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After a month of NRC 2017, these are the standouts

25th September, 2017
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Isi Naisarani makes a charge for the Perth Spirit. (Image: Loryn Ettridge (Rugby Australia))
Expert
25th September, 2017
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“Could I tempt you to name an NRC 15 from what you’ve seen so far this year?” Roarer Hugo put to me last Thursday. Yes, Hugo, you definitely can.

Picking theoretical teams and so-called ‘form XVs’ are always fun and generally fraught with danger. Often, it’s who you’ve left out that’s more important than who you’ve picked.

Regardless, I was disappointed I couldn’t take up Hugo’s challenge at the time and promised to think about it this week, in anticipation of the question being repeated. But after another weekend of really enjoyable rugby, there’s no point holding off until Thursday. Hugo, here are your standouts…

Props
Pek Cowan has been really consistent for Perth Spirit at loosehead, and his experience and leadership in the ‘piggies’ pack is telling at scrum time, where the Spirit has one of the best in the comp.

Young Harry Lloyd from Canberra is another one I’ll mention here, too; he’s a consistent worker around the ground, loves operating in the tramlines, and his scrum work at this level has been top notch.

On the tighthead side, Cowan’s Spirit and Western Force teammate Tetera Faulkner has probably been the pick of the no.3s, with Sam Needs from NSW Country another to impress early on.

Pekahou Cowan Western Force Super Rugby Union 2017

(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Hooker
Greater Sydney’s Hugh Roach is the clear pick here. Canberra’s Robbie Abel, Sydney Rays skipper Damien Fitzpatrick, and even Brisbane City’s Andrew Ready have all been good too, but Roach wins the nod here for four consistently solid performances to date.

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Roach is back to his hard-over-the-ball best, and he’s showing plenty of skill with ball in hand, too.

Locks
Pretty easy pickings here. Perth’s Matt Philip and Brisbane City’s Lukhan Tui have been outstanding over the first month, and are playing exceptional rugby the pair of them.

Tui will miss the next few weeks while away with the Wallabies squad, and all eyes will be on whether Michael Cheika comes good on his thoughts about trying Tui out as a blindside flanker. If Philip hasn’t been contacted by the four Australian Super sides by now about next year, then I’ll be stunned.

Tom Staniforth has been great for NSW Country, too, and he actually leads the competition for carries after four rounds

Flankers
I’d love to have cheated and put Staniforth in at blindside here, but I won’t. Fijian Drua no.6 Samuela Saqiwa has been great, Kotoni Ale for the Rams has come back to this level very nicely, but I think Ben Hyne from the Vikings has been the unheralded standout.

Hyne suffered what could be a serious knee injury late in the game against NSW Country on Saturday, and I really hope he’s not out of the game for an extended period of time now. He’s been getting through a mountain of work for Canberra so far, and leads the competition for tackles, averaging more than 18 per game.

On the open side, again, there’s a swag of good performers: Perth’s Kane Koteka, the Rams’ Dave Hickey, Brisbane City’s Michael Gunn, the Rays’ Tom Connor, too.

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But all of them are trailing Fijian Drua no.7 Mosese Voka, who has the second-highest tackles for the comp, and many of them absolute bone rattlers.

Voka has been great around the ground too, providing the perfect link play, but also sits third on the list of turnovers won; Hugh Roach leads this, coincidentally.

No.8

Perth’s Isi Naisarani. Easy.

I don’t write it like that to be flippant, but it’s just such an obvious pick. Sam Ward is doing good things for NSW Country, and I really like the look of Rob Valetini for Canberra, too, but they’re all trailing Naisarani.

Isi Naisarani makes a charge for the Perth Spirit

(Image: ARU)

Scrumhalf
This is definitely harder to pick, and I would probably flip a coin between Queensland Country’s James Tuttle and Perth skipper Michael Ruru. Both Nines have been really consistent in their delivery over the first month, delivering good ball cleanly and crisply, and are a major reason why both sides are travelling well.

Fiji’s Frank Lomani gets a mention here, too, who is doing all the good things well, and all the sneaky things bloody brilliantly – like picking the ball out of the back of a tryline-bound scrum to score in the corner himself!

Flyhalf
This might be the hardest to pick of all positions because there are a lot of good, consistent players, but not necessarily any real standouts.

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Jonno Lance and Quade Cooper would be easy picks, but neither have played every game. Peceli Nacebi was excellent for the Drua, but again, he only played about 84 minutes at no.10. Sam Lane from the Rays, Tayler Adams for NSW Country, Mack Mason for the Rams have all been good, too.

Jack McGregor from Melbourne gets the nod here, in a really close field. He was among the Rising’s best in the first few losses and was really good in their first win over the Rams on Sunday. His combination with Sione Tuipulotu and Jack Maddocks is excellent, and I wasn’t at all surprised when he told me a few weeks ago that the three of them spend a lot of time together when they’re not training.

Centres
Duncan Paia’aua gets the nod at inside centre, and probably only trails Naisarani as the form player of the first month. He’s the competition’s leading try scorer, but he’s been offering plenty in attack for teammates, too. Has a really nice combination building with forgotten Queensland Reds centre Chris Feuaui-Sautia.

Billy Meakes for Perth gets a mention here, as does Drua skipper John Stewart, though he’s played on the wing and at 13 as well.

Stewart’s teammate Eroni Vasiteri is my pick at outside, and he’s the focal point of the Fijian attack from the first phase. he is a wonderful defender, and with an offload to die for. Canberra’s Andrew Robinson and Chris Kuridrani for Brisbane City are both playing well, too.

Wings
Taqele Naiyaravoro would take my no.11 jersey and I note that the Rams have managed to find a no.11 jersey that fits him.

Naiyaravoro isn’t really doing anything particularly special, but he’s dominating the attack stats currently, either leading or rating highly for metres, defenders beaten, clean breaks, and offloads, and meaning that I’ve not watched him closely enough.

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(Image: AJF Photography)

On the other wing, Kitione Ratu has been wonderful for Melbourne, as was Izaia Perese for Queensland Country before he joined the Wallabies on tour, but John Grant on the other Rams flank has probably been the standout here.

That’s no mean feat, considering he re-joined the Rams this NRC having played the season with Cowra in the Central West of NSW.

Fullback
Tom Banks from Canberra. As easy to pick as Naisarani.

Maddocks is going really well for Melbourne, as is Apisalome Waqatabu for the Fijian Drua, but Banks is the clear standout no.15 over the first month.

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