No man would have been more devastated by Ireland's big defeat to the All Blacks in the quarter-finals than its favourite rugby son, Brian O'Driscoll.
- Rugby World Cup 2019: Ian Foster still frontrunner for All Blacks coaching job - Stu Wilson
- Savea out of All Blacks' third-fourth playoff
And the spearhead of the Irish team for more than 15 years has jumped at the opportunity to name just one New Zealand player in his Rugby World Cup 2019 team of the tournament, following their shock loss to England in the semi-final on Saturday.
O'Driscoll, the fourth most-capped international player of all time (141), only saw fullback Beauden Barrett as worthy of making the cut in his XV.
An All Black who may be considered unlucky is Ardie Savea, who has been immense all year and a frontrunner for the side's Player of the Year award.
O'Driscoll instead went with Wales' Aaron Wainwright, English powerhouse Sam Underhill and Springbok Duane Vermeulen in his loose forwards.
"Ardie Savea was a beast," one Twitter user said, hinting he should be in the XV.
"No way either of them has been better than Ardie," another wrote.
Savea is the only All Blacks player unavailable to contest the Rugby World Cup third and fourth place playoff on Friday.
His absence seems likely to force regular openside flanker Sam Cane to return to the No.7 jersey, with a now-fit Matt Todd to claim a bench spot.
O'Driscoll's team of the tournament: 1-Keita Inagaki (Japan), 2-Ken Owens (Wales), 3-Kyle Sinkler (England), 4-Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), 5-Maro Itoje (England), 6-Aaron Wainwright (Wales), 7-Sam Underhill (England), 8-Duane Vermeulen (South Africa), 9-Yutaka Nagare (Japan), 10-George Ford (England), 11-Semi Radradra (Fiji), 12-Damian de Allende (South Africa), 13-Manu Tuilagi (England), 14-Kenki Fukuoka (Japan), 15-Beauden Barrett (New Zealand).
Join us for live updates this weekend of the Rugby World Cup final and third-fourth place playoff.
Newshub.
