Back to his best: Bryan Habana
Related links
Teams
Also see
Now that the dust has settled in the southern hemisphere, Planet Rugby looks at the players who stole the show in the Rugby Championship.
15 Zane Kirchner (South Africa): Even Pat Lambie supporters can't argue that Kirchner had a solid outing - and not for the first time - at the back for South Africa. He ran hard and his positional play was sound. His try in front of his home crowd was just reward for a job well done, while he was exceptionally unlucky not to have bagged a brace.
14 Bryan Habana (South Africa): Habana is like a fine red wine - he just keeps getting better with age. Whilst not fully satisfied with one try, he crossed for two more to take his tally of Test tries to 46 as the veteran flyer picked Australia's defence apart. Superb!
13 Marcelo Bosch (Argentina): Things didn't go according to plan for his team, but Bosch did his reputation little harm and made the most of his chances with ball in hand whilst he was very busy on defence.
12 Ma'a Nonu (New Zealand): Exposed some poor Pumas defence on multiple occasions. Nonu powered through to set up Aaron Smith, before crossing for one himself in one of his better outings for NZ.
11 Cory Jane (New Zealand): Played on the right, but there was no way we were going to leave the All Blacks' hat-trick hero out of this team. Jane simply reconfirmed his class out wide for the world champions. Magnificent!
10 Dan Carter (New Zealand): He's baaack! It was a clinical performance from Carter, who missed the last two rounds of the championship due to a calf injury. Slotted three conversions and two penalties, but his precise option taking is what really stood out. Mention too for Johann Goosen who, in his first start for the Boks, turned in a thrilling display at Loftus Versfeld.
9 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa): It was a toss up between Pienaar and Aaron Smith, but in the end we went for the Bok number nine who was full of sniping breaks and proved to be an annoying thorn in the Wallabies' side. Also shouldered much of the kicking responsibilities (for goal and tactical).
8 Kieran Read (New Zealand): It's official: Read is without a doubt the best number eight in the business. There's not much else we can add to that!
7 Francois Louw (South Africa): If everyone thought replacing Morne Steyn with Goosen was Heyneke Meyer's best decision yet as Bok coach... you're probably right. But another good decision was sending an SOS to England-based Louw, who has answered his country's call with aplomb. It was one of Louw's finest performances in a Bok jersey.
6 Liam Messam (New Zealand): A demon on defence. Messam also affected some important breakdown turnovers, and was successful in slowing the Pumas' ruck recycle to the point where the hosts battled for any significant attacking momentum. In his best display in the black jersey so far.
5 Andries Bekker (South Africa): Much, much better from Bekker who made up for his dismal outing in Mendoza. Got stuck in from start to finish, smothering would-be Wallaby attackers on defence while produced some nice handling touches as well. Australia's tall timber struggled to scale South Africa's man-mountain, who won all of his own line-out ball.
4 Luke Romano (New Zealand): Prominent in the set-pieces, and covered plenty of ground on defence, whilst got the ball over the advantage line on attack. Also instrumental in support play.
3 Jannie du Plessis (South Africa): Anchored South Africa's scrum and impressed in the tight-loose. His general play has also improved considerably since the start of the tournament.
2 Adriaan Strauss (South Africa): Good darts in the line-out from South Africa's vice-captain and held up well at scrum-time. Got through a mountain of donkey work at ruck time too, and helped SA to dominate the breakdown.
1 Tony Woodcock (New Zealand): As usual, he did his basics well and also impressed with his defensive work - especially around the fringes of the rucks and mauls.
By Dave Morris
Comments
bloemboy says...
@Trinats2, if SA were so rubbish, then how bad were your lot to get hammered so comprehensively by such a bunch of badly coached, badly managed and talentless saffas?
At the end of the day, Deans can coach as much as he can, but the guys on the field need to execute, or get executed. The only 3 decent tackles made by an Aussie left 2 being carried off while my Aussie mate watching with me tackled his beer so well, he looked concussed by the end.
Posted 09:53 03rd October 2012
APV1 says...
@ Trader2 - I know. I was disappointed with myself. I thought I'd get away with a cursory nod at my on-going (and quite hilarious) "mediocre" gag, but alas, no.
Posted 16:53 02nd October 2012
Trinats2 says...
Ben7:
"oosthuizen, burger, spies, smith" Starting what ? Will they ever get selected again ?
Higgenbothom would start from the bench. Aus also missing, to add to your names above Kepu, Timani, Palu, Cooper, Mitchell, Horne and that's just in the starting XV. Also out injured, Turner, McCalman, Vuna, Sautia, Elsom, Vickerman to name a few.
ManWarrior:
Habana and springboks had a great game against 14/13 players from a second string Wallaby outfit !!! your first win in how many against Aus ?? Sorry if I'm not singing his praise !!!
new_j4a:
Okay, how about Argentina would have put 50 on them ??
AAC missed the tackle for the first try, although Ioane was off the field and AACooper went to cover his wing at the time.
Posted 15:39 02nd October 2012
rolf says...
Obviously it is difficult to make a selection from a two-match cpompettition.
There is just very little to pick from and always the opponents need to be taken into account. so it is true, that Brayan haban had more difficult matches before - but same applies to savea.
Although i didnt manage to watch the Pumas game, so it is difficult to judge the players, i must day, that i was most impressed by the performance of JACO TAUTE in his debute, (wasnt it?).
I felt this should have earned him at least a mention.
Posted 15:38 02nd October 2012
Trader2 says...
new_j4a
I like that, great post, bit less of knocking we Kiwis of our pedestal though
APV1
Disappointing by your usual high standards, take a rest old chum and we will see you in November.
Posted 15:13 02nd October 2012
APV1 says...
@ georgesmith - as Andrew Strauss has recently retired from all forms of cricket, I can't see him suddenly being selected. Desperate the Boks may be, but poaching an Englishman is taking it a bit far.
(Did I just suggest that to select Andrew Strauss would be, "poaching an Englishman"..? Oh yes I did!)
My XV of the week?
1 Flo
2 Flo
3 Flo
4 Flo
5 Flo
6 Flo
7 Flo
8 Flo
9 Flo
10 Flo
11 Agulla (well, he's the only other Bath player)
12 Flo
13 Flo
14 Flo
15 Flo
That's right.
(And I didn't mention mediocrity once.)
Posted 12:41 02nd October 2012
Ben7 says...
@trinats2
@jonesy2
Jealous much? The boks are missing at least 6 starting players through injury and they still made the wannabies their bitch. You're the only people I've heard say habana wasn't awesome. Who are you missing from your staring team anyway? Moore, horwill, pocock, higginbothom, genia and o conner? SA are missing Bismarck, oosthuizen, burger, spies, smith, frans steyn and jpp. Stop using excuses
Posted 10:43 02nd October 2012
new_j4a says...
@georgesmith, I hope that at least you laughed at your own joke; the odds are that nobody else did.....except, maybe, jonesy2....you two should get together.....may well be long lost twins....perhaps you meet in a couple of years if you both make it to High School.
Posted 09:23 02nd October 2012
ManWarrior says...
@Trinats, you just blew smoke up the AB's .... by insulting the Wallbies because you wanted to discount Habana and a great Springbok performance...
We hammered you in every way Saturday. Suck it up. Go Bokke!
Posted 08:23 02nd October 2012
new_j4a says...
@Trinats, who says "If NZ had of played against that Aussie side under those circumstances they would have put 50+ nad not conceded a couple of trys"....like South Africa then? (who conceded 1 try and left a few on the park with some, shall we say, difficult TMO calls.....and the kicking not being top drawer, so leaving another...was it 16 points unclaimed) So let's tally that all up and you get close to or beyond the 50 points. So what's my point? It definitely isn't that Oz is a rugby basket case as you seem to be saying.The top 3 teams can all beat each other on a particular day (think Hong Kong). NZ is obviously head and shoulders above both Oz and the Boks and either one of our teams will need to spend years developing the talent and the structures that will enable either to knock them off that pedestal for anything other than a brief euphoric Hong Kong like moment. But in the mean time, next week, well all the planets may line up....and maybe, just maybe we can create another triumph for the history books and a great game for the fans. Oz is having a bad time right now.....most worrying is that their first and foremost fan on this site has lost his spark and that most Australian of traits, blind faith and unsinkable optimism. It's time for you and the team to bounce back. Get off the "Punt Deans" bandwagon...he's certainly top notch by any coaching measure...and punting him will only delay the recovery....get on the "Punt O'Neil" bandwagon. Have a ticker tape parade for AAC and his spirit of ANZAC defense, reinforce the ethos amongst the kids that Cooper is 1 part brilliance and 4 parts prat.....and come back to rugby with all the banter and bullsh!t that Oz can provide (World Champs at BS), and let's get back to the business of competing for the privilege of being the team that does....eventually...knock the Kiwi's off their very deserved pedestal.
Posted 07:55 02nd October 2012
bloemboy says...
@kennyisgay, I suggest you relook at the footage of the head to head when Goosen and Carter have come up against each other before. From memory, the S15 game last season had Goosen as MoM, and ran rings around Carter. Make no mistake, Carter is very very good, but then so is Goosen.
See yo on the forums after the match
Posted 07:34 02nd October 2012
jonesy2 says...
oh cmon planet rugby i know he scored a hattrick but did habana, and most of his teammates for that matter, even have an opponent for most of the game because im pretty sure nick phipps was playing on the wing for a 13 man team? seriously wise up CJ played one of the best games you will ever see from a winger not to mention savea and youre taking to absolute piss with louw over richie and pienaar over smith. only springbok that deserved a place was bekker and maybe strauss. wouldnt expect any less bollocks from you though
Posted 06:56 02nd October 2012
kiwilad says...
Kiwikev, there are no players left in Oz.
Posted 01:35 02nd October 2012
sandal says...
I find Romano an odd selection.
He didn't last the distance.
Posted 00:34 02nd October 2012
Trinats2 says...
Habana played against 14 men for his first try, 13 for his second and 12 for his third.
Jane at 14 for me. If anyone to move to 11, had to be Habana, but I would have had Savea, he played against a good side !!!.
If NZ had of played against that Aussie side under those circumstances they would have put 50+ nad not conceded a couple of trys.
Posted 00:28 02nd October 2012
georgesmith says...
A. Strauss rocks! Future Springbok captain. Next world cup. Somebody sack R.Deans and send him back to where he came from. He is nothing but an over-rated Kiwi coach.
Posted 23:52 01st October 2012
georgesmith says...
This is bad. How come world's finest and greatest player N.Sharpe (always blunt, boring and lazy on the pitch) is not in the team.
Posted 23:49 01st October 2012
nzmaoriboy says...
Very reasonable team! Agree with Terry_English. Forwards were spot on Romano would have tipped towards Etzebeth or even Albacete (Good in a loosing team).And I would probably picked Taute ahead of Bosch. I support AB's of course but am chuffed with seeing Mr JET-Boots Habana scoring tries again..just hopefully not too many this weekend! Its going to be an awesome game I reckon. Not feeling as confident about this game he he
Posted 23:41 01st October 2012
jmanngod says...
too many Boks
Posted 22:53 01st October 2012
kennyisgay says...
bloemboy... Goosen/Carter head to head??? Come on lad you're talking about George McFly vs superman... not a contest
Posted 22:33 01st October 2012