November Test Team of the Week: Springbok at ‘rampaging best’ while England star makes ‘mockery’
Wilco Louw, Ben Earl and Leicester Faingaʻanuku
Despite technically being played outside the November window, the first week of autumn Test action saw New Zealand and England put in powerful performances against Tier 1 opponents, whilst Scotland and South Africa both enjoyed high-scoring hit-outs against the USA and Japan, respectively.
Without further ado, here’s our Team of the Week from Round One.
November Test Team of the Week
15 Will Jordan (New Zealand): His sense of space in the backfield is simply exquisite, and so much comes from his ability to visualise a gap. Kyle Rowe did brilliantly for Scotland in their USA romp, whilst Freddie Steward came into the game later on as England saw off the Wallabies and Cheslin Kolbe starred once again for the Springboks.
14 Darcy Graham (Scotland): Another hat-trick for the flying right wing as he had another Murrayfield day to remember. Tom Roebuck had an influential match leaping into the Heathrow flight path above Twickenham.
13 Leicester Fainga’anuku (New Zealand): When he came out, the All Blacks backline accommodated him at 13 and what a move it proved to be. A massive display in the absence of Jordie Barrett that really was central to the New Zealand win.
12 Stuart McCloskey (Ireland): Not the best day on their return to Chicago, but the Irish must be thrilled with the impact of the big Ulsterman at 12. Quinn Tupaea and Damian de Allende were both solid as a rock for New Zealand and South Africa, respectively.
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa): A brace for KLA as he showed his jet heels once more in a clever display against a hard-tackling Japanese side. Harry Potter created a moment of magic as the wing wizard ran 90m for a key intercept, whilst Caleb Clarke was the epitome of ‘work rate’ on the left wing in Chicago.
Half-backs
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa): Another blistering display from this rising young star against the Land of the Rising Sun. He grabbed a couple himself, gassing Japan from 25m in a stunning finish. George Ford was a little more understated but no less effective in his brilliant performance for England, whilst Adam Hastings kept the points flowing up in Edinburgh.
9 Cam Roigard (New Zealand): A wonderful try-scoring romp as the Hurricane blew Ireland away in Chicago. His kicking was on point too, and he just nicks the shirt from England’s Alex Mitchell, who, like Ford, was at the centre of England’s control against the Wallabies. A word for Scotland’s Jamie Dobie, a superb shift as he laid down a marker at Murrayfield with a hat-trick and moved to the wing and didn’t miss a beat.
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Loose forwards
8 Ben Earl (England): Making a mockery of those who continue to decry his ability to play at eight, Earl was absolutely brilliant on both sides of the ball. As was Henry Pollock, the man that replaced him on 55 minutes. Wallace Sititi is unlucky to miss out, as he was wonderfully influential in the second half in Chicago.
7 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): Really harsh on Fraser McReight, who virtually kept Australia in the match against England. Tom Curry, too, had a massive impact when he came on, but Savea once again showed what a class act he is, finishing in the corner for yet another Test try.
6 Ryan Baird (Ireland): Baird was huge in defeat – easily Ireland’s best forward, as he demonstrated the value of a big six at Test level. England’s Guy Pepper has become a seasoned back-row option over the last six months and ground out a robust, spicy performance on the blindside as he went deep for 80 minutes in an impressive display.
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Tight five
5 Lood de Jager (South Africa): The big man is slowly returning to the form that saw him dominate all challengers a few years ago. The big Bok was in wonderful form at Wembley against the Brave Blossoms; his hands are wildly underrated. Two British and Irish Lions, Ollie Chessum and James Ryan, both delivered physical shifts for England and Ireland, respectively, but perhaps with slightly different outcomes.
4 Fabian Holland (New Zealand): A really mature display of grit and spike in a messy game in Chicago saw Holland top the lineout stats and work tirelessly around the breakdown to see New Zealand home. Lions skipper Maro Itoje never performs less than outstandingly, whilst RG Snyman made a massive impact in a rare 80-minute for the Boks.
3 Wilco Louw (South Africa): Quadzilla munched his opponents all afternoon and managed to grab a rare long-range prop’s try in a complete display. Taniela Tupou was at his rampaging best for the Wallabies, but his efforts were in vain as he couldn’t impact enough to take his team home, equally applicable to Ireland’s sole try scorer, the great Tadhg Furlong, who was excellent despite the defeat.
2 Jamie George (England): 21 tackles in 50 minutes and some really impressive link play in attack reminded us all of the quality and experience of the man known to all in the game as ‘Jinx’. Malcolm Marx also shone for the Springboks at Wembley as his return to form now looks near complete.
1 Ellis Genge (England): Genge was impact personified for England in a rumbustious performance where the Lion demonstrated his all-round skill set, whilst Gerhard Steenekamp showed the incredible depth the Springboks possess in their propping stocks. Tamaiti Williams of New Zealand had a big impact in the latter stages of the Irish game as he beasted the Irish scrum in a powerful outing.