Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament: All Blacks dominate with 12 players selected

Adam Kyriacou
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Pablo Matera, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Aaron Smith.

Pablo Matera, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Aaron Smith.

Now that the dust has settled on this year’s Rugby Championship which was won by New Zealand, we’ve had a discussion and picked our Team of the Tournament.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a side dominated by All Blacks – 12 to be precise – as their impressive clean sweep of the competition made it difficult to ignore them.

There was also rotation in selection throughout the Rugby Championship to consider, as while some starred in one match, others were solid in at least two.

Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament

15 Beauden Barrett (New Zealand): A tough call on Willie le Roux as his importance to the Springboks’ attack was on show throughout the tournament. However, Barrett certainly silenced his doubters at full-back as he slotted back into the position with ease, surely now nailing down that shirt.

14 Will Jordan (New Zealand): Came into the All Blacks’ side in Round Two on the back of Emoni Narawa’s dazzling debut and did not look back, putting in back-to-back superb performances that caught the eye. He now has 23 tries in 23 Tests as the wing made the most clean breaks in the competition.

13 Rieko Ioane (New Zealand): Started all three games for the All Blacks and subsequently managed to rack up over 200 metres with ball in hand over the tournament. Lucio Cinti went well for Los Pumas but Ioane was out in front of his rivals, with nine defenders beaten and two tries recorded.

12 Jordie Barrett (New Zealand): Our fourth All Black of the backline and it had to be the Hurricane at 12. A player who is growing and growing with each game at centre, with his ability to break the line, offload, distribute, kick and back his pace making him one of the first names on the teamsheet.

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa): The first non-Kiwi in our side comes on the left wing where Arendse’s hat-trick in Round One helped catapult him up the pecking order. Mark Telea was impressive for New Zealand while Marika Koroibete racked up the metres, but Arendse is our number 11.

10 Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand): We were surprised not to see Damian McKenzie feature again after his brilliant showing against Argentina. Instead Mo’unga played the remaining games and was excellent against the Boks before that Wallabies romp. Finished as the tournament’s top scorer on 28 points.

9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand): Started all three matches for the All Blacks as his importance to their game was evident once again. Smith is the heartbeat of the side and his service was on point while he led incredibly well. The half-back also scored two tries this campaign as reward for his efforts.

8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): While both Juan Martin Gonzalez and Rob Valetini stood out for Argentina and Australia respectively, Savea’s work for New Zealand could not be overlooked. A tournament high 41 carries for 202 running metres were backed up by his typical steeliness. Such a rock.

7 Pablo Matera (Argentina): It was tough to leave out Sam Cane after his much-improved performances in Rounds One and Two. However, the former Argentina skipper toiled away for Los Pumas, making 44 carries and threw in four offloads, as the rugged flank emptied the tank in each game he played.

6 Shannon Frizell (New Zealand): He’s nailed down the All Blacks’ number six jersey thanks to three impressive outings this Rugby Championship. Frizell’s try against South Africa will live long in the memory and he backed that up with 32 tackles, 36 carries and 10 defenders beaten. What an athlete.

5 Scott Barrett (New Zealand): One of the players of the tournament, Barrett filled in for Sam Whitelock in such a way that he was never missed. That says something about his showings with his part in Ioane’s try on Saturday summing up what a talent he is. A mention goes to Puma Tomas Lavanini.

4 Brodie Retallick (New Zealand): Both Retallick and Eben Etzebeth missed Round One but the former’s performance against the Boks on his return was top drawer. He backed that up with a solid showing against Australia as his engine room combination with Barrett was key to New Zealand’s success.

3 Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand): Has made the All Blacks’ number three jersey his own this past year and his consistent performances continued this Rugby Championship. Lomax’s set-piece work has helped give his side a stronger platform to launch their attacking weapons as he’s become vital to Ian Foster.

2 Julian Montoya (Argentina): Dane Coles was the standout hooker in Round One while Codie Taylor caught the eye in the remaining games. However, Montoya’s toughness and work in the tight and loose over his three starts nudged him ahead of those two All Blacks. What a rugged operator.

1 Ethan de Groot (New Zealand): Much like Lomax on the tighthead side, De Groot has recently nailed down a prop jersey for the All Blacks. His performances have been outstanding in the set-piece and around the field as he makes it 12 New Zealanders, edging out Steven Kitshoff as our loosehead.

READ MORE: Rugby Championship: Two Cents Rugby picks his top five players from Round Three

Argentina Ardie Savea Kurt-Lee Arendse Will Jordan

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