Van der Westhuizen - unsung hero.

By Duncan Bech, PA Sport

JOOST VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, SOUTH AFRICA

The most-capped South African of all time, Van der Westhuizen's eye for a gap made him the most dangerous scrum-half of the mid-to-late 1990s and he is still a fixture in the national side.

Australia 2003 will be his third World Cup but he will find it difficult to match his achievements of 1995, the tournament which confirmed his status as a modern great. A cool operator behind a powerful pack of Springbok forwards, Van der Westhuizen's contribution to South Africa's cause was somewhat overshadowed.

Joel Stransky's extra-time drop-goal in the final saw the fly-half crowned hero of the day while Francois Pienaar's exemplary leadership and close association with Nelson Mandela - who wore a replica of Pienaar's jersey for the final - gave the Springbok skipper his legendary status.

But Van der Westhuizen made an equally telling contribution to that final, spearheading his side's attempts to shackle towering All Black winger Jonah Lomu. Lomu had spent the tournament carving his way through opposition defences but he met his match in the final.

He burst through on one occasion only to meet Van der Westhuizen who completed a copybook tackle, making a mockery of the New Zealander's unstoppable reputation. With Van der Westhuizen in close attention all game, regular match-winner Lomu failed to ignite as South Africa went on to claim a famous victory.

JOSH KRONFELD, NEW ZEALAND

There is certainly no shame in being eclipsed by a man who stands 6ft 4in tall and weighs in at 18 stones, but All Black openside Josh Kronfeld was undoubtedly overshadowed in the 1995 World Cup by rugby's first true superstar, Jonah Lomu.

While the media spotlight was trained on Lomu's ability to rip through defences with contemptuous ease, Kronfeld was busy building his reputation as New Zealand's finest back row of the mid-to-late 1990s. The Otago flanker was a devil in the loose, scrapping for every ball, and never took a step back in defence.

But it was as a support runner that Kronfeld really came into his own with New Zealand's open game ideally suited to the 6ft 1in forward.

Against England, Ireland and Wales he showed he was peerless as a roaming openside, setting up Lomu's first try of the tournament with a fine burst of speed and accurate hands. In the same match, against Ireland, he was on hand to capitalise on Lomu's searing left- wing break.

An identical move was played out in New Zealand's next game against Wales, with Kronfeld in support to touch down, while his ability to be in the right place at the right time bagged him a try in the semi-final against England. He was overshadowed in the final, but by that time had done enough to claim a place alongside the great opensides of the modern era.

RAPHAEL IBANEZ, FRANCE

France's defeat of New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup has gone down as the greatest upset in the history of the tournament. Inspired by the brilliance of Christophe Lamaison, Les Bleus overcame massive odds to sink the All Blacks in stunning fashion.

Although the likes of Lamaison and livewire winger Christophe Dominici took most of the plaudits after the victory, the role of skipper Raphael Ibanez has often been understated.

Ibanez took over the France captaincy in 1997 and enjoyed instant success, leading his side to a Grand Slam during his first season in charge and then repeating that success a year later.

But the Five Nations wooden spoon followed in 1999, putting the hooker under immense pressure. An easy path to the World Cup semis ensued though, giving the combative front rower some breathing space, and with New Zealand unanimously tipped to reach the final, Ibanez and France had nothing to lose.

Ibanez insisted his team had the belief to win the match and while most pundits dismissed his claims, he was proved correct. The former Castres player - who has recently joined English club Saracens - led from the front as France's forwards took the game to their New Zealand counterparts.

It was a powerful display from Les Bleus' pack and with Lamaison in fine form behind the scrum, the ball they won was not wasted. Ibanez's moment of glory did not last long however - France's disappointing showing in the final saw him stripped of the captaincy and dropped from the team.

DIEGO ORMACHEA, URUGUAY

Few expected Uruguay to make any real impact at the 1999 World Cup but although they won only one match, they drew admiration from fans and opponents alike.

Inspired by their 40-year-old skipper Diego Ormachea, they played with passionate determination against teams with considerably more international experience and players who were fully-fledged professionals.

Ormachea, who made his debut in 1978, typified the dignified manner in which Uruguay conducted themselves on and off the pitch. He chose the final pool clash against South Africa as his international send-off, saying before the match: "I never thought that Uruguay could play in the World Cup and I know whatever happens against South Africa we will be able to arrive home in Montevideo with our heads held high."

Ormachea and his team-mates could do just that after restricting an out-of-sorts Springbok side to a 39-3 victory, a match which was marred by the sending off of centre Brendan Venter for stamping.

That defeat - considerably narrower than most had predicted - combined with a confident display against Scotland and victory over Spain, was evidence that Uruguay had a promising future in international rugby.

That point has been proved with their qualification for the 2003 World Cup - an achievement once again inspired by Ormachea who took over as national coach in 2001.

PAT LAM, SAMOA

Former Western Samoa skipper Pat Lam was one of his country's finest players, winning 35 caps in a career which spanned three World Cups.

An athletic number eight with fantastic vision and watertight defence, he first rose to prominence in 1991 when Western Samoa blasted onto the World Cup scene, reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament after accounting for Wales 16-3 at Cardiff Arms Park in one of the great upsets of the tournament's history.

He captained the side which reached the last eight of the 1995 event and was also given the leadership reins in 1999, with Samoa exiting the competition at the knock-out stages - but only after accounting for Wales once again.

Lam was nearing the end of his international career at that stage but showed enough speed to touch down for a try in Samoa's 38-31 triumph. Ironically, Wales were coached at that time by Graham Henry - Lam's mentor at his New Zealand club Auckland.

The back row star also represented the All Blacks, being called into the 1992 tour of Australia and making just one appearance before being dropped.

He captained New Zealand colts and played for the national sevens team but his heart always lay with Samoa, for whom he qualified by virtue of his parentage, and he served his country with distinction over an illustrious career.