Quarter-finals review: Homeward bound

With their Rugby World Cup dreams over for another four years Ireland, England, South Africa and Argentina will soon begin their tournament reviews and planning for how to improve for RWC 2015 in England.

A number of players are likely to have played in their last Rugby World Cup, including winners from the last two editions of the tournament.

England are expected to eventually wave goodbye to 2003 winners Lewis Moody, Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall, Steve Thompson and Simon Shaw.

"I will catch those guys over the next few weeks and see where they are," England manager Martin Johnson said.

"The year or two after a World Cup there is a bit of a transition, but I need those guys. They lead the team and are experienced and that has been invaluable.

"We will see where we are with selection and who else is around, but if a guy is the best player in that position for England then we will continue to pick him."

South Africa meanwhile say adieu to a number of players from their victorious team at RWC 2007 in France.

End of an era

Captain John Smit will head to England to play for Saracens, second row Bakkies Botha will join England's Wilkinson at French Top 14 side Toulon and scrum half Fourie Du Preez will leave the Blues Bulls to play club rugby in Japan.

Second row Victor Matfield, meanwhile, is set to retire from rugby altogether.

"I think I'm going to miss it," he said. "I love this game. It has been my life over the last 12 years, so it's going to be tough. Hopefully it's not long before I get back into it with coaching or whatever."

Ireland face a similar need to rebuild. Captain Brian O'Driscoll, his centre partner Gordon D'Arcy and second rows Paul O'Connell and Donncha O'Callaghan all made massive contributions to a golden age for Irish rugby.

It was an era that featured a 2009 Six Nations Grand Slam and two Heineken Cup wins apiece for Leinster and Munster, but one they failed to cap by reaching the Rugby World Cup semi-finals for the first time.

"That's the bitter disappointment of it but you've got to suck it up when you haven't performed on the big stage," O'Driscoll said.

"Collectively and personally I won't get this opportunity again and that really sucks. But you know life goes on."

Need to rebuild

For both England and Ireland the need to rebuild quickly is paramount with the Six Nations set to begin at the start of February.

They have already shown that they have a number of young players around whom they can rebuild.

England found a new star in centre Manu Tuilagi, while Ireland's Keith Earls is likely to line up opposite him for a number of years to come after he scored five tries in New Zealand.

"There are some good young players coming through,"Johnson said. "It is only over a year ago that guys like Ben Youngs were making their first start. It was only a couple of months ago that we were debating whether it was best to have Manu Tuilagi coming off the bench or getting a start.

"So if in the next 18 months or two years we can produce a crop of young players like that then the national team will be in a good place."

Focus will also fall on the future of the losing coaches and South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has already said that the defeat to Australia will signal the end of his time in charge of the Springboks.

During his leadership he won the 2009 Tri Nations and defeated the British and Irish Lions 2-1 in the test series.

"It was a brilliant journey, something that none of you guys (the media) can take away from me," he said. "There's a time to come and a time to go. So I think the journey for me is over.

"I wanted to be the best me that I could be, the way that I am is the way that I want to be remembered."

Decision time

Johnson's England reign will also come under scrutiny. Rugby operations director Rob Andrew said: "The key thing from my point of view is that we take the next four to six weeks with Martin and review what has gone on. The important thing is we reflect and make a decision going forward."

For Argentina, despite disappointment at being knocked out by New Zealand, there is pride that they reached the knockout stages for the second consecutive tournament.

Captain Felipe Contepomi and their grizzled front row of Mario Ledesma, Rodrigo Roncero and Martín Scelzo are all set to retire.

But there is confidence that the Pumas' standard of play will improve thanks to them joining the Tri Nations in a new Four Nations tournament from 2012 onwards.

"When we have the ball, we have to try to keep it a bit longer because we have some players who can play some more dynamic rugby," Contepomi said after the defeat by New Zealand.

"But that will happen when we play more games and when we play every year against the best, the All Blacks. So I'm looking forward to the future of Argentine rugby because in the long term it will grow and I think it will be good."