Team of the Week: Super Rugby, Round Six

David Skippers

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

The Sharks lead the way with four players in our team following their impressive win over the Jaguares while the Chiefs are next best with three representatives and the Blues, Crusaders and Brumbies provide two each.

Team of the Week: Super Rugby, Round Six

15 Aphelele Fassi (Sharks): Dane Haylett-Petty and George Bridge impressed for the Rebels and Crusaders respectively but Fassi gets the nod after another excellent performance in the Sharks’ victory against the Jaguares in Durban. Like most of his previous games this season, the 22-year-old wreaked havoc on attack and eventually gained 98 metres from nine runs which included three clean breaks, four defenders beaten as well as an offload.

14 Mark Telea (Blues): Another difficult choice as the Rebels’ Andrew Kellaway and Shaun Stevenson of the Chiefs also played well but we’ve shifted Telea from the left wing after a superb showing from the Blues flyer in their win over the Hurricanes. Telea showed off his fine finishing skills to score an excellent try which paved the way to victory for his side and finished with 140 metres gained from 14 runs, beating 11 defenders.

13 Rieko Ioane (Blues): The All Blacks utility back proved a handful on attack and tested the Hurricanes’ defence with several strong runs in a rare win for the Blues in Wellington. Ioane gained 55 metres from 13 runs which included five clean breaks, eight defenders beaten and two offloads. He also made seven tackles and beats out Jack Goodhue of the Crusaders and the Brumbies’ Tevita Kuridrani.

12 Irae Simone (Brumbies): The Brumbies recorded an easy win over the Sunwolves in a relocated fixture in Wollongong and Simone played a big part in helping his side to secure victory. The former Waratahs player finished with 44 metres gained on attack but also did his bit on defence and made 10 tackles. The Rebels’ Billy Meakes and Anton Lienert-Brown of the Chiefs were also good.

11 Rosko Speckman (Bulls): The Springboks Sevens star was in superb form and played a major role as the Bulls claimed their first victory of the season when they beat the Highlanders in Pretoria on Saturday. Speckman was a constant threat on attack where he gained 110 metres and was rewarded with a hat-trick of tries for his efforts. Marika Koroibete also impressed for the Rebels.

10 Curwin Bosch (Sharks): All Blacks duo Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Cruden delivered fine performances for the Crusaders and Chiefs respectively but Bosch gets in ahead of them after another brilliant effort for the Sharks. The 22-year-old excelled as his team’s chief playmaker and was named man of the match after their win over the Jaguares. His goal-kicking was also good as he finished with a 13-point haul after slotting three penalties and a couple of conversions.

9 Brad Weber (Chiefs): The Chiefs scored a half century of points in an easy triumph against the Waratahs in Wollongong and the All Blacks scrum-half was one of his team’s best performers. He delivered slick service to his outside backs and kept the Waratahs defence on their toes with his sniping breaks. Weber gained 74 metres from seven runs and also scored a couple of five-pointers. Embrose Papier also caught the eye in the Bulls’ win over the Highlanders.

8 Pita Sowakula (Chiefs): Harry Wilson of the Reds, the Sharks’ Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Isi Naisarani of the Rebels put in huge shifts for their respective sides but Sowakula’s efforts in Wollongong could not be ignored. The 25-year-old proved to be a human wrecking ball on attack where he gained 51 metres from eight runs which included two defenders beaten and a couple of offloads. He also got through plenty of defensive work and made 19 hits.

7 Sam Cane (Chiefs): The All Blacks openside was at the forefront of the men from Hamilton’s onslaught in a one-sided away victory against the Waratahs and comes in ahead of Tom Christie of the Crusaders and the Sharks’ James Venter. The Chiefs skipper led his troops well while his breakdown work was also impressive along with being prominent on defence where he made 10 tackles.

6 Rob Valetini (Brumbies): The Wallabies back-row was one of the Brumbies’ star players in their demolition of the Sunwolves and was particularly dangerous with ball in hand. The 21-year-old proved difficult to stop as he breached his opponents’ defence with regularity, gaining 74 metres in the process which included three defenders beaten and a deserved try. Valetini edges out Josh Strauss of the Bulls.

5 Hyron Andrews (Sharks): One of the Sharks’ unsung heroes, Andrews delivered an excellent all-round performance in his side’s victory against the Jaguares in Durban. The 24-year-old won his ball in the lineouts, gained 29 metres on attack from two runs with one clean break, a defender beaten and also scored a well-taken try. Mitchell Dunshea of the Crusaders deserves a mention.

4 Scott Barrett (Crusaders): After a short stint on the sidelines through injury, the Crusaders captain made a welcome return for the 10-time champions and hit the ground running with an outstanding performance in a narrow home win over the Reds. Barrett did what was expected of him in the lineouts, ran for 42 metres but made his biggest impact on defence where he made a game-high 25 tackles.

3 Taniela Tupou (Reds): The Reds came desperately close to beating the Crusaders in Christchurch and Tupou made a big contribution for the men from Brisbane. The ‘Tongan Thor’ put in a huge shift on attack where he gained 42 metres from 12 runs with three defenders beaten a couple of offloads and a well-taken try. Ofa Tu’ungafasi of the Blues was next best.

2 Codie Taylor (Crusaders): There were good performances from Kerron van Vuuren of the Sharks, the Chiefs’ Samisoni Taukei’aho and Jaco Visagie of the Bulls, but Taylor makes our team after another fine all-round display for the Crusaders in Christchurch. The All Black impressed on attack, gaining 32 metres from five carries and also shone on defence where he made 18 hits.

1 Ox Nche (Sharks): The one-Test Springbok has played consistently well since joining the Sharks from the Cheetahs and came to the fore with another strong effort during his new team’s victory over the Jaguares at the weekend. Nche stood up well in the scrums as well as with the rest of his core duties and beats out All Blacks veteran Joe Moody, who had a good game for the Crusaders.

Blues