Team of the Week: Super Rugby
With the dust having settled on Round 10 of Super Rugby, we have gone through the action to pick out the best players last weekend.
There was heartbreak for the Reds but the improvements by the 2011 champions couldn’t be ignored, as the Crusaders ran riot in Bloemfontein in an action-packed weekend of Super Rugby.
See who made the cut below.
Team of the Week: Super Rugby, Round 10
15 David Havili (Crusaders): Plenty of contenders here with the Chiefs’ Damian McKenzie scoring the try of the weekend, Reds’ Karmichael Hunt scoring one and assisting another and Kings’ Masixole Banda who made an unbelievable 18 carries and 123 metres. But ‘Saders full-back Havili retains his shirt in our team of the week after he produced a superb all-round performance. He made two try assists and scored one. He topped his side’s stats chart in terms of carries (10) and defenders beaten (13).
14 George Bridge (Crusaders): Bridge is named in our team of the week for successive weeks, pipping the Blues’ Matt Duffie who scored a try and made another. But Bridge was never in doub after he scored his second hat-trick in as many weeks. Each of Bridge’s tries were more impressive than the next. He topped his side’s charts in terms of metres made (142) and clean breaks (4) while coming second in carries made (12) and defenders beaten (8).
13 Samu Kerevi (Reds): The Reds skipper didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. He made an impressive 73 metres and 13 carries in what was a very brave performance as Kerevi was not afraid to put his body on the line for his team. He beat four defenders and he made two clean breaks which both led to tries.
12 Rob Thompson (Highlanders): Thompson edges out the Reds’ Duncan Paia’aua who impressed in defeat to the ‘Tahs. Inside centre Thompson scored a try and made another. His try assist was one of the highlights of the weekend when he reacted well to the bouncing ball and while going to ground turned defence into attack in an instant with a sublime reverse-pass out the back of the hand to set up a Patty Osborne try. He was heavily involved making 10 carries and two clean breaks while beating six defenders.
11 Patrick Osborne (Highlanders): Kings’ winger Makazole Mampimpi deserves a mention after making a stunning 146 metres and eight carries as well as scoring a try. Osborne, however, was magnificent in his 50th game for the Otago outfit and so was that moustache! He scored two tries and created one. That assist though, was out of this world. He produced a magic sevens-style offload when he drew in two Stormers defenders to create the space and, despite sandwiching himself, somehow got the hands free to set up Thompson for his try.
10 Elton Jantjies (Lions): 14 points courtesy of a try, three conversions and penalty but it was Jantjies’ kicking from hand that played a huge role in their win at the Force. He chewed up the ground when finding touch and his general game management impressed as the Lions playmaker gets our fly-half spot ahead of Richie Mo’unga and Curwin Bosch of the Crusaders and Sharks respectively.
9 Aaron Smith (Highlanders): An excellent performance from the All Black scrum-half as his passing game put his runners into space on numerous occasions. He set up two tries in an assured showing, with New Zealand looking extremely strong in their nine department.
8 Andisa Ntsila (Kings): Huge shift off the base of the scrum for the Kings in that impressive demolition of the Rebels, with the Port Elizabeth franchise continuing what has been an impressive run of performances in recent weeks. In attack Ntsila was devastating, making 118 metres from his 13 carries and beating five defenders. 13 tackles, with no misses, marked an outstanding shift. Good weekends too for Scott Higginbotham, Liam Squire and Akira Ioane.
7 Michael Hooper (Waratahs): When things go well for the Waratahs, Hooper tends to be the reason why. The phenomenal ‘Tahs captain scored a fine solo try at Suncorp in the derby with the Reds, benefiting from some fine dummy runs, but he was also top draw in defence, with eight tackles and more importantly four turnovers. Dillon Hunt of the Highlanders also impressed in the absence of more senior back-row players.
6 Hendrik Tui (Reds): The Japan back-row was everywhere for the Reds in that tight Aussie derby defeat, churning up huge run metres from his four carries as Tui finished with a total of 58 having beaten a couple of defenders. Solid in defence and also won a couple of lineouts in another industrious shift.
5 Taleni Seu (Chiefs): Full of energy for the Chiefs and needed to be against a trickier than expected opponent in the Sunwolves, with the rangy Seu carrying well, beating three defenders on his nine runs for 40 metres, while making 12 tackles in defence and three lineout wins along with a steal, ensuring Brodie Retallick’s week off went without a hitch.
4 Franco Mostert (Lions): Came up big for the Lions as they held off the Force in Perth, with the Springbok beginning to hit top form and combining well with Andries Ferreria in that Lions engine room. Sevens runs for Mostert but his best work was done elsewhere, making 17 tackles and winning an astonishing ten lineouts, plus a steal. Lukhan Tui went well for the Reds.
3 Sam Talakai (Reds): A powerful performance from the Reds tighthead as he carried well for 22 metres and also got about the field with nine tackles to his name. This was a much better performance from the Reds as a whole and Talakai was one of their stand-outs.
2 Malcolm Marx (Lions): Tough to leave out Reds veteran Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau who looks to have a new lease of life in Perth. But we go for Marx after a mixture of physical and delicate touches for the Lions. Nine carries and 10 tackles.
1 Thomas du Toit (Sharks): A strong outing from the Sharks loosehead prop in their victory at the Jaguares, seeing off Ox Nche and Daniel Lienert-Brown of the Cheetahs and Highlanders respectively. Seven tackles and six carries with a try also to his name in an impressive away win from the Durban outfit.