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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.
A mixed bag for the Australian Conference this week with a couple of wins and just as many losses, leaving just two horses in the finals race and one with a hefty lead out front.
The Reds were buried by their own coach and the Force in Brisbane, going down 40-26 at home.
The Waratahs and Rebels were unsurprisingly pushed aside by the much more fancied Highlanders and Crusaders respectively over in New Zealand.
The Brumbies extended their lead at the top of the standings with a vital win over the Jaguares in Argentina as they skip away from the chasing pack.
1. Toby Smith (Rebels)
It wasn’t a great night for the Rebels who were up against it having to face the undefeated Crusaders but it wasn’t all bad as they went down in 19-41 in Melbourne.
Smith provided one of those moments when he reached out those long arms to plant the ball over the line early in the second half to give his side some kind of hope. He was fairly consistent throughout the rest of the game and showed off his power in tight to the ruck.
2. Josh Mann-Rae (Brumbies)
I’ll save you all the pain by not putting Stephen Moore in this spot once again despite bagging a couple of meat pies. While Moore was the beneficiary of a couple of strong mauls, Mann-Rae had a much stronger game overall.
He led the Brumbies scrum in a strong night over the Jaguares pack as well as driving over the advantage line consistently with ball in hand while defending well on the fringes of the breakdown. A tough hookers performance all round.
3. Alan Ala’alatoa (Brumbies)
In the same boat as Mann-Rae, Ala’alatoa was powerful in the scrum, but shone through up the guts of the field when taking on the line.
His ability to break off the first tackle when running opened up a host of offload opportunities and extra metres through the centre as the Brumbies were driving forward.
4. Matt Philip (Force)
A strong game in the lineout, Philip was raking in the throws and the running metres despite a few shaky moments in the first half.
He didn’t blow everyone away this week, but it was a workhorse performance, one that came through the breakdown and in support more than in the highlight reel.
5. Adam Coleman (Force)
Coleman linked up quite well in partnership with Philip, creating a damaging a deadly lock combination that the Reds struggled to contain for the most part.
Coleman was arguably the stronger of the two in terms of running game, throwing himself around all over the place seemingly coming from everywhere to take a run when they needed momentum to keep rolling.
6. Ross Haylett-Petty (Force)
Completing the Force trio through the middle of the pack, the much taller Haylett-Petty brother continued the form of the previous two entries, keeping the Reds defence on the back foot in the second half.
He did score their first try of the game to rebound from a slow start, but his overall game was a powerhouse performance and he helped turn the game late to take the win.
7. George Smith (Reds)
The Smith renaissance continues as the veteran shows why he is still one of the best in Australian rugby amidst a struggling year for the sport in this country.
Not only was he at his pilfering best, but for a small player, he shows so much intelligence with ball in hand, running smart and into the spaces that create the most opportunity.
His offloading game as well was on show on a few occasions throughout the game.
(Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons)
8. Amanaki Mafi (Rebels)
He’s nearly a shoe-in every week now as the Japanese international continues his stellar season for the Melbourne outfit.
Probably the performance of the round, he doubled the running metres of any other Rebel player and was outdone by just one Crusader despite letting in 41 points to 19.
He was racking up line breaks and tackle busts nearly every time he touched the ball, averaging double figures for metres made on every single carry.
9. Nick Frisby (Reds)
While he may not have got everyone’s vote, or the match result for that matter, Frisby had his best game of the season this week for mine, and this is my list, so I can add him if I like.
He made the most running metres of anyone in the game across both sides, leading to a line break and try assist early in the second half. His vision at the back of the ruck led him to slipping through five missed tackles and creating forward chances for his side.
10. Jackson Garden-Bachop (Rebels)
Garden-Bachop’s running game really helped his game against the Crusaders this week, making up for a few little errors with some blistering aggression at the line.
He was able to poke his head through the line on a few occasions, breaking tackles and showing no fear in throwing the dummy and looking to take advantage of some tired big men late in the game.
11. Aidan Toua (Brumbies)
Marika Koroibete is the second man to score two tries and not make the side this week, but the former NRL winger suffers from a two-moment game. Aidan Toua takes it from the Brumbies.
A few linebreaks and some blistering speed down the sideline helped him tear up the Jaguares fringe defence out wide as he racked up the running metres.
12. Reece Hodge (Rebels)
In a generally tough night coming up against the top team in Super Rugby, Reece Hodge showed some signs of form that has been absent in recent times for the centre.
He played more of a supporting role in this one, playing provider for a number of line breaks throughout the game and drawing the defence in to create room out wide. He was no slouch when he decided to take on the line either.
(AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
13. Tevita Kuridrani (Brumbies)
Kuridrani has been pulling out some big performances as of late and continues his run this week as the Brumbies pushed away the Jaguares away from home.
More distance than anyone else, being the only man to hit triple figures for running metres, Kuridrani proved difficult to bring down as he danced into the backfield on more than once occasion
14. Henry Speight (Brumbies)
Speight reaped the benefits of Kuridrani and one other that will be mentioned on his inside, breaking tackles and the line a few times, creating and executing offload and second play opportunities.
His try in the second half was nothing spectacular but it was a key moment to push that lead out for the Brumbies and take the game away from the Jaguares.
15. Tom Banks (Brumbies)
Third time lucky for the brace-scorers this weekend as Tom Banks completes the Brumbies back three sweep.
His two tries within about four minutes took the Brumbies up to and then past the Jags in the first half, one with a nice bit of pace and footwork, then the other with a peach of a pick up in the corner.
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.