. Rowlands was ever-present in defence, to make bruising hits on the hard-running Pacific Islanders. Rowlands made a total of 27 completed tackles, which saw him end the match at the top of the charts. He will certainly be feeling the effects of the match this morning, after an immense effort in Bordeax.

Rowland's tackling ability was further demonstrated, as he did not miss a single attempt on the illusive Flying Fijians. Despite their best efforts to side-step or fend the former Dragons man, Rowlands timed his tackles to perfection, and seized his opponents to halt all attacking momentum. The Racing 92 lock further disrupted the Fijian flow in attack, with four breakdown turnovers. Rowland was often the man receiving the plaudits from his teammates, with his turnovers receiving Welsh cheers that matched those which rang out following a try.

Rowland's was Wales' stand-out player in defence, with Gareth Thomas and Jac Morgan also emptying the tackle tank to secure this win over Fiji. Pool C is the hardest group to predict in who will progress, yet Warren Gatland's men will be delighted to get up and running after a thrilling fixture in Bordeaux.

Pieter-Steph du Toit was simply phenomenal against Scotland, and was a decisive figure in the outcome of Sunday's can't-miss match. Starring in both attack and defence for the Springboks, du Toit battled his way over to score a key try early in the second half, as well as asserted his ever-present defensive dominance on the Scottish back-line.

Each of du Toit's seven completed tackles hit like a truck, with his physicality further imposed at the breakdown. The Tokyo Verblitz man muscled his way for 26 metres in attack, with each of his six carries coming at the extent of a bruised Scottish defender. The openside flanker beat Scotland black and blue in attack and defence, with each collision wearing down the defensive structure of Gregor Townsend's men, for an eventual Springboks win.

The winner of the 2019 World Rugby Men's Player of the Year put in an inspired performance, and reminded the international rugby landscape as to why he won this accolade four years ago. Du Toit took home the award just two days after South Africa lifted the Web Ellis trophy in Japan, and history could well repeat itself if du Toit and the Springboks maintain this impressive run of dominance.

The Ireland centre was at his very best for the opening match of Pool B, as he ran roughshod on Romania for the full 80 minutes, despite the sweltering heat in Bordeaux. Aki crossed over to two tries against the Eastern Europeans, with Andy Farrell's men hitting top gear in a match that presented little issues. The only slip-up was when Romania scored a break-away try in the opening minutes, however, few would have believed that Farrell's side were set to suffer such a shocking defeat, given their status as world number one.

Admittedly, Ireland were a different class against Romania in this 12-try landslide. However, this match was more than just a try-scoring fest for Ireland, who know all too well the importance of points difference in this year's 'Pool of Death'. With Scotland and South Africa alongside them, Ireland had to establish a healthy margin of victory, should the pool stage progression come down to point's difference on the 8th of October.

Aki made a huge contribution for Ireland, as he broke the gain-line repeatedly in each of his 20 carries. Aki finished the match at the top of the carries chart, as well as making the most metres with the ball in hand. The centre steamrolled his way through Romania, to make 240 total metres in this one-way contest. Ireland take on Tonga next Saturday, in what is expected to be more of a challenge against the Sea Eagles. Aki will once again need to be firing on all cylinders, to take on a Tongan side that has recently been re-enforced by former All Blacks Charles Piutau and Malakai Fekitoa.

France fans were watching on with baited breath, as Matthieu Jalibert led the line for Les Bleus in the absence of Romain Ntamack. Fabien Galthie's first choice fly-half will miss the entire competition, after suffering an unfortunate ACL injury during the Summer. However, Jalibert proved to be a more than capable understudy, and orchestrated a magnificent win over the All Blacks.

There was pre-empting expectations that the Bordeax-Begles man would be carried by his halfback partner Antoine Dupont, in the early stages of this must win match against New Zealand. However, it was in fact Dupont that had a slow start, with uncharacteristic errors making Jalibert jump into action at the aid of his captain. The 24-year-old was able to shake of any early nerves, and produced the goods in a memorable clash at the Stade de France.

Jalibert's starring moment saw him provide an exquisite assist to Damien Penaud's second half try, that took the match out of sight for the All Blacks. His unpredictable offence forced Mark Telea to rush up for a tackle, which opened up the space out wide for Penaud to score. A narrow knock on from Penaud later stopped what could have been an early contender for try of the tournament, after Jalibert’s neat nudge into the back-field once again split the All Blacks apart.