Cape Town - Two Springboks have made the Rugby World Cup’s Dream Team announced after the conclusion of the tournament.
Lock Eben Etzebeth and flank Schalk Burger have cracked the nod in a team certain to create a lot of debate among rugby enthusiasts.
In a rather surprising move, no forwards from world champions New Zealand made it into the Dream Team.
However, the All Blacks still have the most representatives in the side, with four players - flyhalf Dan Carter, centre Conrad Smith and wings Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder - featuring among the backs.
Three players from runners-up Australia are included, namely hooker Stephen Moore, loose forward David Pocock and centre Matt Giteau.
The two Argentine props - Marcos Ayerza and Ramiro Herrera - are included, while the rest of the team is completed by lock Leone Nakarawa (Fiji), loose forward Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia), scrumhalf Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) and fullback Ayumu Goromaru of Japan, who scored 24 points in their 34-32 upset win over the Springboks.
According to the tournament’s official website, the team was selected partly on statistics and scores while also taking into account the spirit in which the players played the game.
The panel who made the final selection included former Rugby World Cup player and finalist for France Christian Califano, England’s 2014 women’s Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi, World Rugby's elite Referee Manager Joel Jutge, and from the amateur game, Andrew McGahey, a youth coach with Cambridge Rugby Club.
2015 RWC Dream Team:
15 Ayumu Goromaru (Japan), 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder (New Zealand), 13 Conrad Smith (New Zealand), 12 Matt Giteau (Australia), 11 Julian Savea (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 Greig Laidlaw (Scotland), 8 David Pocock (Australia), 7 Schalk Burger (South Africa), 6 Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia), 5 Leone Nakarawa (Fiji), 4 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa), 3 Ramiro Herrera (Argentina), 2 Stephen Moore (Australia), 1 Marcos Ayerza (Argentina)