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Team of the Semi-finals

Jonny Wilkinson: Player crown is his to lose

One week of matches to go, but it looks as though Jonny Wilkinson may run off with our Player of the Tournament accolade for this World Cup.

He lands a place in the Team of the Week for the third time this week, joining Vincent Clerc (also nominated this week) and Rodrigo Roncero, but the latter two are now only vying for a spot in the teams for the 3/4 place play-off, whereas Wilkinson may yet win his country a World Cup final once more!

France still have the highest number of players mentioned in Teams of the Week, and it looks possible they may hold off England, but will they manage to garner more votes than South Africa this week?

And indeed, are there aspects of this week's team that you think are fatally flawed? Do let us know!

15 Jason Robinson - His fiftieth cap, and didn't he celebrate in style! France's option of peppering the back three with kicks backfired horribly, with Robinson not only solid under the high ball, but also showing flashes of his electric past on the counter-attack.

14 Vincent Clerc - Had Joe Worsley's fingertip not snagged in one of Clerc's shoelaces, we could be writing about the match-winning try scorer here. Clerc gets his third Team of the Week vote, taking him to the top of the table, a reward for the work ethic that has underpinned his excellent finishing all tournament.

13 Jaque Fourie - There wasn't an awful lot to see in attack from South Africa's outside centre, but there was nothing to see from Argentina's attack, and a lot of that was down to Fourie's watertight defence; every bit as much a reason for South Africa's win as Habana's attack.

12 Yannick Jauzion - The only one of France's backs to continuously get his side beyond the gain-line. He was very self-critical after the match, but might like to reflect that it was England's defence that cut off all his options. On another day he would have set his three-quarters away for all manner of tries.

11 Bryan Habana - A unanimous vote for South Africa's flyer, who needs only one more try to become the highest try-scorer in any one World Cup ever, and whose first try against Argentina was one of the scores of the tournament.

10 Jonny Wilkinson - England are half the team they are now without him. Plain and simple.

9 Fourie du Preez - It is phenomenal how much ground this scrum-half covers, from taking a wide pass at outside centre and straightening the angle to give Bryan Habana space, to covering back a high kick like a full-back, to popping up in the midfield to intercept, all on top of being present at the breakdowns... genius follows him wherever he goes.

8 Nick Easter - Gave England plenty of forward momentum and gave Andy Gomarsall behind him a very easy night.

7 Thierry Dusautoir - Twice in a row in the Team of the Week for France's new rising star. He manages to live right on the line without going over it in the same way as others of his ilk, and his tackling is magnificent.

6 Schalk Burger - The 'Incredible Schalk' is getting back to his best, just in time for the final where his country needs him most.

5 Victor Matfield - Sat back for 20 minutes and figured out Argentina's line-out patterns. Then ruined them completely, whereas South Africa's line-out ball was so steady the Pumas' kicking game started to disintegrate.

4 Simon Shaw - Another unanimous vote, this time for England's stalwart gnarled lock, who still has the energy to gallop around like a loose forward when he is not plucking Regan's throws from the air.

3 Juan Martin Scelzo - It was a tremendous shame for the Pumas when Scelzo left the pitch, for his side of the scrum was holding up well. Once he had gone, South Africa had total domination. On that side of the scrum anyway.

2 Mark Regan - John Smit is a little unlucky here, twice in a row he has been given as many votes as the chosen one, yet twice he has not been picked... but Regan got the nod as we felt he had a tougher adversary to overcome on the night, and because he managed to avoid idiocy like that of Smit's silly off-the-ball tussle with Agustin Pichot.

1 Os du Randt - Scelzo held up well, but once he had gone - and we are quite aware that Os may have had a hand in that somewhere - that side of Argentina's scrum was mercilessly and ruthlessly dismantled.

Accumulated team totals:

France 18
Argentina 16
South Africa 16
England 11
New Zealand 9
Australia 6
Fiji 5
Tonga 4
Wales 2
Georgia 1
Scotland 1
Portugal 1

Accumulated player totals:

Rodrigo Roncero 3, Vincent Clerc 3, Jonny Wilkinson 3, All others 2 or below.

Team of the quarter-finals: 15 Damien Traille, 14 Vilimoni Delasau, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Cédric Heymans, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Mosese Rauluni, 8 Gonzalo Longo, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Juan Smith, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Andrew Sheridan.

Team of Week Four: 15 Ignacio Corleto, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Seru Rabeni, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Christophe Dominici, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Agustín Pichot, 8 Gonzalo Longo, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Hale T Pole, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Carlos Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Martin Scelzo, 2 John Smit, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.

Team of Week Three: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Sukanaivalu Hufanga, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 8 Juan Manuel Legiuzamón, 7 Nili Latu, 6 Serge Betsen, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Ali Williams, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Raphaël Ibañez, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.

Team of Week Two: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Giorgi Shkinin, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Finau Maka , 7 Akapusi Qera, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Sébastian Chabal, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Andrew Sheridan.

Team of Week One: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Felipe Contempomi, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Agustin Pichot, 8 Vasco Uva, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.

Individual semi-final XVs:

Jan de Koning XV: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Danie Rossouw, 7 Lewis Moody, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 John Smit, 1 Os du Randt.

Paul Dobson XV: 15 Ignacio Corleto, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Gonzalo Longo, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Juan Martin Scelzo, 2 John Smit, 1 Andy Sheridan,

Dave Morris XV: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Danie Rossouw, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Serge Betsen, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Mark Regan, 1 Os du Randt

Tony Curtis XV: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Fourie Du Preez, 8 Danie Rossouw , 7 Lewis Moody, 6 Serge Betsen, 5 Simon Shaw, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Juan Martin Scelzo, 2 Mark Regan, 1 Andrew Sheridan

Siya Mchunu XV: 15, Percy Montgomery, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Andy Gomarsall, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Juan Martin Scelzo, 2 John Smit, 1 Roderigo Roncero

Adam Kyriacou XV: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Jason Robinson, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Fourie Du Preez, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Joe Worsley, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery, 2 John Smit, 1 Andrew Sheridan.

Marcus Leach XV: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Lucas Borges, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Andy Gomarsall, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Juan Martín Scelzo, 2 Mark Regan, 1 Os du Randt.

Danny Stephens XV: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Mark Regan, 1 Os du Randt.