1) Wales deserve a good lie down
Rugby World Cups can hurt but Wales already knew that. Their list of injuries, funnily enough, was a cushion that makes their fall less painful. Even more funnily, they were knocked out with a knock-out that was not, with Dan Biggar protesting his coherence most coherently, it seemed, raging against the concussion protocol, defiant to the end. His clarity while supposedly dazed compares with the confusion that went with the more straightforward exits of England and France, departures that spell agony ahead. Wales – and Biggar in particular - have earned a good lie down; England and France are about to undergo vivisection without anaesthetic. Eddie Butler
2) Rebuilt South Africa must find room for flair
They began the World Cup like flash geezers in a customised coupé, only to be mugged while driving down the Brighton sea-front. They threw the chrome on the junk heap and rebuilt themselves as a tractor, made to work the land from dawn till dusk, toilers seeking forgiveness. Plough for Victory. It would not have been enough. Duane Vermeulen remembered what it was like to be shiny, and with a flourish he found Fourie Du Preez and they reconverted the tractor into the pulling-machine of the boardwalk. There is room for a little glitter on the hard road to redemption; there is room to give Bryan Habana a pass or two.
3) New Zealand’s brilliance can be watched only with awe
The only point worth talking about after the second quarter-final was this: when could anyone remember the All Blacks so comprehensively take apart a quality team for most of the 80 minutes? There are plenty of imponderables: could a Greatest XV accommodate Jonah Lomu and Julian Savea – but what then of John Kirwan? Surely Richie McCaw is the finest ever open-side flanker, maybe the best ever New Zealand captain. Walter Little and France Bunce: are they safe from exclusion by Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith? All that we can be certain of is that this was frighteningly brilliant rugby almost from start to finish, and we were privileged to witness it. Kevin Mitchell
4) France leave with tails between their legs
The public disintegration of a once-great rugby team was not a pretty sight. Nor, apparently, were the pre-match (pre)criminations. Philippe Saint-André, an honourable man, had nowhere to go – except perhaps Orly or Charles de Gaulle. As for his players, they could not blame the coach. They began in hope and ended in despair, crushed underfoot by one of the most awesome All Blacks performances in decades. The French will come back, bruised and stripped of some old personnel. They might even reclaim old glories. But this was a sad way to leave the tournament.
5) Absence of stars did not help but Ireland were outplayed
For Ireland, who took their licks as well as we would have expected them to, the only points worth dwelling briefly on are: how much did the absence of Paul O’Connell, Sean O’Brien and Jonathan Sexton affect their chances? Quite a lot, as it transpired, but it would be cruel to lay the blame for defeat on the shoulders of their replacements. They were outplayed at the start and the finish, coming to life only either side of half-time; that is no way to win a World Cup quarter-final. Nor did they take their opponents lightly. They failed to grab hold of the game for any convincing length of time and even then did not make the most of their chances. Rival fans shook hands as they headed for Cardiff’s hostelries. They got the mood about right.
6) Ferocious Pumas cannot be ignored any longer
Argentina’s doleful national anthem could barely be heard when they lined up alongside Ireland under the roof inside the cavernous Millennium Stadium, before the third quarter-final of this World Cup. Not so Ireland’s Call, belted out with gusto. By the end the Pumas were roaring like the mountain predator after which they are named. What a statement the underrated South Americans made by advancing to the semi-finals for the second time in eight years, at the expense of a team stripped of its best warriors. But one fact shouts loudest: Argentina played some wonderful rugby. They will no longer be ignored. When they play Australia at Twickenham next Sunday, people might like to listen to the core message of their national song: with strong arms they tear to pieces the arrogant Iberian lion. Or maybe a kangaroo or two.
7) Scotland can end their Six Nations drought
It feels as if there were too many to settle on just one. For the team, the obvious question will be whether they can press on and play this way again in the Six Nations next year. If they can produce more performances like this one, they will be genuine contenders for the title, which they last won in 1999. The head coach, Vern Cotter, is contracted to 2017. Given the way in which he has pulled this team together, the Scots should do everything they can to keep him for longer. Outside that, World Rugby will need to review the protocols that govern the TMO and the referee. In this match those listening in on the ref mic heard an awful lot from the TMO during a moment in which he did not seem to be needed but nothing at all in the one when he most was.
8) Australia missed David Pocock at the breakdown
Australia’s resilience was overshadowed in the end both by the unexpected brilliance of the Scots and by the confusing, controversial calls made by the referee, Craig Joubert. At the end of it all Australia still scrambled through to a semi-final against Argentina, a team they have beaten 10 times in their last 11 games. If they are going to make it 11 in 12, they need David Pocock to recover from the calf injury that kept him out of this game. Pocock, who has won more turnovers than any other player in the tournament, was brilliant during the group stages but has rarely been more conspicuous than he was on Sunday, when he did not play. His replacement, Ben McCalman, is a fine player in the loose but without Pocock they simply did not have the same control at the breakdown.
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