Team of the Week: ‘Red hot’ Curry one of NINE Lions included while ‘top drawer’ Springbok also praised
Tom Curry is one of nine British and Irish Lions players selected.
Following another jam-packed weekend of international rugby that included the Wallabies v British & Irish Lions, we sat down and selected our Team of the Week.
There’s a whopping nine British & Irish Lions players included in our XV as their performance against Australia is recognised. Elsewhere, there’s three Springboks and one apiece from New Zealand, England and France.
International Team of the Week
15 Joe Carpenter (England): A dream first start for the 23-year-old full-back – disallowed try aside – as he commanded the skies in Washington DC and was solid elsewhere at the back in England’s 40-5 victory over the USA. Kyle Rowe (Scotland) had a decent outing against Samoa on Friday but Carpenter has certainly proved he belongs at this level in what is a hotly-contested white jersey.
14 Edwill van der Merwe (South Africa): The 29-year-old wing notched another two tries on Saturday as he continued the incredible start to his Springboks journey. His first try of the day had the scent of a forward pass when he received the ball on the wing, but there were no doubts about the second. Reading the game expertly, he latched onto a Faf de Klerk chip over the top to take the Springboks well beyond reach. That’s now five tries in just three appearances, proving that you’re never too old to start your Springboks career.
13 Canan Moodie (South Africa): In defence, he was suspect, but in attack, he was sublime. His athleticism is shining through at a time when the physicality of the former number one outside centre, Lukanyo Am, is fading away. Moodie’s attacking dominance was on full display in Nelspruit – making multiple line breaks, constantly unsettling an already fragile Georgian defence, and capping it off with a well-deserved try.
12 Sione Tuipulotu (B&I Lions): One of the standout performers in Brisbane, Tuipulotu’s tour goes from strength to strength as he brought his A game on Saturday, as he has done all month. He is such a threat on both sides of the ball, and his well-deserved try sees him get the nod here over England’s Max Ojomoh and All Blacks super-sub Jordie Barrett.
11 Will Jordan (New Zealand): Another game, another try for the lethal All Black as we switched him from right to left wing in order to find a spot. That comes at the expense of Sevu Reece, with Jordan’s knack of being in the right place at the right time seeing him add to this tally. It is surely inevitable he will overtake the great Doug Howlett atop the ladder one day in the near future.
10 Finn Russell (B&I Lions): At his mercurial best in Brisbane, his pass for Tuipulotu’s score was something only Russell can do as he weighted it to perfection after disconnecting the Wallabies’ defensive line with great footwork and dummies. Russell was always the front-runner for the Lions 10 jersey, and he proved why over the weekend with an accomplished, mature performance as he looked the complete package. A mention goes to Scotland’s Fergus Burke after his impressive showing against Samoa.
9 Jamison Gibson-Park (B&I Lions): The all-Lions half-back pairing is rewarded for an assured outing in the first Test, with Gibson-Park very much on song in terms of option taking and his kicking game. His box kicks were on the money and he was such a calming influence for the Lions at the base as, alongside Russell, he steered Andy Farrell’s men to a famous victory. Jamie Dobie (Scotland), Grant Williams (South Africa) and Nolann Le Garrec (France) had solid outings, but it had to be JGP at nine.
The forwards
8 Mickael Guillard (France): That was some performance from a player whose stock has skyrocketed on this tour of New Zealand. Guillard has gathered quite a few admirers in this All Blacks series and will head home with credit in the bank ahead of the November Tests and Six Nations. He sees off some quality rivals for this jersey as Jack Conan (Lions) and Ardie Savea (New Zealand) also deserve mentions.
7 Tom Curry (B&I Lions): He couldn’t have answered his critics better. Curry, whose selection for the first Test was slammed after other flankers were deemed to be more in form, certainly silenced the doubters with a red-hot shift at Suncorp Stadium. The England back-row was a rock all evening and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. You could tell he enjoyed that performance.
6 Tadhg Beirne (B&I Lions): Another questionable selection, but not as heavily as Curry’s was Beirne on the blindside flank. However, the Irishman’s ability to put in big performances in big games came to the fore once again as he dominated in several departments against the Wallabies. A nod goes to England’s Chandler Cunningham-South and Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa) for their power-packed outings.
5 Ruan Nortje (South Africa): There were plenty of contenders here as the debut-making Arthur Clark wasn’t at all shabby in England’s dismissal of the USA while rookie Fabian Holland continued his Test-level progress with a fine effort for the All Blacks in the final act of their series sweep over France. However, we can’t look past Nortje as his work rate was off the charts in the Springboks’ win over Georgia. Tackling, rucking, mauling, you name it – he was top drawer, and it has whetted the appetite for the Rugby Championship selection battle that Rassie Erasmus must adjudicate on.
4 Maro Itoje (B&I Lions): Gregor Brown gets in this conversation for the impact he made in Scotland’s comfortable win over Samoa in Auckland, an effort that earned him a Lions call and a place on Tuesday’s bench against the First Nations & Pasifika XV. However, Itoje was one of the first names scribbled into this team of the week list after he produced a contribution reminiscent of 2017 in Wellington. There were plenty of questions about whether he really merited the Lions captaincy, but he was inspired on Saturday and his best decision of all was getting Marcus Smith to kick three penalty points seven minutes from time. It ensured that the late, late Australian try that followed was a garbage time consolation, not a score that suddenly brought the game to life in the final minute.
3 Tadhg Furlong (B&I Lions): His 2024/25 season with Ireland and Leinster was a wretched ordeal ruined by injury, but he perfectly timed his return to peak form with the Lions, and his dominant play was to be treasured. Being a tighthead, Furlong doesn’t get the same type of love that a Russell or a Curry gets, but he reminded everyone on Saturday during his 57 minutes on the pitch of his legendary Lions status, demonstrating he was full value for his seventh successive Test star as their number three.
2 Dan Sheehan (B&I Lions): Honourable mention to South Africa’s Marnus van der Merwe for scoring two tries on his Test debut. But the Lions’ dismantling of the Wallabies began in the front-row, and there was no way that Sheehan could be overlooked following yet another Duracell Bunny performance. His energy was boundless across his hour-long contribution, and it was fitting that he scored the early second-half try that put Australia out of their misery.
1 Ellis Genge (B&I Lions): The English loosehead’s form on the tour has been irresistible, and he fully justified his selection to start ahead of Ireland’s Andrew Porter with another power-packed display. Genge was only on the field for 48 minutes, but the Wallabies were already toast by the time of his departure. He was frequently on the ball, beating several defenders for good measure, and his set-piece/breakdown work was hugely effective.
