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Each week we’ll be looking at the best of the best in Australian rugby and piecing together the top 15 players out of the Aussie Super Rugby sides from the round gone by.
Another week and another string of defeats for the Australian Conference who slumped to four losses from four games, continuing the winless streak against New Zealand sides in 2017.
The Lions cantered past the Rebels in Melbourne to kick off the weekend for the Aussie sides, going down comfortably with a 47-10 scoreline.
The Reds had a tough task against the dominant Chiefs in New Zealand, a task that proved far too much as they also let in over 40 points and tasted defeat with a 46-17 final scoreline.
The Waratahs were blown away early in the game and left themselves to much to do in the second half against the Blues, going down 40-33 in Sydney.
Finally, the Force finished off the weekend of pain with a 37-12 defeat at the hands of the Sharks.
So here we go, trying to find 15 good players from four teams that lost. The Australian Conference isn’t making it easy for me.
Now bear in mind that the bulk of the choices this week are simply the best of a bad bunch.
1. Toby Smith (Rebels)
Most of the scrum is going to be a real grind to put together among a lot of struggling packs this week.
Smith is one of those picks that is hard to justify, while also being the best option for the week. It’s not a nice thing to say about them, but his run metres and few handy carries weren’t anything incredible, just decent enough to be better than the other looseheads.
2. Tolu Latu (Waratahs)
Latu was a steady hand in the scrum, one that ebbed and flowed against the Blues in slightly confusing fashion, and he was able to put his head down and grind out some good metres up the guts with ball in hand.
A key try early in the second half kept his side in the hunt after a shocker of an opening 40.
3. Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)
Joining Latu in the front row for the Tahs was Sekope Kepu, who arguably had a better game than his hooker against the Blues thanks to a strong running performance.
He was really able to poke his nose through the advantage line to threaten the defence, landing a handful of offloads and just as many tackle busts to keep the Tahs rolling forward inside the enemy 22.
4. Ross Haylett-Petty (Force)
The younger of the Haylett-Petty brothers, Ross was a bit of standout among a Force pack that was generally pushed aside by the big Sharks scrum.
He really lifted (pun intended) at line out time and showed off his powerful running game around the fringes of the ruck, targeting the smaller Sharks inside backs to pick up big metres when the Force were able to get ball in hand.
5. Lukhan Tui (Reds)
It was really a steady week for those wearing the No. 5 jersey and Tui is the beneficiary of that, taking his decent line out performance and alright defensive game around the ruck and close to the line into the team of the week.
6. Brynard Stander (Force)
Stander is in the same boat as Haylett-Petty as one of the few standouts of the week and he deserves this one.
He was an absolute machine with ball in hand despite some work needing to be done defensive wise. He was the only Force player to hit triple figures for running metres and one of just three in the whole game.
He was able to keep the legs driving and pick apart the soft spots of the Sharks defence on the few occasions the Force were able to get a hold of the pill.
7. George Smith (Reds)
The one and only Red to make the side this week and it’s the veteran George Smith who continues his renaissance at Super Rugby level in 2017.
His counter-rucking and turnover skills were as strong as ever to go with a running game that just shouldn’t come off for a man of his age. Offloading was a key facet of his game as well as he continues to show the younger guys how it’s done.
8. Amanaki Mafi (Rebels)
Mafi’s powerful running game continues to be an issue for his opposition this season and he has pulled out another performance to put him up there as possibly the best for the Rebels this year.
He made more metres than any other Rebel in a tough outing for the Melbourne-based side who continue to walk towards an uncertain future.
9. Ben Meehan (Rebels)
It was slim pickings at scrum half this week, so Meehan gets the nod mostly for his cheeky little try assist for Tom English over on the left wing, setting up a beautiful little grubber into the in goal area with a deft touch to put his outside centre over.
Other than that, it was a fairly standard game for a No. 9, bringing steady and consistent ball out of the ruck without making a meal of anything.
10. Jono Lance (Force)
Jono Lance stepped up this week in a losing cause with one of his best showings of the season against the Sharks.
Nearly half a dozen tackle busts next to his name take a back seat to his penchant to open up the defence and set up a handful of line breaks throughout the contest. His running game shone through when he played smart rugby and picked his moments.
He racked up the metres out wide and was able to utilise the dummy to great effect against the sliding defence.
11. Marika Koroibete (Rebels)
Koroibete has made a decent cross-over from rugby league this season and has continued to show flashes of brilliance and enough of that form that saw him picked for a Wallabies squad before even playing a Super Rugby game.
He was deadly down the wing with ball in hand and was able to chew up the yards when given an inch of space to work with. While there is still plenty to improve on, the signs are there for a successful run in rugby.
12. Mitch Inman (Rebels)
Inman combined well with the aforementioned Koroibete against the Lions despite a severe lack of possession or momentum against the South Africans.
He looked threatening when the Rebels were able to move it out wide and wasn’t afraid to take on the line when the opportunity arose.
13. Rob Horne (Waratahs)
Far from an amazing performance, the former (or current if you like your chances) Wallaby has had an undulating season after returning from a lengthy injury lay off.
There were plenty of errors, as was the case with most of his side against the Blues, but he will still able to take advantage of some free-running rugby when given some room to move.
The Tahs inability for ball retention hurt his chances of really getting a head of steam up throughout the game.
14. James Verity-Amm (Force)
The youngster finds his way into the side again this week, and despite being a little shaky in Round 10, he showed a bit more of that potential again this week coming up against the Sharks.
His try in the 26th minute to give his side the lead was a display of his pace and line running on the set piece, something that could become more beneficial when he gets comfortable coming in off his wing.
15. Israel Folau (Waratahs)
While his uninterested style of play in 2017 has called into question his motivation at the Waratahs and Wallabies for the future, he can still snag a try or two when he puts the effort in.
Far from a standout week, Folau pips the other fullbacks of the round mostly because Hunt wasn’t playing and the others were held down by far better sides.
His second-half brace against the Blues wasn’t enough to get his side the win, but it was enough to bag the losing bonus point. So that’s nice I guess.
Do you agree with the XV? You’re sporting fans, of course you don’t, so let us know who you think should or shouldn’t be in the side for this week.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.