"No England players" - Maggie Alphonsi names her World Cup Team Of The Tournament

Monday, 30 October 2023 at 09:39

byRugby Rucker

Maggie Alphonsi, the former England flanker, recently unveiled her Rugby World Cup dream team, surprisingly excluding any England players from her choices.

The Rugby World Cup commenced seven weeks ago in France, where the hosts, France, started with a 27-13 victory against New Zealand. The closely contested match set the tournament's competitive tone, defying the scoreline's simplicity.

In a thrilling final at the Stade de France in Paris, South Africa clinched a consecutive Rugby World Cup title, defeating New Zealand 12-11. This victory allowed the Springboks to retain the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup, making it two championships in a row for South Africa, following their 2019 triumph over England in Japan.

For her complete selection, refer to The Telegraph.

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Rugby World Cup team of the tournament:

#Back-three:

15. Davit Niniashvili (Georgia)
14. Mark Telea (New Zealand)
11. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

#Centres:

13. Jesse Kriel (South Africa)
12. Bundee Aki (Ireland)

Alphonsi on Aki: "Had a brilliant tournament right until Ireland’s exit, with two player-of-the-match awards. Looked in the form of his life. Josua Tuisova stood out for Fiji and Tomas Appleton, Portugal’s captain, was a great leader."

#Halfbacks:

10. Handre Pollard (South Africa)
9. Far de Klerk (South Africa)

#Front-row:

1. Thomas Gallo (Argentina)
2. Peato Mauvaka (France)
3. Luke Tagi (Fiji)

#Second-row:

4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
5. Theo McFarland (Samoa)

#Back-row:

6. Juan Martin Gonzalez (Argentina)
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
8. Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

Aphonsi on du Toit: "Player of the match in the final with 28 tackles in that game, yet consistent throughout the tournament. Levani Botia was a turnover king for Fiji, while Marcos Kremer and Jac Morgan were outstanding for Argentina and Wales."