THE Rugby League World Cup reached its knockout stages over the weekend, but a bunch of stars failed to step up for their nations when it counted.

Meanwhile, Gareth Widdop continues to shine in his old role, and the Samoan who stood up despite his side’s horror performance.

Here’s a look at the players outside the Kangaroos team and how they performed in the quarter finals.

Joey Leilua: C+

It was another rocks and diamonds performance from the Samoa centre.

Leilua wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line in defence and hit the line hard in attack, but the stats were telling for the Canberra back. His two offloads were overshadowed by four missed tackles and three errors.

At times Leilua would look to inspire Samoa with a big play, but for the most part his teammates heads lowered as he personified the ill-discipline that hampered the team against the ruthless Kangaroos.

Josh Papalii: B

Either Josh Papalii can’t read a scoreline or he doesn’t care.

With his Samoa team down to Australia into the game’s closing stages, Papalii began to line-up Kangaroos players with the type of hits he should have been making early in the game.

The Raiders forward was the pick of a Samoa pack that struggled against a much fitter Australian unit. Even when the going got tough, Papalii pushed on as he topped the metres for Samoa’s big men and did his best to lead by example.

Will Hopoate: A

It was a vintage performance from Will Hopoate at the back for Tonga, with the custodian providing a safe pair of hands in a contest that needed them.

As well as reading Lebanon’s kicking game with ease, Hopoate made huge metres on his returns to give his teammates a huge advantage coming out of their own half.

The Bulldogs star ended the game with a try, 167 run metres and six tackle busts as he finds form at the right time of the tournament.

Michael Jennings: C

After missing last week’s game, Michael Jennings returned to a Tongan team on the ascendancy.

However, his impact was limited as the Pacific Islanders looked unorganised in attack at times.

The speedster was outshone by fellow centre Konrad Hurrell who used power instead of speed to get on top of Lebanon.

Tui Lolohea: C+

When Tonga needed a steadying hand to guide them through the contest against Lebanon, Tui Lolohea disappeared.

In contrast to his impressive performance last week, Lolohea wilted under the pressure when the Cedars closed in on their score. An early try was a good start, but the five-eighth failed to lift as Tonga struggled to close out the game.

Alongside fellow young half Ata Hingano, Lolohea will need to regain his composure if Tonga are to progress to the final.

Andrew Fifita: B-

Andrew Fifita’s late decision to switch his allegiance to Tonga was a call made on emotion. But as Tonga’s World Cup fate hung on by a thread, Fifita returned to his temperamental, indecisive and inconsistent best.

The big man racked up some massive metres and broke the line five times, but when Tonga needed him most, Fifita faulted.

His errors at crucial moments kept Lebanon in the game as the Cedars chased an upset win. That was a performance not good enough for player capable of dominating opposition packs on his own. The Tongans will be hoping it was a one-off and he can lift for the semi final.

Jason Taumalolo: A+

The big man was a wrecking ball for Tonga as he almost carried the same impact as a forward pack on his own.

The hard-charging lock ran for 190 metres in the game, constantly carrying a host of defenders with him as Lebanon struggled to put him down. His seven tackle busts kept the Mate Ma’a on the attack throughout the game as he confirmed his place as the game’s premier forward.

For Taumalolo, his performances will have vindicated his switch of nations as his World Cup journey continues while that of his former Kiwi teammates ended.

Mitchell Moses: A

Fearlessness, commitment and completion came to define Lebanon’s World Cup campaign and no player personified that more in the quarter final than Mitchell Moses.

The Eels playmaker ran Lebanon’s attack with a dogged determination with his runs a constant threat and his kicking game crucial to keeping the Cedars in the contest.

Moses ended the game with three tackle busts, two line breaks, one try assist and an off-load. Though he’s not renowned for his ability to tackle, Moses did his best to size up in defence and put in a man of the match effort in a losing team.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck: B

Tasked heavily with carrying the ball back from his own half, Tuivasa-Sheck gave a below par performance in what was a dark day for New Zealand Rugby League.

His efforts were not summarised by his seven tackle busts, but instead the two missed tackles he gave away compared to the three he completed.

With the game begging to be split wide open, RTS’s usual lurking presence as a support player went missing along with the Kiwis’ tournament dream.

Shaun Johnson: C-

When a rugby league game’s score is limited to penalty kicks, invariably the attention must turn to the playmakers. If you’re Shaun Johnson, you may want to look away now.

Granted, the Kiwis struggled to complete their sets, but Johnson’s inability to take control of the game or his team proved to be a telling failure. Cometh the hour, the man was nowhere to be found.

For a player who can create opportunities out of nothing, the Kiwi half’s efforts were one to forget. He either tried too hard and was pressured into a mistake or didn’t give enough of a go when called upon. Either way, it wasn’t good enough.

Martin Taupau: C

Renowned for not taking a step backwards, the weight of New Zealand’s workload were almost exclusively placed on Martin Taupau’s mile-wide shoulders when fellow big boppers Jason Taumalolo, Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor gave up their opportunities for a Kiwi jersey.

Unfortunately for the Shaky Isles, that was too much for the Manly monster.

Taupau kept his running metres to double figures and his tackle count did not stack up against his usual high workrate. It was an uncharacteristic performance for the enforcer but one that summed up New Zealand’s overall efforts.

Kodi Nikorima: B-

With his No.6 jersey handed to Te Maire Martin this week, Kodi Nikorima was given a brilliant opportunity to make an impact for the Kiwis from the bench against Fiji.

Instead, the utility failed to fire in a game that screamed out for a player of his calibre to blow the contest open. It wasn’t that Fiji defended well, but that New Zealand’s attack had stalled.

Try as he might, Nikorima couldn’t restart it. The lack of creativity will be a concern for Broncos fans hoping he can be their next halfback.

Jarryd Hayne: B-

The Hayne Plane will fly on for another week after Fiji’s memorable win against New Zealand, but larger question marks remain on their star player.

With a wealth of possession, Hayne’s Fiji team did not find a way to get over the line. That’s a galling reflection on the playmakers and their organisational skills despite the Bati getting the chocolates on the night.

What was telling was how little Hayne took the initiative as Fiji looked to build an advantage. His running game was poor and save for a few kicks, his overall game play as a half was lacking. He’ll need to be in 2009-spec form if Fiji are to have any chance against Australia.

Gareth Widdop B+

He’s a playmaker in the NRL, but Widdop is proving he could be just as handy at fullback if the Dragons ever feel the need to move him into the custodian role.

He was arguably England’s best player again on Sunday despite his side putting in an overall unconvincing performance to beat Papua New Guinea and progress through to the semis.

Widdop had two try assists from fullback, including a deft grubber through for Ryan Hall to pounce on late in the game.

He also broke a tackle and registered one linebreak assist, while running for 82 metres.

He’ll be vital if England is to qualify for the tournament decider.

Sam Burgess C+

It was his first outing since injuring his knee in the opening game of the World Cup, but Burgess showed why England need him to be in with a shot at winning the trophy.

He was shifted to an edge rather than playing up the guts, and his impact on the game was just as significant as if he was playing lock.

He broke three tackles and ran for 115 metres. Although his game was muddied by three errors — but England overall were sloppy with the football.