Rugby World Cup 2015 team of the tournament: How many All Blacks make cut after retaining Web Ellis Cup?

The Independent's Team of the 2015 Rugby World Cup

Jack de Menezes,Chris Hewett
Sunday 01 November 2015 14:43 GMT
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The Rugby World Cup came to a thrilling climax at Twickenham on Saturday as New Zealand beat rivals Australia 34-17 to become the first side to retain the Webb Ellis Cup, and in doing so beat the Wallabies and South Africa in winning a third tournament in its 28-year history.

England 2015 has already been declared the “biggest and best” World Cup ever by World Rugby in terms of attendances and competitiveness, with the tier two nations stepping up and challenging the established sides.

While they fell by the wayside in the pool stages, there were certainly some shocks along the way as Japan, Georgia and even Namibia showed they belong on the world stage. But come the knockout stages it was Argentina who caught the imagination, even if the home nations suffered widespread disappointment.

Of course, by this stage England were already out and launching an inquest into why they had become the first host nation to fail to progress from the pool stage, so it surprise you to see a distinct lack of English names in our team of the tournament.

So who makes the cut?

The Independent’s rugby union correspondent Chris Hewett selects his XV below.

No sooner has the 2015 World Cup ended than attentions already turn to Japan 2019, so who do you think will shine the most in four years’ time from this select XV? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below.

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