The search for a hero

We head into crunch time at the World Cup this week ahead of the knock-out stages and there is no longer any margin for error, but more importantly does your team have a match-winner?

Unlike past World Cups, the star of the tournament is yet to reveal himself and may choose the crucial elimination matches to take off the mask and make his hidden identity known.

This may be the longest we’ve had to wait for the star of the show after it was apparent early on in past tournaments where Bryan Habana (2007), Jonny Wilkinson (2003), Tim Horan (1999), Jonah Lomu (1995), David Campese (1991) and Michael Jones (1987) were evidently all head an shoulders above the rest almost from day one.

Had you had a guess before the 2011 showpiece kicked-off then the name Dan Carter probably wouldn’t have been far from your lips. With the Kiwi playmaker out of the running, the competition is blown wide open for both best player and the team that will be crowned as champions.

The contenders:

Australia:

The Wallabies have a number of capable match-winners, but the return this week of wing Digby Ioane could be especially significant to the side.

His devastating pace and the ability to score from almost anywhere make him a massive threat whenever he touches the ball, and you’d be lying if you claimed his eccentric dace celebrations after scoring a try weren’t thoroughly enjoyable.

The 26-year-old, sporting a new peroxide hair look, adds extra value by defending the flyhalf channel to protect Quade Cooper’s somewhat flimsy tackling efforts.

Coming back into a demoralised Australian side after recovering from a fractured thumb, he could be catalyst that turns things around.

Argentina:

Argentina’s main man is undoubtedly Felipe Contepomi, who is already establishing legend status by playing through the pain barriers and nursing a rib injury picked up in the Pumas’ opening match against England.

The 34-year-old Argentina captain shoulders the majority of the responsibility as the team’s playmaker and should the achieve the impossible and knock out the All Blacks on Sunday he will no doubt have to play a big part.

England:

The English have hardly set the competition alight, with narrow wins over Argentina and Scotland, while Georgia even made them work hard for their victory, so if ever a team needed a hero it would be the Poms.

Wilkinson looks like he’s over the hill, Toby Flood’s ears stick out too much and Mike Tindall is royally slow for a midfield player. However, the shining light is not Chris Ashton (may he drop the ball doing one of those absurd swan dives), but rather fullback Ben Foden.

Foden has been fairly quiet thus far, but he has the kind of rare quality that can turn a game on it’s head and he looks the very definition of what makes a modern day fullback.

At 26, he hasn’t been around long enough to have the natural flair coached out of him, and his decision-making of when the counter-attck is well and truly on is excellent.

France:

French rugby is in a sorry state currently without an ounce of the ‘French flair’ people speak of, but just when they get written off is when they are most dangerous and following dismal performances against New Zealand and Tonga nobody is expecting much.

Their leader Thierry Dusautoir has his work cut out for him to rally the troops and pull them together to form something that resembles a team rather than a disorganised mass of clumsy lunatics.

The experienced 29-year-old openside flank led the team to a Grand Slam in the Six Nations in 2010 and is the only man in a position to prevent France from having to say au revoir to the World Cup.

Ireland:

Possibly the biggest surprise package of the tournament so far and relatively little known flank Sean O’Brien is a player leading the charge to be a folk hero with countless songs and poems written in his honour.

As a ball-carrier and an openside with the natural love for creating turnovers he has helped to breathe new life into what was a flailing Irish rugby along with the other two musketeers in the back row Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris.

Oddly, David Wallace would in all likelihood have been the first choice in the No.7 jersey for Ireland had he not withdrawn before the tournament with an injury, while Shane Jennings started in the first match against the USA.

However, it was O’Brien who starred in the already famous victory over Australian in the second match, and the 24-year-old hasn’t looked back since.

New Zealand:

Without Carter, and skipper Richie McCaw nursing a foot injury and not having hit peak form, there is an opening to be the numero uno for the All Blacks.

Sonny Bill Williams would love to be the main man, but he needs to make the starting team first, so it’s been Jerome Kaino who has become the rock in the pack.

The 28-year-old is powerful presence on the field hand has been an imposing force that no defence looks forward to having to stop.

The strong blindside flank could be an unexpected home-grown hero at the World Cup as the All Blacks look to end their well-documented World Cup drought.

South Africa:

The Springboks’ return to form has coincided with the return of Heinrich Brüssow – coincidence? We think not.

His ability to create turnovers is unbelievable and the amount of possession he steals for his side makes a world of a difference.

A genuine fetcher seems to be a must-have in the current rugby climate and you wouldn’t want to bet against the 25-year-old with forearms that look like a forklift.

He is arguably the most difficult player in the Springbok side to replace and is crucial to the team’s chances of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for a record third time.

Wales:

The Dragons are rising once again… and one of the players breathing fire is 19-year-old giant George North.

The enormous wing has burst into prominence and has a more than healthy strike-rate when it comes to scoring tries, providing the perfect foil to small Welsh wizard Shane Williams on the opposite wing.

North is able to cut infield and is a powerful runner with a handy off-load and not a man easily brought to ground.

Much like the legendary Jonah Lomu, sometimes size does matter and combined with his pace you wouldn’t want to give this big man any extra space to work with.

By Timmy Hancox (follow on Twitter)