What a weekend. A pair of ‘Epics in Exeter’ and a couple of ‘Brutes in Bristol’. All of which means we have the four best teams in the world preparing for the semi-finals.
Before all of that though, which player makes her fourth successive appearance in the Fantasy Team of the Week, who is on a seemingly inexorable rise and which French forward caught the eye most?
Read on to find out as Fantasy Women’s Rugby World Cup hits boiling point:
Props
Linda Djougang (61pts) makes her first appearance in the Fantasy Team of the Week after an all-court match against France which saw her score a try, make 24 carries (behind only teammate Aoife Wafer’s 26), and complete 13 tackles – the most by an Irish player. It was her best performance of the tournament and so nearly was the catalyst for one of the great upsets.
Kelsey Clifford (52pts) returns after making the team for round two. She scored two tries against Scotland and now has five for the tournament, the most for a prop and the second most for a forward behind Freda Tafuna (six) of the USA.
Hooker
Georgia Ponsonby (50pts) has got better each round, which isn’t good news for the Canadians who face her next. She assisted both a try and a line break and made 15 tackles in their victory over South Africa. A victory that required unrelenting defence from the Black Ferns. They made 252 tackles to just 84 from South Africa.
Second row
Sophie de Goede (106pts) is back once more. She has made the team of the week in every round and has top scored in three of the four. We’re running out of ways to explain just how brilliant she is. Her quarter-final against Australia marked the fourth match where she made 10 or more carries and scored points; nobody else has done that more than twice. What’s more, she’s just getting better. This 106pt haul is 25pts higher than the next best by a tight five player (prop, hooker, second row) and 38pts higher than her previous best in round one.
Madoussou Fall Raclot (41pts) was crucial to keeping France in the game as Ireland threw everything at them, especially in the first half when the wind was assisting. She made 30 tackles, the most of the round and the second most in the tournament. In total she missed just two, a herculean effort.
Loose forwards
Kaipo Olsen-Baker (82pts) completed her remarkable return after what was initially feared to be a broken ankle in the opening game. She played just 14 minutes in that first game against Spain but roared back in the quarter-final scoring two tries and leading her team with 26 tackles made.
Caroline Crossley (57pts) also returned after a couple of lower scoring matches against Wales and Scotland to lead the round with seven defenders beaten.
Charlotte Escudero (55pts) scored a crucial try which kickstarted France’s comeback. She also made more carries than any other French player (12) and the third most tackles (25) in a tireless match.
Scrum-half
Justine Pelletier (43pts) marks her first appearance in the team of the week with a performance that saw her create crucial chances for her Canadian side. She led the match with two try assists and two line break assists. Across the tournament she has six try assists, tied with Mo Hunt (ENG) for the most.
Fly-half:
Holly Aitchison (51pts) made her first start of the tournament and delivered a nerveless performance scoring a try and kicking five of her six conversions. That 15pt match haul was the highest of the round and means England have made their team selection even harder.
Centres
Florence Symonds (46pts) becomes the fourth Canadian to make the team, the most they’ve achieved in this tournament. Symonds scored her highest tally so far with two line breaks and a try assist. She also forced a turnover in the tackle to bolster her defensive stats.
Stacey Waaka (45pts) has 184pts for the tournament, behind only Gabrielle Vernier (FRA). In the quarter-finals, Waaka beat two defenders and had two line breaks and also assisted a try.
Outside Backs
Braxton Sorensen-McGee (79pts) has topped the outside backs for three of the last four rounds. Her points total of 364pts is the highest of the tournament and she is one of only two people to go beyond 300pts (teammate Jorja Miller – 306pts – the other). This time around Sorensen-McGee scored another two tries (she leads with eight overall) and she kicked two conversions for good measure.
Renee Holmes (78pts) pushed her teammate hard with two tries for herself, two line breaks, three defenders beaten, and a try assist.
Abby Dow (50pts) breaks up the Kiwi full sweep. She scored a try against Scotland and was second at the weekend with 113m carried. Dow has been ultra consistent, in her three matches she has scored 55, 45, and 50pts.