Team of the Week: Rugby Championship, Round Two

Adam Kyriacou

With the dust having settled on Round Two of the Rugby Championship, we have gone through the action to pick the best players from the weekend.

Despite it being a drab contest in Brisbane, Australia lead the way with seven players represented in the team. New Zealand and South Africa both have three involved while Argentina round off the XV with two.

So without further ado, here’s our line-up. Make sure to leave your comments under our team about who you think should have made it.

Team of the Week: Rugby Championship, Round Two

15 Kurtley Beale (Australia): Similar to the previous weekend, New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett did some exceptional things in attack, including setting up their only try with a searing run, but there were just too many mistakes from the talented playmaker. We have therefore gone for the Aussie full-back, who built on his impressive cameo against South Africa with another good display. Beale made two clean breaks and also linked the backline together nicely with his passing game and that took the pressure off Christian Lealiifano.

14 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa): Has been a joy to watch in the Top 14 over the past couple of years and is starting to show that talent at the highest level. As with any top winger, Kolbe has plenty of pace, but his balance and footwork sets him apart. The Toulouse flyer made Owen Franks look rather silly with an incredible step off his left foot, while the 25-year-old set up the match-drawing try for Herschel Jantjies with a nice run and kick down the right.

13 Jack Goodhue (New Zealand): Had a slightly quieter Super Rugby campaign, despite the Crusaders winning their third successive title, but stepped up for the All Blacks on Saturday. Goodhue was one of New Zealand’s better players and scored their only try after latching onto Beauden Barrett’s break to take them 7-6 ahead at the break. In total, the centre made 56 metres, which included seven defenders beaten, as he edged out South Africa’s defensive linchpin Lukhanyo Am.

12 Samu Kerevi (Australia): Another excellent performance from the Reds powerhouse, who will be key to the Wallabies’ World Cup hopes in Japan. After excelling in Super Rugby, Kerevi has been Australia’s best player over the first two rounds of the Rugby Championship. Argentina struggled to contain the centre with the 25-year-old running for 52 metres, which included four clean breaks, from his 12 carries.

11 Ramiro Moyano (Argentina): It is tough on Australia’s outstanding wing Marika Koroibete, whose break set up the hosts’ only try on Saturday, but Moyano was a constant threat to the Wallabies’ defence. The Argentinian made two breaks and beat six defenders for his 91 metres – the most of any player at the weekend – but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Pumas from going down to a 16-10 defeat.

10 Christian Lealiifano (Australia): A good return for the fly-half, who edges out South Africa’s Handré Pollard following an assured performance against Argentina. Despite the ultimately tight nature of the scoreline, the Wallabies controlled the majority of the game and that was predominantly down to the half-backs. Lealiifano’s passing was sharp while his kicking game was effective, both out of hand and off the tee.

9 Will Genia (Australia): It was tempting to put Faf de Klerk here after a superb 45 minutes on field, particularly since South Africa struggled for territory following his departure, but Genia was excellent for the Wallabies. The scrum-half’s passing from the base was good and his decision-making was on point, which allowed the Australia carriers to consistently get over the gain line. Unfortunately for the Wallabies, errors prevented them from getting further scores, but it does not detract from a fine display by their half-back.

8 Isi Naisarani (Australia): His Super Rugby form over the last couple of seasons brought excitement amongst Australia fans as they waited for his eligibility for Test selection. He hasn’t disappointed thus far in the gold jersey and Saturday was another excellent showing for Naisarani as he carried strongly for 64 metres and was a physical presence during his 75 minutes on the field. He sees off Argentina’s Facundo Isa, who was impressive on his return to the international scene, scoring a try and being his usual nuggety self.

7 Kwagga Smith (South Africa): So often an excitement machine with ball in hand, it was his work-rate in the dark arts that stood out against New Zealand as his selection proved a masterstroke from Rassie Erasmus. Topped the Springboks’ tackle statistics with 15 and was a ball of energy in close quarters as South Africa sealed a draw. The hard-working Tomas Lezana is worthy of his mention, while Australia’s Michael Hooper also impressed.

6 Shannon Frizell (New Zealand): A difficult call to leave out Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who performed well for the Wallabies in all facets and looks the long-term man for them at blindside flanker. Likewise for Frizell as he continues to put in consistent performance after consistent performance for both franchise and country. Pieter-Steph du Toit also had another decent game but we opt for Frizell.

5 Franco Mostert (South Africa): The Springboks’ depth at lock continues to impress and Mostert’s presence in the engine room gave them plenty in Wellington. Strong in all areas, especially work-rate, the busy second-row edges out Sam Whitelock as our five.

4 Guido Petti (Argentina): Firstly a mention for Izack Rodda, who is forming a decent second-row combination with Rory Arnold and seems to be growing in confidence by the game. His smart line and carry early on got Australia on the front foot, but he came up against a player who toiled throughout. Petti, as always, got through a mountain of work, finishing with 14 tackles and seven big carries.

3 Taniela Tupou (Australia): Caused the Pumas all kinds of issues at scrum time when coming on in the early stages of the second period. Alongside James Slipper, Folau Fainga’a and later Tolu Latu they turned the screw on Argentina’s pack as Australia made a statement up front. Renowned for his destructive carrying but if Tupou adds a strong set-piece to his game he’ll be a complete prop.

2 Dane Coles (New Zealand): Caught the eye as soon as he came off the bench in the 61st minute against South Africa. His strong work in the outside channels caused the Boks all kinds of issues as he finished with the third most metres in his side. At Suncorp Stadium Julian Montoya also impressed with ball in hand as the absence of Agustin Creevy wasn’t as glaring as the Pumas might have feared.

1 Scott Sio (Australia): A mention for South Africa loosehead Steven Kitshoff and James Slipper‘s impact off the bench for Australia, but Sio was excellent in Brisbane. Against the formidable presence that is veteran Juan Figallo, he held his own and also impressed around the field, making 20 metres with ball in hand before he was substituted early in the second half after a more than decent shift.

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