3 players that impressed today

Nicolas Sanchez

The diminutive Argentine fly half was in imperious form this afternoon, leading his side out of a tight corner to eventually beat Tonga easily. Argentina were under pressure for most of the first half against Tonga, trailing early on in the tie. But Sanchez steadied the ship with some fine kicking off the tee to see Argentina into a first half lead. His fine kicking continued in the second half, and an all-round fine performance was topped off with a try in the 64^th minute. Argentina will remain a force in this competition as long as the scintillating Sanchez remains in form.

Iain Henderson

The stock of the young Irish forward continues to rise, as Henderson put in another man of the match performance against Italy. All though Ireland struggled for large parts of the game against the fiery Italians, Henderson was a constant force for the Irish side. Huge midfield tackling allied with some big carries meant Henderson led Ireland through a tough patch in the second half, until eventually the boot of Jonny Sexton saw Ireland home. Now firmly a first choice second row for his country, he will be pivotal if Ireland are to overcome France in the pool decider next weekend.

Simone Favaro

So many of the Italian pack performed against Ireland in a great team effort, but Simone Favaro stood out at the openside flanker position. In the first half especially Favaro was all over the park, putting in a number of massive hits on big Irish ball carries. On the deck too Favaro was supremely effective, forcing turnovers at a number of crucial junctures. Italy may go home from the competition without reaching the quarter finals, but Favaro can be proud of his efforts today against the Irish pack.