LIST| 5 players who've had a POOR World Cup so far

Rugby News
Thursday, 10 October 2019 at 14:55
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With daily thrillers, classics and most importantly giant-killings, this Rugby World Cup hasn't disappointed.
That said, it hasn't been perfect. When there are surprises, it usually means the players from whom you expect the most are not delivering. There has been plenty of that in Japan. 
Here are five players who have underperformed at the 2018 World Cup. 

1. George North (Wales)

North has been outshone by Josh Adams on the opposite wing. Has made a few strong carries but hasn't offered much around the field and looks a shadow of his former self. He's also had a lot of criticism online, particularly for his performance against Fiji.



2. Johnny Sexton (Ireland) 

A quad injury has ravaged his World Cup so far, playing just 97 minutes of rugby, and it's affected his and Ireland's performances for sure. Sexton is the man to get Ireland firing again, but he needs to get back to his best as quickly as possible. His importance to the team is clear as, without him, they have no chance.

3. Bernard Foley (Australia)

One of their most influential players in 2015, the fly-half was the 28-point hero of their victory against England at Twickenham. He is now a shadow of his former self. His kicking is around a derisory 56 per cent success rate this season; way too low for a team with serious aspirations. He's, to be honest, been awful.

4. CJ Stander (Ireland)

Did very little with the ball in hand against Scotland and Japan when he should have been a bulldozing influence for the Irish.  He’s lacked any real influence on proceedings and will need to be better if Ireland has any hopes of reaching a first-ever Rugby World Cup semi-final.

5. Owen Farrell (England)

Eddie Jones’ star man hasn’t really had a chance to showcase his best yet, starting at centre in the opening match against Tonga before playing that position once again as a replacement against the USA. In those two games, he’s missed a combined six tackles. Poor kicking against Argentina followed before he caught a sickness bug and a day of training. Eddie Jones will need him at his best for the quarter-final against the Wallabies.
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