Among the stars
Radradra stamps his mark at the 2019 RWC
TOKYO - The eight quarter-finalists have been decided. But the knockout stages will be poorer for the absence of these five departing stars.
Semi Radradra (Fiji)
“What a player that Semi Radradra is,” said England coach Eddie Jones after the winger’s Player of the Match performance against Wales.
“Just to be at the Ruby World Cup is a humbling experience to see him play with such, power, pace and guile. It was one of the best displays I have seen - and I am talking as a fan.”
If you were building the perfect rugby player, Semi Radradra would be a pretty good blueprint.
Now we’re all fans of Radradra, arguably the standout performer in the pool stages, who has only a few months left on his contract at Bordeaux. The rugby league convert, nicknamed Semi-trailer, won another Player of the Match award, ran for 400m, made eight clean breaks and beat 29 defenders in his four games. Unstoppable.
Tagir Gadzhiev (Russia)
“You need to have a backbone if you’re to make something of yourself in Dagestan,” says this son of the turbulent Russian republic. The martial artist-turned-flanker set the tone for his team in the opening game against Japan with an all-action display, made 18 tackles against Ireland and was a nuisance at the breakdown.
The 25-year-old openside was even granted an audience with one of his heroes, Sonny Bill Williams, a fellow Muslim, at the New Zealand camp after a four-hour drive to meet him.
Jake Polledri (Italy)
Sergio Parisse’s Italy farewell may have been ruined by Typhoon Hagibis, but the legendary number eight seems to have a worthy successor in the Azzurri back row. Polledri, born in England to Italian grandparents, was in barnstorming form, including in record-breaking performance against Canada in Fukuoka, where he beat 14 defenders, more than any forward in a single match in Rugby World Cup’s 32-year-history.