Rugby World Cup 2019: Top try scorers of the pool stage

With the Pool stage of the Rugby World Cup coming to a close, 8 teams are progressing on to the knockout rounds while 12 nations are heading home. The tournament has already seen great matches, like Australia vs. Wales and shocking upsets, like Japan over Ireland and surely there will be more to come. With the tournament now taking a break for a few days, here's a look back over the players who have scored the most tries thus far.

Kenki Fukuoka – Japan, four tries

Fukuoka scores his first against Scotland.

Largely off the back of a scintillating performance against Scotland that helped Japan reach the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time ever, Kenki Fukuoka has totted up four tries to this point in the tournament.

The 27-year-old winger, who plays his club rugby for the Japanese side Panasonic Wild Knights, scored his first two tries in simple fashion, catching and placing down from short range in the hosts shocking upset over Ireland and then their win over Samoa. His best two tries came in a man-of-the-match performance in a critical game against Scotland.

For his first he expertly gathered a kick at full speed and sprinted to the line for the score and his second saw his strip the ball away from a Scotsman, catch it before it hit the ground and then race away to the try line scoring from right around the halfway line. Fukuoka is expected to retire at the conclusion of the tournament.

Julian Montoya – Argentina, 4 tries

Montoya dives for his first of three tries against Tonga.

A very different style of player from Fukoka, Montoya scored his four tries in just two games. The 25-year-old, currently assigned to Super Rugby’s Jaguares side, opened his account for the tournament with a score from a driving lineout in Argentina’s narrow loss to France.

Montoya would then score a hat-trick against Tonga for his second, third and fourth tries of the tournament. The first was a well worked lineout move that saw him make a simple score, the second was a less glamorous driving lineout and the last was a pick and go from the back of a ruck that saw him barrel over the try line.

Montoya has the unfortunate distinction of being the only member of this list to be eliminated from the tournament.

Josh Adams – Wales, 5 tries

The pacey Welsh winger is one of only two players to have notched up five tries in the tournament thus far. The 24-year-old, who recently signed for Cardiff Blues, scored his first try in Wales' comfortable victory over Georgia when he broke the line at pace and streaked away to score from close to the halfway line. Adams then scored a hat-trick against Fiji.

The first saw him expertly gather a cross-field kick and touch the ball down to score, the second was an easier finish with Wales passing through the hands and leaving Adams with an easy run in and lastly an excellent support run and finish saw Adams put Wales ahead in a game that was, at that point, tied at 17-17. Adams' latest try, was much like his third, an easy run in after some nice Welsh passing in their win over Argentina.

Kotaro Matsushima – Japan, 5 tries

Matsushima scores his fifth try of the tournament against Scotland

Matsushima is arguably the stand out performer of the tournament thus far and burst on to the scene scoring three tries in the tournament's opening game against Russia. Both his first two tries were near-identical unopposed run-ins on the right wing, before sealing his hat-trick with a more convincing run-in from distance that saw him slice through the Russian defense.

Next, the 26-year-old scored very late against Samoa, scoring from close range in the 85th minute. Lastly, the Sunwolves' player benefited from some excellent offloads to race away to Japan’s first try in their pivotal win over Scotland.

Edited by S Chowdhury