3 players that impressed today

Keith Earls

The diminutive Irish man has been in good form of late, but with Ireland having real depth in the wing position, he still needed a good performance to hold on to his starting berth. Well perform he did, with a man of the match display in what wasn’t an easy assignment against the physical Romanian defence. Two good finishes in the corner for the Limerick man, but what will have impressed the coaches most was his defence. Giving up a few stone in most collisions, Earls didn’t miss a tackle all day, and was imperious in the air. This was an accomplished performance from the winger, and he can expect to feature in bigger matches to come.

Sean McMahon

McMahon went into his first Wallaby start as somewhat of an unknown, but announced himself on the international stage with a big performance against Uruguay. Scoring two tries was just the start of what was an all-round dominant display by the young Melbourne Rebel. Although playing at seven, McMahon was everywhere in the loose, with big carries and tackles all over the park. Maybe not enough to oust Hooper and Pocockin the backrow, but McMahon may well push for a start in some of the bigger matches in Pool A.

Stuart Hogg

The USA gave Scotland a real scare earlier on today, leading up until halftime against the much fancied Scots. But a much improved second half performance saw Scotland pull away, with Stuart Hogg playing a starring role. Although he failed to get on the score sheet, Hogg constantly tested the American line, with probing runs and fine hands to boot. Hogg is a star of the northern hemisphere game, and he proved that today in an accomplished performance.