Super 14 Team of the Week

What a weekend of Super 14 action that was! 52 tries were scored in Round Two and it's no surprise that seven of the try-scorers find their way on our second XV of the Week installment.

What a weekend of Super 14 action that was! 52 tries were scored in Round Two and it's no surprise that seven of the try-scorers find their way on our second Team of the Week installment.

Not everyone on the list managed to cross over the whitewash, however, but certainly lent a helping hand towards it (take a bow Tamati Ellison) .

In all, there are only three players who are retained from last week which means we have twelve fresh faces making their Planet Rugby debuts for 2010.

15 Paul Williams (Blues): This was a coin toss between Williams and Highlanders star Israel Dagg – two players on the same pitch that battled it out tooth and nail from the back. Ultimately it went down to Williams' brace of tries (Dagg bagged one himself) that turned the game in favour of the Blues.

14 Tamati Ellison (Hurricanes): The Hurricanes utility back demonstrated just why he is valued so highly in New Zealand after a prominent performance against the Force. Ellison didn't cross the whitewash himself, but made sure three of team-mates did and would have scored a few rounds after the game for his play-making efforts.

13 Richard Kahui (Chiefs): The Chiefs rattled up nine tries and 72 points against the Lions, with Kahui making an early season statement for the unbeaten side as he eyes the All Blacks' number thirteen jersey, bagging three tries and setting up two more.

12 Wynand Olivier (Bulls): The Bulls centre retains his place in our XV after another bullish outing in midfield against the Brumbies. Dropped his first take of the match, but dusted himself off and made up for it with another solid display for the defending champions – touching down for a crucial score.

11 Bryan Habana (Stormers): The former Bulls flyer is winning over the Newlands faithful at a rapid pace following his two tries against the Waratahs over the weekend. Habana, who moved from the Bulls to the Cape franchise at the end of last season, scored off a charged down kick and again after he was put into a gap after a scrum win – proving he's worth every penny spent on his services.

10 Quade Cooper (Reds): This was the toughest decision of the week following pivotal performances by Cooper, Stephen Donald (Chiefs) and Morne Steyn (Bulls), but after comparing the three we felt Cooper's 31 points (two tries, three conversions and five penalty goals) against a quality side like the Crusaders – no offence, Brumbies! – was the most impressive.

9 Will Genia (Reds): Another back-line player to keep his place from last week. Genia's pure genius against the Crusaders only reaffirmed his status as the best number nine in Australia at the moment. It takes two to tango and a lot of credit must go to Genia for making Cooper's life a heck of a lot easier. An inspiring influence on the Reds, the slick halfback will now captain the side this weekend in James Horwill's absence.

8 Ryan Kankowski (Sharks): The only Sharks player that could hold his head high in a lowly performance from the Durbanites. The athletic number eight put his power and pace to good use against the Cheetahs and gave Sharks fans a glimmer of hope with a fine try in the corner, but it was all for nothing.

7 Juan Smith (Cheetahs): The Cheetahs captain once again stood up in a powerful Cheetahs back-row that got the better of the Sharks once again. Smith continues to put in 110 per cent for his troops, as he led the Cheetahs to their first away win since 2007.

6 Rocky Elsom (Brumbies): It was a shame Elsom's impressive Brumbies debut ended in defeat after the Wallaby skipper tamed the Bulls for the most part of the match with ball in hand, and without it. By far the best loose forward on show this weekend, Elsom was an influential figure in Pretoria, scoring a powerful try and setting up one for George Smith to give his team a handy lead until fatigue set in.

5 Andries Bekker (Stormers): The Stormers' man-mountain quite literally stood head and shoulders above the rest this weekend. Bekker never gave the Waratahs' an inch in the line-out and showed superb leadership skills when handed the captain's armband following Schalk Burger's injury.

4 Flip van der Merwe (Bulls): The Bulls second lock to fill this position in two weeks, after Danie Rossouw's sterling work in the opening round. Rossouw, in for the injured Bakkies Botha, was himself sidelined leading up to the Brumbies match with Van der Merwe called to take his place. It appears the Bulls aren't short on second row talent in the capital as young Flip stepped up and made a name for himself with a brilliant showing in the tight exchanges.

3 Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes): The only forward to keep his spot from last week, Tialata was also the only player who received an unanimous vote as well. His work-rate around the pitch for such a big bloke was tiresome to watch and was duly rewarded with his first try of the season.

2 Jason Rutledge (Highlanders): Another player unlucky to be on the losing side, but walks into our XV following gutsy display in the tight and loose. He found his target in the line-out more often than not, and never took a step back for All Black number two Keven Mealamu in the scrum.

1 Heinke van der Merwe (Lions): The Lions heavyweight gave the Chiefs all sorts of trouble up front, and forced the visitors back on several occasions – this, when the ball wasn't on the run for three quarters of the match!

Previous selections:

Round One: 15 James O'Connor (Force), 14 Lionel Mapoe (Cheetahs), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Wynand Olivier (Bulls), 11 Zac Guildford (Crusaders), 10 Morne Steyn (Bulls), 9 Will Genia (Reds), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Stormers), 7 Tanerau Latimer (Chiefs), 6 Deon Stegmann (Bulls), 5 Tom Donnelly (Highlanders), 4 Danie Rossouw (Bulls), 3 Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes), 2 Aled de Malmanche (Chiefs), 1 Guthro Steenkamp (Bulls).