Super Rugby Round 18: Aussie team of the week

Some very, very ordinary rugby was on display from a few Australian teams and players this weekend but thankfully one scintillating display capped off the weekend.

It will be no surprise after an introduction like that that I’ve chosen a team heavily dominated by the Waratahs again this week

1. Pek Cowan
Benn Robinson scrummaged pretty well but the Waratahs’ scrum actually improved after he was subbed off late in the game. Looking at his stats he had four carries for zero metres, and no passes or offloads.

Sure, a prop’s primary game isn’t running the ball, but in a scintillating team, Benn was ok but no standout. Pek Cowan also scrummaged very well and was more active around the field so I’m giving a narrow points decision to Pek this week.

2. Tatafu Polota-Nau
The stats tell me Tatafu made the same number of runs as Benn but at least made some metres with those runs. He also had a few offloads and a decent tackle count.

Nathan Charles also played very well. He seems to have much more of a running game than any other Australian hooker and made 37 metres off his five carries, including a try. Going by stats alone I’d probably give it to Nathan but I just feel Tatafu did more of the hard stuff, such as hitting rucks hard, being at the right place at the right time and executing telling tackles.

3. Sekope Kepu
Sekope did a lot of work around the field but also scrummaged very well right throughout the match. Bagged a try and got a lucky pass away to set up another, I thought he was the standout Aussie tighthead of the weekend.

4. Sam Wykes
I thought Sam was really good in this match – especially in the first 20 minutes and towards the end of the match. Ten carries for the match, including line breaks, good passing and also did the tough stuff in rucks and mauls.

The only real competition for the loosehead lock spot comes from Hugh Pyle. In an atrocious Rebels side, Hugh was the only one to catch my eye. Of all the players leaving our shores next year, he is probably the one I’m most disappointed about – I feel he is pretty good now but has massive potential.

5. Luke Jones
Luke Jones got through a mountain of work according to the stats, with 16 carries. I have to say that I notice him getting the ball a lot but he doesn’t make real dents in the defence all that often.

I know many don’t like me citing stats but here’s a couple which back up the reason I’m not going for Kane Douglas this week. Kane had one carry and made one tackle in a full half of rugby. Not good enough. Will Skelton had seven carries and made four tackles as his replacement. Plus he hit rucks with a lot more venom.

Horwill also had a bit of a shocker so, although I was tempted to cheat and pick Pyle here, I’m going with Jones.

6. Stephen Hoiles
Colby Fainga’a does a lot of good things, wherever he plays. Hugh McMeniman seems to find new reasons to be nicknamed madness most of the time he plays. Curtis Browning was ordinary for the Reds, so that leaves me with the very accomplished Stephen Hoiles.

It’s mean to save Dave Dennis won’t be missed but suffice to say Stephen won’t let the Waratahs down in the number six jersey as his replacement.

7. Michael Hooper
Not a position to compare stats on this week, I thought Hooper was again outstanding. As usual, he was everywhere and whatever he does, he does with purpose. Still learning some nuances of captaincy and was marched 10 metres by the referee for backchat early on but is still ably leading by example.

8. Wycliff Palu
If I were to go just by stats sheets, I’d pick Ben McCalman here, but I just saw so much more to Palu than to McCalman with the naked eye. The Highlanders were really pressuring our breakdowns and, like the rest of the Waratah forwards, Palu rescued them numerous times by getting there in the split second he was required.

Although Palu mightn’t have been quite as high class as he was in the internationals, I’m giving it to him for playing well against good opposition, rather than a player who racked up slightly better stats against a very poor opposition.

9. Nick Phipps
No competition at all in this spot. Nick was fantastic. Nick Frisby, who was close to the best last week, was awful, while the rest were ordinary.

10. Bernard Foley
Again there was no competition for this spot at all. Bernard Foley had an excellent game, probably his best. Daylight was second.

11. Rob Horne
There were some interesting performances by left wingers this week. Tom English had a pretty good game, running over 100 metres and bagging himself a try. He also had a brain explosion which I think cost his team some momentum and was a bit of a turning point.

Nick Cummins played pretty well – especially with his first few involvements.

Rob Horne gets the nod from me again though. Slightly better stats than Nick, kept his zero missed tackles stat alive and I’m giving him extra credit because of the calibre of opposition – some very tricky guys to tackle on that Highlanders team.

12. Kurtley Beale
Ben Tapuai went alright in an awful Reds side but really this is an easy decision. The really great backs never seem to be rushed. While Beale isn’t quite there yet, the absolute helter-skelter panic seems to have left him and he is combining well with those around him.

13. Samu Kerevi
Kerevi was far and away the best player on the field in the Reds versus Force match. Where has this guy been?

Adam Ashley-Cooper again played well and in a normal week would have nabbed this spot but Kerevi was on fire. Twelve carries for 97 metres, eight defenders beaten, six clean line breaks, one try and – to be sure it wasn’t all just offence – 10 tackles, not missing a single one.

14. Alofa Alofa
Didn’t manage to bag himself some meat in the Waratahs’ try fest but always looked dangerous and hence made good metres with the ball.

15. Israel Folau
Some reasonable performances from other Australian fullbacks this week and one truly awful one, but Folau did nothing to relinquish his iron grip on this spot.