Super Rugby: Team of Round 11

The Blues might be the new tournament leaders after Round 11, but that's not to say they dominate our selections – far from it!

The Blues might well be the new tournament leaders after Round 11, but that's not to say they dominate our selections this week – far from it!

Whilst we haven't completely ignored the Blues' hard-fought win over the Highlanders, it was the Crusaders (three), Stormers (three) and Cheetahs (three) who really caught our attention.

Wins for the Hurricanes (one), Waratahs (one) and Bulls (one) didn't go unnoticed, while the brave efforts of the Force (one) and desperately unlucky Reds (one) weren't left out either.

15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders): The Crusaders' two-try hero keeps out the Force's two-try hero Cameron Shepherd. Dagg bagged his brace in the opening eight minutes to set the tone for the rest of the match, and also put Sonny Bill Williams on the scoresheet. His best outing in a Crusaders' jersey to date.
14 Luke Morahan (Reds): A brace of tries from the in-form Reds back – his second a magnificent solo effort. Pulling all the right strings at the moment in a World Cup year to get Robbie Deans' attention.
13 Robert Ebersohn (Cheetahs): Was unlucky not to score any tries himself, but sliced up the Brumbies defence like a hot knife through butter to set up plenty for his team-mates instead.
12 Jean de Villiers (Stormers): Impressive on attack and solid on defence. The returning Bok centre was a pillar of strength in the Stormers midfield, breaking through the Sharks centres to score the opening try and then embarrassed his opposite number to create the second.
11 Zac Guildford (Crusaders): We scratched our heads at this one for a while. But having looked at the games over, it was Guildford that impressed us the most with his work-rate. Guildford isn't finding the form that made him an All Black – he's already found it.
10 Aaron Cruden (Hurricanes): Tough choice in a round where the pivots had a big influence on the game – Cooper, Steyn, McAlsiter. Cruden didn't have the best night with the boot, but kicked the one that mattered most to win the game for his team.
9 Sarel Pretorius (Cheetahs): Two more tries from arguably South Africa's best performing number nine in the competition puts him level with Crusaders winger Sean Maitland as the tournament's leading try-scorer (8).
8 Duane Vermeulen (Stormers): Was the stand-out loose forward against a classy Sharks' back row, combining monster hits with bull-dozing runs that only pushed his chances of making the Bok squad even further.
7 David Pocock (Force): He's baaaaaaack!
6 Jerome Kaino (Blues): An outstanding defensive performance by the All Blacks flanker who more than matched his opponents' physicality at the breakdown and worked tirelessly to shut down the Highlanders' threats.
5 Victor Matfield (Bulls): Matfield's been pretty quiet thus far this season, but stood tall against the Chiefs and put his priceless experience to good use by leading his team to a remarkable come-from-behind victory.
4 Rynhardt Elstadt (Stormers): When Matfield eventually hangs up his boots, the South African rugby public will be relieved to know they have an up-and-coming star in the form of this guy.
3 Sekope Kepu (Waratahs): It was a monstrous performance by the home pack that laid the platform for victory against the Rebels, with Kepu very much in the thick of things.
2 Corey Flynn (Crusaders): Solid outing from the 30-year old who won back his team's lead thanks to a try in the 71st minute, that all started from Flynn winning a tighthead at the scrum.
1 Coenie Oosthuizen (Cheetahs): The Brumbies had no answer when this 126kg prop came running at them. When he wasn't hurling his big frame around the pitch, the young loosehead was causing all sorts of trouble up front at scrum-time.

Team of Round One: 15 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs), 14 Tim Nanai-Williams (Chiefs), 13 Rob Horne (Waratahs), 12 Robbie Coleman (Brumbies), 11 Drew Mitchell (Waratahs), 10 James O'Connor (Force), 9 Jano Vermaak (Lions), 8 Kieran Read (Crusaders), 7 Phil Waugh (Waratahs), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Franco van der Merwe (Lions), 4 Bakkies Botha (Bulls), 3 Jannie du Plessis (Sharks), 2 Keven Mealamu (Blues), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls).

Team of Round Two: 15 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs), 14 Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), 13 Rob Horne (Waratahs), 12 Julian Huxley (Rebels), 11 Drew Mitchell (Waratahs), 10 Danny Cipriani (Rebels), 9 Charl McLeod (Sharks), 8 Ashley Johnson (Cheetahs), 7 Josh Strauss (Lions), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Mark Chisholm (Brumbies), 3 WP Nel (Cheetahs), 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs), 1 Jamie Mackintosh (Highlanders).

Team of Round Three: 15 Pat McCabe (Brumbies), 14 Lelia Masaga (Chiefs), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Shaun Treeby (Highlanders), 11 Kade Poki (Highlanders), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Will Genia (Reds), 8 Keegan Daniel (Sharks), 7 Matt Todd (Crusaders), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Josh Bekhuis (Highlanders), 4 Isaac Ross (Chiefs), 3 John Afoa (Blues), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), 1 Wyatt Crocket (Crusaders).

Team of Round Four: 15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14 Sean Maitland (Crusaders), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders), 11 Andre Taylor (Hurricanes), 10 James O'Connor (Western Force), 9 Andy Ellis (Crusaders), 8 Kieran Read (Crusaders), 7 Willem Alberts (Sharks), 6 Richard Brown (Western Force), 5 Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), 4 Sam Wykes (Western Force), 3 CJ van der Linde (Stormers), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), 1 John Schwalger (Hurricanes).

Team of Round Five: 15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14 Rene Ranger (Blues), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Luke McAlister (Blues), 11 Sarel Pretorius (Cheetahs), 10 Peter Grant (Stormers), 9 Alby Mathewson (Blues), 8 Kieran Read (Crusaders), 7 Heinrich Brüssow (Cheetahs), 6 Scott Higginbotham (Reds), 5 Andries Bekker (Stormers), 4 Rynhardt Elstadt (Stormers), 3 WP Nel (Cheetahs), 2 Keven Mealamu (Blues), 1 Ben Daley (Reds).

Team of Round Six: 15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14 Rod Davies (Reds), 13 Jaques Fourie (Stormers), 12 Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders), 11 Zac Guildford (Crusaders), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Nick Phipps (Rebels), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Stormers), 7 Beau Robinson (Reds), 6 Willem Alberts (Sharks), 5 Andries Bekker (Stormers), 4 Alister Campbell (Rebels), 3 Greg Somerville (Rebels), 2 Deon Fourie (Stormers), 1 Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders).

Team of Round Seven: 15 Isaia Toeava (Blues),14 Kade Poki (Highlanders), 13 Digby Ioane (Reds), 12 Luke McAlister (Blues), 11 Luke Morahan (Reds), 10 Danny Cipriani (Rebels), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 8 Gareth Delve (Rebels), 7 Schalk Burger (Stormers), 6 Jack Lam (Hurricanes), 5 Hugh Pyle (Rebels), 4 Sam Wykes (Western Force), 3 Werner Kruger (Bulls), 2 Jason Rutledge (Highlanders), 1 Jamie Mackintosh (Highlanders).

Team of Round Eight: 15 Ben Smith (