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The Super XV: Australian team of the week, Round 15

The Brumbies head to Perth to take on the Force and possibly take top spot in the Aussie conference. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
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4th June, 2017
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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.

The dastardly New Zealand Conference proved to be Australia’s achilles heel once again this week, continuing their dominant record in 2017 with three more wins and zero defeats to the tally.

The Blues held off a defiant Reds side in Apia, taking the spoils 34 to 29, while the Chiefs dispatched the Waratahs finals hopes with a high-scoring 46-31 win.

The Hurricanes ran past the hapless Force in Perth, snagging six tries to two for a 34-12 victory.

The biggest result of the weekend came in Canberra, where the Brumbies picked up the win over the Rebels to lock up the Australian Conference and a place in the finals for the fifth year running.

So four losses and one win for the Aussie Conference in Round 15. Pretty standard for 2017. Let’s jump into the top 15 then.

1. Nic Mayhew (Brumbies)
The Brumbies front row had a pretty confident outing against the Rebels this week and that is reflected in the opening slot of this week’s team.

Mayhew was arguably the best front rower of the week and certainly the best loosehead. In a little surprising fact, he pulled off the most offloads of anyone else in the game as he caused headaches in close to the ruck and through the line.

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2. James Hanson (Rebels)
I was tempted to put Andrew Ready in here but I felt as though his rolling maul try boosted his game more than it should have, so Hanson’s workhorse performance takes his place.

His running game was brutal, powerful and momentum shifting at times when the Rebels were still trying to stay in the game. He was continually breaking the first tackle and sneaking over the advantage line.

Not at easy night for his side, but a standout and grinding performance from him at the centre of the front row.

3. Taniela Tupou (Reds)
It’s hard to go past a prop that scores a double and not just from the back of a maul either. Tongan Thor has had plenty of detractors since coming on with the Reds, but he does show glimpses of that potential every now and then.

His try in the first half slowed the early onslaught down after the Blues put on two inside the first seven minutes, while his five-pointer in the second 40 was a huge moment in the game, giving the Reds the lead coming into the final ten minutes.

It wasn’t just that either, he made two line breaks and five tackle busts as he threw himself around all over the place.

4. Rory Arnold (Brumbies)
It was a battle of the Arnolds this week. Rory for the Brumbies and Richie for the Force. Both had similar outings, but it’s Wallaby Rory who gets the nod.

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He was strong in the lineout when it counted and made the most of his chances with ball in hand, picking up good metres as well, in fact, more than any other Brumby forward and less than only one forward in the game.

5. Sam Carter (Brumbies)
A fairly non-descript weekend for those wearing the No. 5 jumper but it was the Brumbies Sam Carter who made the most of his time on the park in Round 15 with a quietly consistent performance.

He ground his way around the fringes of the ruck in attack and defensively, especially inside his own 22 as the Brumbies were able to keep the Force tryless for the 80 minutes.

6. Ned Hanigan (Waratahs)
Nearly went with Scott Fardy on this one but I think Hanigan’s efforts deserve a bit more credit for coming up against stronger opposition in the destructive Chiefs.

Hanigan was a metre-driving machine against a more fancied pack, playing the role of the battering ram, taking the second most runs of any Tahs player and driving hard up the field.

His tackle busts and metres made are telling stats in a strong performance as a running flanker, a role usually reserved for Michael Hooper in the New South Wales side, speaking of.

7. Michael Hooper (Waratahs)
With George Smith not quite continuing his form as of late and Chris Alcock not quite matching him, it was easy to pick Hooper this week after another stellar outing for the Tahs.

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He more than doubled the running metres of any other forward in the game across both sides and was only bettered by a couple of Chiefs backs. His ability to break tackles and find space despite his size is insane, showing off the power and timing of his runs.

A pair of line breaks along with 140 metres with ball in hand, a host of tackle busts and huge pressure on the Chiefs in the counter ruck put him up there as one of the top performers of the week.

Michael Hooper of the NSW Waratahs finds some space. (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)

(Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)

8. Amanaki Mafi (Rebels)
It’s just becoming an automatic selection every week. Amanaki Mafi has arguably been the best player in the Australian Conference in 2017 and it’s a shame the Japanese international can’t line up for the Wallabies this June.

He could play outside centre if he wanted to. His running is so destructive and those tree trunk legs are impossible to wrap your arms around. Despite being on the wrong side of the Brumbies this week, he was still able to plough through the defence time and time again.

Defensively, he’s a brick wall as well, but it’s his deceptive surge of pace that often catches the opposition off guard.

9. Michael Ruru (Force)
Not a blistering game by any stretch but a serviceable performance from Ruru who just sneaks his way past Jake Gordon this week in the halfback role.

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He was stealthy when running off the back of the ruck and held his own when the big men targeted him in defence.

10. Wharenui Hawera (Brumbies)
Not quite the running game of Bernard Foley but much more aligned overall and he was a key factor in guiding his side to victory and the finals.

His try in the second half all but sealed the deal for the home side but he played the provider so well throughout the contest, adding to his kicking game and aggression at taking on the line when needed.

11. Cameron Clark (Waratahs)
The former sevens star has been a bit up and down since joining the 15-man game this season but he showed off his open and broken play running style this week against tough conditions across the ditch.

He thrived on the kick return and down the edges, finding backfield space multiple times as he racked up the line breaks and running metres.

12. Kyle Godwin (Brumbies)
Godwin played a strong mix of playmaking inside centre and running outside back to support Hawera against the Rebels.

His kicking game was arguably just as good, if not better, than his flyhalf, but he utilised the running game well throughout the game as well, working around tired legs later in the contest.

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13. Rob Horne (Waratahs)
It’s hard to get behind Rob Horne sometimes. He can be outstanding across the park and damaging with ball in hand, but other times, he can be a liability and somehow trip all over himself. He was the former this week.

Admittedly his intercept try was an absolute gift wrapped present from the Chiefs, but overall, he was a highlight in attack among an undulating night for the New South Wales side.

He picked up triple figures for running metres but also made key contributions to line breaks.

14. Henry Speight (Brumbies)
Not as dominant as he has been in past weeks but Speight continues to be one of the best wingers in the Australian Conference, finding form leading into the June internationals.

His opening run off the kickoff was signs of things to come throughout the game. When given space down the edges he was typically hard to bring down, but he showed some cracks in defence that will need fixing up sooner rather than later.

15. Israel Folau (Waratahs)
I was tempted to give Dane Haylett-Petty a run here but his try might have bumped his performance up and the yellow card certainly didn’t help. Tom Banks played fairly well for the Brumbies, but Folau just ticked over a bit more in terms of providing to support his solo efforts.

Despite zero line breaks himself, he set up four alone and ploughed into three figures in metres made with ball in hand.

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His offloading game again helped him play one of his more supporting efforts this season, allowing the Tahs to push forward with momentum as they chased the game.

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.

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