Team of the Week: November internationals, Week Two

With the dust having settled on the second weekend of the November internationals, we’ve studied the action to pick our standout players.

England and New Zealand have the most representatives with three apiece following their thrilling Test match on Saturday, while players from Scotland, France, Italy, South Africa, Wales, Ireland and Australia also make the XV.

November internationals: Team of Week Two

15 Damian McKenzie (New Zealand): Excellent display from the livewire full-back, who came to the fore in the final 50 minutes as the All Blacks began to ascertain some control on the game. Scored the visitors’ only try after taking a nice line off Beauden Barrett and made several breaks following the interval, running for 57 metres and beating a staggering 12 defenders. Although he struggled with England’s aerial bombardment, particularly in the first half, McKenzie mopped up well defensively and was a key reason for New Zealand’s victory.

14 Tommy Seymour (Scotland): An easy decision to put the Scottish flyer in the XV after his hat-trick against Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday. France’s Teddy Thomas and New Zealand’s Ben Smith both played well for their respective countries but Seymour showed his try-scoring instincts to touch down three times in 21 minutes. With Finn Russell directing operations from fly-half and Stuart Hogg returning at full-back, Gregor Townsend certainly has plenty of threats behind the scrum.

13 Michele Campagnaro (Italy): A tough one here with Matias Orlando (Argentina) and Semi Radradra (Fiji) both producing good displays despite being on the losing side, but Campagnaro was excellent for the Azzurri at centre. He finished superbly for Italy’s first try and was a threat to the Georgian defence throughout the encounter as they secured a crucial victory over a team most believe should be given a shot in the Six Nations.

12 Bundee Aki (Ireland): Arguably his best performance in a green jersey as he lifted an otherwise error-strewn display from the hosts. The New Zealand-born back carried powerfully and linked well with Will Addison at centre, while the Connacht player also finished impressively for the team’s second try. Elsewhere, Ryan Crotty was hugely effective when he came on for Sonny Bill Williams, helping the All Blacks overturn a 15-0 deficit against England.

11 Jonny May (England): Not too many individuals stood out in this position at the weekend so we’ve again gone for May, who has developed into a fine player. Once criticised for being too reliant on his searing pace, the Leicester Tigers man is now a well-rounded wing and did his core duties very well. Also made one excellent break late on, which took England close to the New Zealand 22 and helped him edge out Scotland’s Sean Maitland.

10 Handre Pollard (South Africa): Both Owen Farrell and Beauden Barrett produced good performances in the contest at Twickenham but Pollard takes the slot after an assured display against France in Paris. Pollard’s accuracy off the tee was vital, keeping the Springboks in the game when they were under pressure. The pivot scored 19 points in total via five penalties and two conversions, while he was also a threat with ball in hand.

9 Baptiste Serin (France): Marshalled proceedings well from scrum-half in a match France should have won. Box-kicked well, often made the right decisions and helped keep South Africa on the back foot for much of the contest. Serin also took place-kicking responsibilities and scored 13 points as he edged out Greig Laidlaw, who shone in Scotland’s victory over Fiji at Murrayfield.

8 David Pocock (Australia): Despite finishing on the losing side against Wales in Cardiff, Pocock was, once again, at the forefront of the Wallabies’ effort with an outstanding individual performance. Although he did not shine as a ball carrier, Pocock was superb at the breakdown, winning several turnovers, and also did well on defence with 12 tackles. Scotland’s Josh Strauss and Mark Wilson of England also impressed.

7 Justin Tipuric (Wales): Delivered arguably his best ever performance for Wales and, in doing so, helped them end a 13-match winless streak against the Wallabies. Tipuric went head-to-head with the twin threat posed by Pocock and Michael Hooper in the breakdown battle and the Ospreys man more than held his own. Shone on defence with a game-high 20 tackles and walked off with the official man-of-the-match-award for his efforts. Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie was next best.

6 Sam Underhill (England): Although he played on the openside for England in their narrow defeat to the All Blacks, we simply had to find a place in our side for Underhill after a superb showing. Was excellent on attack, gaining 66 metres from seven carries with one clean break and three defenders beaten, and was denied a try under controversial circumstances. Was also brilliant on defence with 24 hits and comes in ahead of Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony.

5 Sam Whitelock (New Zealand): The All Blacks vice-captain was in fine form against England at Twickenham as he delivered a polished display at the coalface of his side’s forward effort. Came to the fore with several strong carries, impressed with his lineout work – especially during the second half – and was solid in defence with a team-high 13 tackles.

4 Brodie Retallick (New Zealand): Was the All Blacks’ best player against England with a brilliant all-round effort which highlighted how much the world champions missed him during the latter stages of this year’s Rugby Championship, when he was injured. Retallick was particularly impressive at disrupting England’s lineout and did his bit as a ball carrier, winning 22 metres. Also defended well with nine hits. Beats out South Africa’s Pieter-Steph du Toit and Scotland’s Sam Skinner.

3 Kyle Sinckler (England): The Harlequins man delivered a solid shift and, despite finishing on the losing side, will be proud of his efforts. Stood up well in the scrums and caught the eye as a ball carrier where he gained 16 metres, mostly at close quarters, and beat one defender. Did not shy away from his defensive duties either, making eight tackles, and beats out Ireland’s Tadhg Furlong.

2 Guilhem Guirado (France): Les Bleus’ captain made a fine return to the Test arena and led from the front during a busy shift in their narrow defeat to the Springboks at the Stade de France. Impressed in his core duties and was rewarded with a well-taken try at a crucial stage of the match. Guirado’s presence and leadership was greatly missed during the latter stages of the Test when he was replaced.

1 Allan Dell (Scotland): Was part of an excellent Scottish forward effort in the victory over Fiji at Murrayfield. Dell’s game started brightly as he crossed for the encounter’s opening try and he also impressed in the tight phases, especially the scrums, where he was solid throughout. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Steven Kitshoff shone against France.