The climax of the pool stage at the Rugby World Cup always provides a high dose of drama and delirium, and this year was no different.

We watched France and New Zealand run riot, Ireland obliterate Scotland, Samoa come within inches of a historic win and Portugal actually attain that famous win - beating Fiji to claim its first victory in a World Cup.

There were plenty of star performances across the weekend and a few hat-tricks to boot. Here is an ultimate XV from the weekend.

1. Andrew Porter, Ireland

Andrew Porter is a formidable figure to face up to in the scrum, and he showed why, as he got the better of Zander Fagerson on Saturday. However, Porter’s value extends beyond the set piece, as he made himself busy across the park and proved useful over the ball, sealing turnovers for Ireland.

2. Codie Taylor, New Zealand

All facets of Codie Taylor’s game were humming Thursday evening. His defense was rock solid; he forced two turnovers, including a hit from behind, which dislodged the ball to halt a rare Uruguayan break, and he kept the lineout reliably steady throughout the game.

3. Tomas Francis, Wales

Tomas Francis isn’t known for scoring tries, but against Georgia, he managed to collect one, powering over from close range. 

The Welsh front row also was a big presence in open play, making nine tackles in total, and held firm in the scrum against a physical Georgian pack.

🏉 Enjoy our tries from yesterday, with 3 for Louis Rees-Zammit and tries from Tomas Francis, Liam Williams and George North 👊#WelshRugby | #ViveLeCymru pic.twitter.com/D04xoMs9dV

— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshRugbyUnion) October 8, 2023

4. Will Rowlands, Wales

Will Rowlands is building quite the reputation in the Welsh second row. 

He was dominant in the lineout, stealing a couple from Georgian hands, and he was a continuous physical presence in the midfield, helping steer Wales past a dogged Georgia. 

He's turning into a real leader in that squad.

5. Iain Henderson, Ireland

Ireland’s pack is a well-oiled machine with an incredible amount of depth. 

With James Ryan benched, Iain Henderson stepped into the fore and showed why he should be considered a starter. He marshalled the Irish lineout impressively and even managed to get a try of his own.

6. Theo McFarland, Samoa

Sometimes, the best player on the pitch ends up on the losing side. 

That fate befell Theo McFarland on Saturday, as he put in a showstopping performance against England, overpowering his Saracens teammates Maro Itoje and Ben Earl in the contact zone as if they were average clubmen, not seasoned internationals.

7. Nicolas Martins, Portugal

Back rowers tend to work extremely hard, though few can match the exploits of Nicolas Martins. 

The Portuguese flanker is not the biggest, but he more than makes up for it in tenacity and technique. 

In one particular phase, when Portugal found itself pinned to its line, Martins put in two consecutive dominant tackles on Fijians who were sizably bigger than him.

8. Gregory Alldritt, France

Every time Gregory Alldritt takes to the field, he makes a case for being the best No. 8 in the world. 

Against Italy, he made a staggering 20 carries and topped the French tackle count with 15. 

He puts in an outrageous amount of effort, elevating the rest of the pack around him.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park, Ireland

Jamison Gibson-Park may not be the most flair scrum-half in international rugby, but he might just be the best. 

Against Scotland, he showed exactly why, as his box-kicking was executed perfectly, pinning Scotland in its own half, while he also maneuvered the Irish attack in a typically high-paced fashion. 

He’s the cog that sets the Irish monolith in motion.

En route pour les 1/4 💪🏻🇫🇷🇫🇷#UnisPourUnReve pic.twitter.com/EQ4eZHr0Dy

— Matthieu Jalibert (@MattJalibert) October 6, 2023

10. Matthieu Jalibert, France

It’s hard to believe that around a month ago, French fans were ruing the absence of Romain Ntamack. 

Filling his shoes was always going to be a challenge, but Matthieu Jalibert is more than up for the task. 

Jalibert put in one of his best international performances against Italy, delivering a pinpoint cross-field kick to assist Damian Penaud, scored a try of his own and unleashed a lovely pass for Yoram Moefana’s try.

11. Mateo Carreras, Argentina

It’s taken a bit of time, but finally, Mateo Carreras has lit up the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s crucial win over Japan. 

His first was a relatively routine finish in the left corner, but the other two were born out of his electric step, which is what makes him an absolute nightmare to contain.

12. Bundee Aki, Ireland

Bundee Aki is in the form of his life. 

So far, he’s faced the best Scotland and South Africa have to offer and come out on top, seamlessly crushing opponents in the tackle. But really, his impression in the backline holds the most weight. 

Right now, there’s no player quite as destructive when running with the ball in hand.

13. George Moala, Tonga

Following a slightly underwhelming run in the tournament, Tonga ended things on a high, largely thanks to George Moala. 

The experienced center steered much of the Tongan attack and scored a try of his own early, but he was most effective when marshaling the defensive line.

14. Raffaele Storti, Portugal

Raffaele Storti was sublime on what was a historic night for Portugal. 

He opened the game with a well-finished try in the corner and set up the match-winning score right at the end, peeling round the blind side to catch the Fijians off-guard. 

The winger stormed into space and offloaded to Rodrigo Marta, who crossed the whitewash.

15. Damian McKenzie, New Zealand

When it comes to performing ridiculous feats, there’s no one better than Damian McKenzie. 

From a behind-the-back offload to a lovely step through defenders to score, the fullback was on fire against Uruguay. 

His crowning moment came when he caught a bobbling ball with one hand, tiptoed to stay in the field and unleashed an offload to Will Jordan, who then went on to score.