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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 from the Aussie Super Rugby sides from the round gone by.
Following a rough start to the season for Australian sides in Round 1, things didn’t exactly get much better for the five teams down under in Round 2.
The Force upset the Reds at home in a strong contest to open the Round in Perth. Both sides scored three tries a piece, but it was the boot of Ian Prior that made the difference in the final 26-19 scoreline.
It pretty much went all downhill from there for the Australian conference.
The Rebels were trounced by the defending champions, the Hurricanes, conceding 11 tries on their way to a mammoth 71-6 defeat.
The Brumbies were looking to bounce back from a tight loss to the Crusaders a week ago but again fell in a tight one.
The Sharks crossed for a try after the full-time siren to take the win and hand the Brumbies another painfully close defeat.
The Waratahs then went down in Johannesburg in a point-scoring bonanza against the Lions. Despite scoring five of their own, the Tahs were a mess in defence and let in eight tries to go down 55-36.
In another bad week for Australian sides, it’s difficult to pick out a ‘best of’ team, but here we go anyway. Here’s the Australian Super Rugby team of the week.
1. Nic Mayhew (Brumbies)
We kick off the top Australian side of the week with a Kiwi. Mayhew, a former Blues prop in just his second game for the club, played a pivotal role for the Brumbies this week, combining to form one of the strongest front rows of the round.
He picked up six runs with good metres, breaking the advantage line nearly every time with strong defence around the fringes of the ruck. He played his part in the scrum and, unlike other No. 1s in contention for this spot, has been picked mainly on the fact he didn’t make errors, just a really solid outing.
2. Josh Mann-Rea (Brumbies)
Mann-Rea had a ripper of a game against the Sharks this week, causing havoc in attack and defence to keep the Brumbies pack on top.
Racked up 21 tackles, the second most across both sides for the game, as well nine carries through a sea of Sharks big boppers, and to top it off, the big hooker crashed over for a try in the first half.
3. Allan Ala’alatoa (Brumbies)
A solid game from Ala’alatoa without blowing the world away. Much like Mayhew, all the other props this week were just a level below.
However, not taking anything away from the 23-year-old who has become a beacon of consistency in his three seasons with the Brumbies. He was good in the scrum and a driving force behind the maul that was so successful against the Sharks this week.
He’s shaping up for a big season and should be looking towards a possible international jumper.
4. Matt Philip (Force)
Other than crashing over for a first-half try to put his side back on level pegging with the Reds, Philip was a machine in the line out for the Force this week.
Despite a couple of turnovers going against him, Philip was strong through the middle for the Force and a constant presence at the breakdown where the Reds struggled in the second half.
5. Sam Carter (Brumbies)
In his seventh season for the Brumbies, big Sam Carter continues to show off a mountain of potential that was put on him when he first came on the scene.
He was consistent at the line out, but it was his ability to break the advantage line and create space behind the defence that made him stand out this week. He was able to bust the tackles of the Sharks defence and keep the Brumbies rolling forward.
6. Jack Dempsey (Waratahs)
The 22-year-old continues to impress for the Waratahs. And while it wasn’t a standout game for himself or the side against the Lions, he showed off his skills under pressure and proved to be a strength for the Tahs pack this season.
He was smart with his running, dragging the big men into the middle to open up space out wide. Made a handful of line breaks and found space behind the line to keep the ball moving.
7. Michael Hooper (Waratahs)
In a frustrating game for the skipper, Hooper was still able to put in a strong showing for the Tahs who were on par with the Lions for the first half.
He showed all his usual grit in and around the ruck, hitting double figures for tackles but also breaking the advantage line on nearly every carry he made during the match. A try on a trip to South Africa in the opening 20 minutes doesn’t hurt either.
8. Amanaki Mafi (Rebels)
It’s not easy picking someone out of a side that lost 71-6, but the Rebels’ Japanese star had a standout game among a side that was basically walked over.
A pair of line breaks and double the amount of tackle busts were a highlight for the struggling side and Mafi racked up over 100 running metres in a game where the Rebels spent the most part either defending or standing in the in-goal area waiting for the conversion.
For comparison, the next best for the Rebels, forward or back, was Marika Koroibete with half the running metres.
9. Matt Lucas (Waratahs)
It wasn’t a great week for halfbacks. Nick Stirzaker played quite well against the Hurricanes in a tough situation, but Lucas gets the nod for me this week.
The 25-year-old basically did his job better than the other No. 9s, giving quick, serviceable ball when needed and keeping the forwards organised around the ruck.
He linked up with Hooper for the Tahs’ second try against the Lions and even made a few darting runs around the middle with some handy offloads.
10. Bryce Hegarty (Waratahs)
A tough pick this one. Quade Cooper had a solid if not spectacular game and Wharenui Hawera really had me tossing it up in the air after the Kiwi put in a good kicking display for the Brumbies, but I’ve gone with Hegarty.
While Hegarty is realistically just filling in for Bernard Foley at No.10, he did show plenty of promise as a playmaker with a decent kicking game. He can run the pill as well, as evidenced by his five-pointer leading into halftime to keep the Waratahs in the contest.
11. Eto Nabuli (Reds)
The first and only appearance of a Reds player in the list, which seams a little off considering they played relatively well in a tough week for the Aussie sides.
The big flying Fijian scored a hattrick this week, in fact, he scored the Reds’ only three tries in their loss to the Force. A 70-metre solo effort in the first half was a standout moment in the game but he capped it off with a clinical finish in the corner early in the second half to put his side in front.
He’s dangerous with ball in hand and it showed this week, using his size, muscle and speed to cause havoc for the opposition defence.
12. Bill Meakes (Force)
Inside centre was fairly dry this week without a lot of good performances to pick from. Bill Meakes gets the nod more for his running game than playmaking second-receiver role.
He broke the line on more than one occasion against the Reds and found the odd offload to keep the defence on their toes. He’s a player that’s generally not afraid to take on the line and he did just that this week.
13. Israel Folau (Waratahs)
After a particularly nonexistent performance last week, Folau changed his tune in Round 2 and put in a much stronger display against the Lions in defeat.
He looked much more aggressive with the ball in hand, racking up strong run metres and breaking tackles when pushing on the outside. While it was inconsequential, he did put in a long-range effort to score his first try of the season in the dying minutes.
14. Chance Peni (Force)
If a solo try from 45 metres out inside the first 90 seconds isn’t a sign of a good game, then I don’t know what is.
Peni backed up his blitzing five-pointer with three line breaks and seven tackle breaks on the outside as he just seemed to shrug defenders off left, right and centre whenever he had the ball in hand. He averaged just shy of 20 metres per run across the whole game as well.
15. Andrew Kellaway (Waratahs)
It felt like Kellaway was everywhere over in South Africa and he put in a performance to justify that.
He was averaging 20 metres per run and found ways to split the defence on the kick return as the young man showed confidence running it back from within his own half. He picked up line breaks and even assisted line breaks as well.
He was also a key factor on the scoreboard, setting up two tries for the Tahs as they fought hard to stay in touch with the Lions. A strong performance.
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.