The ELECTRIC Pacific Island XV that lit up the Rugby World Cup pool stage

Dylan Coetzee
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Split with Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji), Ben Tameifuna (Tonga) and Theo McFarland (Samoa).

Split with Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji), Ben Tameifuna (Tonga) and Theo McFarland (Samoa).

The Rugby World Cup pool stage has come to an end after weeks of exhilarating action loaded with thrills and spills.

Excitement is never far away when Pacific sides are on the field, leaving only one thing to do; curate our best XV of players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

Pacific XV

15 Duncan Paia’aua (Samoa): Whilst Manu Samoa did not fire on all cylinders throughout, their full-back showed promise. The versatile man mopped up the backfield well and kick-started counterattacks where applicable, beating 13 defenders in the process. He made 39 carries 53.3% of which were dominant. His performance against England edges out the supremely talented Salesi Piutau of Tonga.

14 Nigel Ah Wong (Samoa): The wing was absolutely electric against England in particular and operated well alongside Paia’aua. Ah Wong showed off his instinctual finishing and ability to change a game. He only just gets ahead of the electric Selestino Ravutaumada who was sublime throughout.

13 Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji): The Flying Fijians were a joy to watch in the pool stage and few more were as exciting than the skipper who at times took it upon himself to smash the game wide open, as he did against Wales with a wonderful solo effort which kick-started a mini-comeback. His dynamism and power in the carry is incredible and makes him very hard to defend.

12 Josua Tuisova (Fiji): An absolute mountain of man who can shift as well. His carrying ability is central to his team. Add to that his rock solid defence and breakdown prowess and you have a game-breaker. Massive respect must be shown to a man who decided to continue playing for his country despite suffering a personal tragedy during the tournament.

11 Semi Radradra (Fiji): The versatile and explosive runner in truth did not reach his best during the pool stages but that is measuring up to his lofty standards. There is no doubt that the former Bristol man is a massive player for his side heading into the World Cup quarter-finals.

10 William Havili (Tonga): Whilst Lima Sopoaga truly came into his own in Samoan colours against England, Havili gets the nod for the calm and collected manner he moved Tonga around the field against such difficult opposition. A decent goal kicker and an intelligent rugby mind makes him a fantastic player who will surely develop into a key Tongan superstar in the coming years.

9 Jonathan Taumateine (Samoa): The scrum-half was easy to spot with his bright hair as he bounced from ruck to ruck. Taumateine is a quality ball player with a brilliant pass and sound kicking game. The way he injected pace into the attack was brilliant to see. He gets in ahead of Fijian Simione Kuruvoli, whose heroics against Australia almost earned him the spot.

Hard working pack

8 Viliame Mata (Fiji): Often one will find that the best teams have a rock for a number eight and that is exactly the case with Fiji. Mata ranked fifth in the tournament for carries with 44 which was massive for his side considering a ridiculous 70.5% of those carries committed two or more tacklers. He is ultra reliable as a player who makes very few errors.

7 Levani Botia (Fiji): A master of the breakdown. The flank is so quick to get over the ball and once he is set the defence needs a forklift to move. That is not the only string to his bow as he made 28 carries during the pool stage, 48.1% of which were dominant as he got over the gainline more than half the time. Don’t forget his offloading game either.

6 Theo McFarland (Samoa): Whether in the second-row or on the flank the Samoan was simply blockbuster with his performances. McFarland is incredibly physical yet mobile with an intuitive rugby brain. It just seems destined that he could go on to be one of the greats in our game.

5 Amenoni Nasilasila (Fiji): The monstrous second-row relishes the hard work in the engine room through hitting a lot of rucks, carrying the ball hard and making the hits on defence. He is one of those players that are impressively athletic for their sheer size.

4 Halaleva Fifita (Tonga): 43 carries and 31 tackles paint another picture dripping in hard work. The second-row impressed with his consistency despite the difficult opponents faced and forms what would be a serious lock partnership with Nasilasila.

3 Ben Tameifuna (Tonga): Genuinely one of the most loved players in the game and for good reason. At 151kgs, physicality is a given but what was so impressive about the big man was his ability to remain explosive for such long periods in the game. His influence on those around him is clear as day as when Big Ben speaks people listen.

2 Sama Malolo (Samoa): The hooker snuck to the top of the try-scoring charts for Samoa in a stunning campaign for him. Malolo put his hand up in the carry and never shied away in defence. At only 25 years old he could grow into a real force.

1 Eroni Mawi (Fiji): A rock in the scrum and imperious in the carry, Mawi is a well-drilled and technically sound loosehead from top to bottom. He is a massive player for his side up against England in the quarter-finals. If he continues his form, it will make for a brilliant scrum battle.

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup stats: Unpacking which quarter-finalists have the edge

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