Super Rugby: Team of Round 4
Round Four has come and gone, but now it's time to look at who left a lasting impression to make Planet Rugby's team of the week!
Round Four has come and gone, but now it's time to look at who left a lasting impression to make Planet Rugby's Super Rugby team of the week!
Unsurprisingly, the Crusaders are the cream of the crop following a rampant 52-10 win over the Brumbies. The Nelson drubbing over their trans-Tasman rivals earns them six places in this week's XV.
Next are the winless – but desperately unlucky – Western Force (four) after drawing with the Blues who will no doubt count themselves very lucky. There's two places for the table-topping Sharks, as well as the returning Hurricanes.
The Stormers' win over the previously unbeaten Highlanders earns them one place, after they moved up to second overall on the Super Rugby table.
15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders): Fluffed a kick or two, but other than that Dagg was a thorn in the Brumbies' side – hot stepping his way through the Australian visitors' defensive line every time he was brought into play. Scored a try too!
14 Sean Maitland (Crusaders): Just count the number of tries scored…one, two, three, four. Enough said.
13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders): Another top-notch effort from this future All Black – on attack and defence – as he powered past smaller opponents and gave grateful recipients such as Maitland space to score.
12 Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders): Fruean's giant midfield mate is settling well into Super Rugby life after touching down for his second try in two weeks. Williams's explosiveness and acceleration in midfield for the Crusaders has set up one of the best centre combos in the tournament.
11 Andre Taylor (Hurricanes): Taylor had a blinder filling in on the injured Hosea Gear's wing. Hardly put a foot wrong as he broke the line frequently for the Hurricanes. A very, very exciting player with ball in hand and definitely one to keep an eye on in Auckland this weekend.
10 James O'Connor (Western Force): Pips Dan Carter this week thanks to a sterling performance against the Blues at pivot – a position the Wallaby utility back is relishing in after a string of impressive outings. A shame he was on the losing side again (the Force drew, but it must have felt like a loss!).
9 Andy Ellis (Crusaders): Ticked all of the boxes, Ellis had a fine match for the Crusaders behind a hard-working pack and keeps out the Cheetahs' Sarel Pretorius for the number nine spot.
8 Kieran Read (Crusaders): The player responsible for leading the Crusaders' hard-working pack – Read was dominant at the breakdown, defended like his life depended on it and constantly powered his way through the Brumbies' defence.
7 Willem Alberts (Sharks): The rampaging form of Alberts must have Bok coach Peter de Villiers smiling from ear to ear back home in the Republic with the Tri-Nations and World Cup on its way.
6 Richard Brown (Western Force): The stand-out performer in Perth and arguably the round. Ok, he didn't score four tries, but certainly did everything else. Repeatedly hurled himself into ball carriers and proved especially influential at the breakdown, winning a number of key turnovers at crucial moments.
5 Nathan Sharpe (Western Force): The 33-year-old veteran of 93 Tests proved once again he's still one of the world's best locks with an inspiring performance and led his team admirably.
4 Sam Wykes (Western Force): Popped up everywhere in a tireless effort for the Force. Was denied a try by the TMO, but dusted himself off to put Nick Cummins over the whitewash a few minutes afterwards.
3 CJ van der Linde (Stormers): Caused opposite number Jamie Mackintosh all sorts of trouble at scrum-time, winning several penalties for pivot Peter Grant to convert into valuable points in a tight game.
2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks): The Sharks star was all over the Melbourne pitch and the result against the Rebels could have gone the other way if it wasn't for the Bok hooker winning important turnovers.
1 John Schwalger (Hurricanes): Was full of fire for the 'Canes, and was rewarded with a try – the Hurricane's first try of the season – for his effort up front.
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)