The Springboks are the best team in the world.
And while collectively they were simply superb, we decided to unpack individual performances at the tournament to select a World Cup XV.
Yes, the pack isn’t Bok-laden, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t the best forwards unit in the world.
Surprisingly, South Africa have more backline players than forwards in our team.
RAZOR SHARP: Beauden Barrett. Picture: Franck Robinchon/EPA.
15 Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
The New Zealand fullback made the most carries (86) at the tournament and was a menace for the Kiwis at the back.
14 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)
Japan's Kotaro Matsushima pushed Kolbe close, with his performances and five tries. Ultimately, when fit, Kolbe was one of the stars for the World Cup-winning Springboks.
13 Manu Tuilagi (England)
Tuilagi was at the heart of England’s backline attack throughout the tournament. SA’s Lukhanyo Am deserves honourable mention.
12 Damian de Allende (South Africa)
Bok battering ram De Allende was at his best at this tournament. Everything he did, he did well and played the game plan to perfection.
11 Josh Adams (Wales)
The tournament’s leading try-scorer with seven, Adams proved to be the ultimate finisher. Makazole Mapimpi pushed him hard for a place in this team, especially with his performance in the final against England.
PRECISION: Handre Pollard played skillfully throughout the tournament. Picture: Peter Cziborra/Reuters.
10 Handre Pollard (South Africa)
England's George Ford would have been a lot of people’s picks for this honour, but Pollard won the flyhalf battle in the final and controlled the game with precision. Pollard scored the most points (69) at the tournament.
9 Faf de Klerk (South Africa)
Having come under a lot of pressure from fans back home due to his kicking game, De Klerk stayed calm and continued to execute the Boks’ game plan to get them to the final. Once there, they adjusted it a bit and he was super busy throughout the 80 minutes to help the Boks bring home the trophy.
8 Duane Vermeulen (South Africa)
The Man of the Match in the final, Vermeulen was brutal throughout the tournament.
He highlighted his dominance in this position by getting the better of Billy Vunipola in the decider.
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
The World Player of the Year doesn’t always steal the limelight, but he puts in a hard shift every single time he takes the field and was central to the Boks winning the trophy in the end.
Japan’s Lappies Labuschagne pushed hard for inclusion as well.
6 Sam Underhill (England)
Underhill emerged as a real threat in the England looseforward department. He made a total of 69 tackles at the tournament, the most of any looseforward and was a menace all over the park.
LEADER: Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones. Picture: Peter Cziborra/Reuters.
5 Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
Jones is the heartbeat of the Wales team that lost to South Africa at the semifinal stage.
Leading from the front, he made the most tackles at the tournament with 79.
Lood de Jager narrowly missed out.
4 Maro Itoje (England)
His performance against New Zealand in the semifinal was worth inclusion on its own. Itoje proved to be the ultimate second-rower, also forcing 11 turnovers, the most at the tournament.
3 Kyle Sinclair (England)
When he was forced to leave the field for England early in the final, their scrums struggled.
He was simply superb at the World Cup, ball in hand and at set pieces.
Frans Malherbe wasn’t too bad either.
2 Shota Horie (Japan)
Springbok Bongi Mbonambi will probably have something to say about this selection, but Horie epitomised Japan at the tournament: never say die.
He made the most tackles by a front-ranker, 58 in total.
BEAST MODE: Beast Mtawarira. Picture: BackpagePix.
1 Beast Mtawarira (South Africa)
Admittedly, a bit biased here, seeing that New Zealand veteran Joe Moody also had a good tournament.
But the Beast was in beast-mode at scrum time and used all his experience to give the Boks the upper hand at the set piece.