Following an exciting Round 1 of the 2023 Rugby World Cup we selected a team based on individual performance. As expected France dominated our team with the brilliant performance of England's George Ford scoring 10/10 after an extravagant 10-minute drop-goal hat-trick
1. Reda Wardi (France) - Wardi had a significant impact in his third test before being replaced early in the second half. Although he was part of an impressive tight five he worked hard throughout.
2. Jamie George (England) - An absolute menace on the defence for England who played seventy-odd minutes. He was vital for a fourteen-man England ensuring that momentum at the breakdown was all England.
3. Uini Atonio (France) - One of the best individual performances of Round 1 of the 2023 World Cup. He was dominant in the scrums, made some big clearouts and was also active in the loose.
4. Maro Itoje (England) - Finished as England’s top tackler and secured several turnovers. He was vital in England's forward domination of Argentina.
5. Scott Barrett (All Blacks) - An exceptional performance leading the All Blacks’ defence and finished the match as the All Blacks’ most prolific tackler. He also made a couple of good runs with the ball in hand.
6. Courtney Lawes (England) - He was leading by example in the game-deciding opening stanza. He was massive in forcing momentum and continued to boss things in the second half. Brilliant, simply brilliant.
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Springboks) - His physical presence in the pack was key and kept the Scottish big forwards busy around the rucks and in the mauls and played his role well in the line-outs.
8. Gregory Alldritt (France) - This was an immense performance by Alldritt. He was a workhorse that led from the front. He worked hard throughout with multiple strong carries showing why he’s starting eight of nine of France’s latest games.
9. Gareth Davies (Wales) - He conducted traffic well enough when his team managed to get going in the right direction. Contributed with four tackles and only one miss in a game that was defined by the defensive effort.
10. George Ford (England) - Just brilliant.
11 Marika Koroibete (Australia) - A typically strong performance and ran with purpose all evening. His high work rate across the backfield was as always impressive.
12 Damian de Allende - His work rate with the ball in hand was incredible, he carried the ball more than any other player on the field and it often took multiple Scottish defenders to bring him down.
13. Rieko Ioane (All Blacks) - Played a crucial role in New Zealand’s first two tries. He showed off the importance of pace in the midfield, threatening to pierce the line whenever he got the ball. He also made a couple of crucial tackles.
14. Damian Penaud (France) - He had few opportunities in the first half but worked hard to look for chances and defend well. He has now scored in his last five Tests, with nine for the year.
15. Thomas Ramos (France) - He was crucial in keeping the scoreboard ticking over and was outstanding under the high ball.