Two Cents Rugby: Team of the Southern Hemisphere named as All Blacks and Springboks lead the way but no Wallaby makes starting XV
With the 2022 Test season concluded, Two Cents Rugby has gone through the performances and statistics to pick the top performers from the Southern Hemisphere.
*Note: We’re looking at Tier One players only as they have more comprehensive stats. Also, we’ve filtered out players who played fewer than five Tests this year. Japan’s players, despite being from the northern hemisphere, were in consideration, but sadly none made the cut. Kazuki Himeno was a clear standout but only managed three Tests in 2022.
Two Cents Rugby’s Southern Hemisphere Team of the Year
15 Willie le Roux (South Africa): The veteran Le Roux’s contributions to the Springbok backline in 2022 have been considerable. Definitely a playmaking full-back, Le Roux’s vision is evidenced by the fact he tops all players for try assists this year with eight. The next best outside back had a mere four. He might not kick as much as some of the big boots like Stuart Hogg or Jordie Barrett, but he comes into the line and makes more passes instead. Also, unlike the Le Roux of a couple years ago his hands are proving very safe with fewer turnovers conceded than most of his full-back counterparts.
14 Will Jordan (New Zealand): One of the most dangerous ball carriers in the game, Jordan has a knack of finding gaps in the opposition defence. He’s managed a couple of try assists this year but his top ranking for average clean breaks of any player in the southern hemisphere is what we know him for. He also bagged four tries which was second only to Kurt-Lee Arendse for southern hemisphere wingers. Even his tackling rate is 80% which is solid enough for wingers and he adds two turnovers won on top of that as well.
13 Lukhanyo Am (South Africa): Didn’t exactly play a lot of games this year, but when he did his impact was incredible. Adds a distributing spark when lining up at 13, South Africa really missed him at times following his injury. In his five Tests his year, Am averaged 56 metres per game and more than a clean break per game. He’s even credited with winning three turnovers to go with his try and try assist. Some were critical of his World Player of the Year nomination given his lack of game time, but there’s no doubting his influence when playing.
Genuine all-round threat
12 Jordie Barrett (New Zealand): This pick is a bit of a cheat given Barrett hasn’t played all his time this year in he 12 jersey. However, when he has played there, he’s been a revelation. He is a big unit and puts that size of his to good use with his carrying. Barrett managed an average of 45+ metres per game, even when not including his games at full-back, which is the kind of stuff we’re more used to seeing from Australia’s Samu Kerevi. Barrett scored five tries including a couple from the midfield. Maybe most importantly with Barrett though, is his ability to kick and pass in addition to his carrying which has made him a genuine all-round threat.
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa): What a year for the 26-year-old, he finishes 2022 with seven tries in seven games. But it’s not just his tries, it’s his attacking prowess and hunger to get his hands on the ball. South African wingers have been starved of the ball to a degree in 2022, but not Arendse. He makes the most of that possession as well with over 70 run metres per game, the best of the southern wingers and second overall. Part of the reason he clocks up the metres is his ability to find space and he’s only behind New Zealand’s Jordan in clean breaks.
10 Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand): Fly-half was a tough one in 2022 with guys like Quade Cooper, Handre Pollard and others spending much of the season unavailable. Mo’unga though continues to be Ian Foster’s first choice in the 10 jersey. He’s known for his running game and sure enough he had more defenders beaten than any of the specialist fly-halves. 25 run metres per game is more than most 10s. He doesn’t pass as much as some of his northern counterparts, but he offloads more. There’s no guarantee he’ll keep the 10 jersey ahead of Beauden Barrett next year, but he continues to go well when called upon.
9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand): Continues to be one of the best passers of the ball we’ve ever seen, it’s no surprise Smith managed assists on five tries in 2022, first equal among scrum-halves. He may not put boot to ball as much as some of the other nines, but he passes more than any other player in the southern hemisphere. Smith hadn’t scored a Test try for a couple of years but nabbed two against Wales to end the year on a high.
8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): Barnstorming year from the All Blacks number eight. Even when New Zealand struggled in games, Savea still showed his class. He dominated many key categories you’d expect a loose forward to being competing in. Most tries by a loose forward with five, most try assists with four, most defenders beaten per game with almost three. But he’s not just all he flashy stuff as he had 10 turnovers won and tackled at 97%. He even won 10 lineouts as well. One of the best players in the world. Like Eben Etzebeth, missing out on a World Player of the Year nomination seems more than a little unlucky.
7 Siya Kolisi (South Africa): The Springbok captain seems to have gone under the radar a bit but his performances have been at the elite level we have come to expect. Kolisi’s numbers show he really can do a bit of everything. His seven turnovers won were the most of any southern hemisphere openside. He bagged three tries and a try assist as well. He won lineouts, made his tackles and even registered three clean breaks. Discipline can be an issue for some players in his position, but Kolisi only conceded four penalties in 12 games. A great example of leading from the front.
6 Marcos Kremer (Argentina): Kremer is a pretty straightforward player with his main task seemingly to make big hits. That’s exactly what he does. Only Ireland’s Josh van der Flier made more tackles than the Argentinian flanker this year, and his completion rate was an impressive 88%. Kremer is more than just a tackling machine though with four turnovers, regularly won lineout ball and he carried when called upon. Kremer started all but one of Argentina’s games in 2022, clearly a key player for Michael Cheika in the back-row.
Quite a year from Etzebeth
5 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa): Big Eben has quite a year for South Africa and as mentioned can consider himself unlucky not to have received a Player of the Year nomination. Ever present for the Springboks, he tops a number of categories you might expect. Most lineout steals in 2022, most offloads by a lock, most try assists for a lock albeit only with two, it’s one more than anyone else. He was second only to teammate Lood de Jager for lineout wins and tackled at 89%. The try he scored against England was perhaps the icing on the cake of a great year.
4 Sam Whitelock (New Zealand): At 34 years old Whitelock continues to impress for the All Blacks. He’s not showing any signs of tiring when you look how much work he gets through. Most turnovers won of any southern hemisphere lock, most average tackles for the same, passes too. He even managed to get himself over the whitewash against Australia. A regular 80-minute player, he doesn’t look like falling down the pecking order anytime soon.
3 Frans Malherbe (South Africa): What a scrummager Malherbe is. Any coach would thank their lucky stars to have a tighthead as reliable this in their side, and the South African coaches must agree as they’ve started him in every game this year. Sometimes Malherbe cops flak for not having more to his game than a big scrum, but watching him get through tackles and cleanouts he’s clearly expected to move his 130kg frame around the park. His tackling is at 90% as well so he’s definitely doing something right.
2 Samisoni Taukei’aho (New Zealand): A really competitive area in southern hemisphere rugby, but the best ball carrying hooker has to be the All Blacks’ Taukei’aho. He’s been in devastating form scoring seven tries to end up as New Zealand’s top scorer in 2022. His devastating running game meant he finished with more defenders beaten than any hooker and second only to Ireland’s Dan Sheehan for run metres. Defensively solid as well with an almost 90% tackling rate, Taukei’aho has surpassed the All Blacks established hookers to become Foster’s first choice.
1 Steven Kitshoff (South Africa): Mr Consistent whether starting or from the bench. Kitshoff has a great scrummaging core role to his game but isn’t limited to just that. Three turnovers won across the season, the second most run metres of any southern hemisphere loosehead prop and perhaps most impressive is the fact he conceded only five penalties in 12 games. He even manages to steal lineout ball, making him a key part of the Springbok front-row.
Replacements:
16 Malcolm Marx (South Africa): The turnover king for South Africa, he tackled at 92% and scored four tries.
17 Thomas Gallo (Argentina): Perhaps the most dangerous ball carrying prop in the game right now with the most defenders beaten in his position. His scrummaging has come a long way in 2022 as well.
18 Allan Alaalatoa (Australia): Very reliable at scrum time and massively busy on defence, making more tackles per game than any of the southern hemisphere tightheads.
19 Lood de Jager (South Africa): Fantastic at lineout time and a great running game for a big man.
20 Rob Valetini (Australia): Phenomenal year and very unlucky not to be picked as a starter. Made plenty of clean breaks and a great tackling success rate at 92%.
21 Nic White (Australia): Reliable operator for Australia in the nine jersey, White’s kicking game helps them get forward.
22 Damian Willemse (South Africa): Certainly offensively minded and breaks a lot of tackles. The fact he kicked a couple of droppies is great experience in the bank too.
23 Rieko Ioane (New Zealand): Really looking comfortable in the midfield for the All Blacks now, tackling rate of 91% and gas to burn on attack.