The Super XV: Australian team of the week, Round 7

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.

Two wins in one week for the Australian Conference? What’s going on here?

While the Waratahs were run over by the Hurricanes across the ditch on Friday, 38-28, it wasn’t all bad following that.

The Brumbies put in a massive second half to break away from the Reds in Canberra, scoring 33 unanswered points in the second stanza to win the game 43-10.

To end the weekend, the Force snuck past the Kings in a thriller over in Perth, getting home 46-41 in a nine-try second half.

With two wins and two losses for the Aussie sides, here’s the team of the week.

1. 2. and 3. Scott Sio, Robbie Abel and Allan Ala’alatoa (Brumbies)
A change from the usual, the Brumbies front row come as a group package from their win over the Reds to jump free at the top of the standings.

While the Brumbies scrum fought hard against their Queensland opposition in the first half, it was the second stanza that the front row really took control, dominating the opposition pack and keeping the home side rolling forward.

Ala’alatoa and Sio in particular were a force in attack, really pressing hard in attack through the middle, drawing the Reds defence forward to open up space for the quick men out wide.

Abel even bagged a try early in the second half that kicked the Brumbies on to victory.

The front row just dominated in the second half, helping their side on to victory.

4. Matt Philip (Force)
Philip continues to impress among a struggling Force outfit, proving a headache for the Kings in a thrilling Sunday afternoon game.

Despite being denied a try, Philip continued to put forward a grinding, consistent and workhorse performance, breaking tackles left, right and centre as the Force pushed the advantage line throughout the game.

5. Blake Enever (Brumbies)
Enever has had a real stop-start career so far, but he really put in a performance against the Reds that could see him bumped into the starting 15 more often.

His offloading and tackle breaking power shone through as the Brumbies rolled through the second 40. Consistent in the line out as well helps him make the side this week.

6. Ned Hanigan (Waratahs)
Ross Haylett-Petty had a pretty good game for the Force, but Ned Hanigan gets the nod this week in a losing effort against the Hurricanes.

Other than bagging the Waratahs first try of the game in the first half, Hanigan was a highlight for a lacklustre Tahs pack this week, showing plenty of aggression and strength in attack, breaking tackles all over the place.

His defence was an underrated highlight of the game as well.

7. Chris Alcock (Brumbies)
Alcock put in the performance of the week for the Brumbies, shining throughout a grinding first half and exploding in the second when the side from Canberra broke away with the game.

He comfortably racked up the most metres for any forward in the game and really used his size and strength to pound the Reds defensive line.

Taking two defenders over the line on the stroke of fulltime was just rewards for a massive game for the South African-born 28-year-old.

8. Isi Naisarani (Force)
Naisarani wasn’t exactly a standout performer where the backs shined for the Force, but he was a seriously underrated workhorse to keep the Kings at bay.

He made big metres through a tough first half and was rewarded in the second as the game opened up.

He averaged just short of ten metres per run as the Force were breaking the advantage line continuously as they chased the game.

9. Jake Gordon (Waratahs)
Despite a shocking opening half, the Tahs halves kicked into gear in the second half, led by a returning Foley and young Jake Gordon who continues to impress in his short Super Rugby career.

His running game was a surprising factor as his side chased the game from a slow start, making multiple line breaks and hitting constant and consistent ball.

A try in the second half kept the Tahs in the game with time on the clock.

10. Bernard Foley (Waratahs)
Wharenui Hawera and Jono Lance played well for the Brumbies and Force respectively, but it’s Bernard Foley in just his second game of the season that takes the flyhalf role for this week’s team.

Reiterating on the Gordon point, the halves were a highlight for the Tahs in a tough game against the Canes. His decision making in taking on the line and supplying for his men out on the right wing proved a difficult task for the Canes to contain.

His utilisation of the tired forwards late in the game kept an unlikely Waratahs comeback on the cards.

11. Alex Newsome (Force)
Newsome was the beneficiary of some good ball movement to bag his first try at the end of the first half, but he really showed his class to bag a double.

His brace was completed with a beautiful charge down off the Force’s own kickoff after conceding, collecting it and sneaking along the sideline before kicking through into the in goal area.

His pace did the rest, collecting it over the line and planting it down for a key try that had the home side coming back into the contest.

12. Bill Meakes (Force)
It was a tough choice for inside centre this week, purely because no one really stood out. Horwitz and Godwin had quiet games and Paia’aua was inconsistent for the Reds.

That leaves Meakes to take the pie. He made solid metres and really looked dangerous in providing for Peni, Rona and Haylett-Petty on the outside. His tackle breaking ability late in the game helped the Force to take the points.

13. Samu Kerevi (Reds)
A highlight for the Reds in defeat, he was the only man in his side to rack up 100 metres, really causing damage out on the edges where the rest of his side struggled.

His tackle breaking ability kept his side in the game in the first half and had the Brumbies fringe defence on the back foot.

14. Henry Speight (Brumbies)
A cult hero in Canberra, Speight shows signs of his Wallaby form in the Brumbies win over the Reds.

His damage down the sideline was brutal as the home side took control of the game after the halftime break.

15. Dane Haylett-Petty (Force)
The older of the South African-born brothers had a peach of a game against the Kings, destroying the Kings defence in a wide-open second half of rugby.

After getting his hands dirty with a pick and go try close to the line, he broke the line continuously in against a Kings defence on the ropes.

He really put his hand up as the best fullback of the Australian conference this week.

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.