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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.
Two wins this week! Four teams, three games and two wins. Australian sides actually won half their games this week, can you believe it?
It wasn’t a great opening to the week with the Force letting in 55 points against the Highlanders to just six of their own.
The Brumbies ground their way past the Kings in Port Elizabeth with a three-tries-to-one 19 to 10 win.
Round 13 came to a close with the Waratahs breaking away in the second half to score a 50 to 23 win over the Rebels.
Spoiler alert, this one is going to be Waratah-heavy.
1. Pekahou Cowan (Force)
One of the very few highlights for the Force in a harsh outing for them against the 2015 Super Rugby champs.
Pekahou Cowan put up fight where few others could, especially against a much more fancied Lander’s pack that dominated for most of the contest.
2. Josh Mann-Rea (Brumbies)
A solid outing from Mann-Rea earns him a spot in the side this week in what was a fairly innocuous round for the hookers.
Strong in the scrum, worked well on the fringes of the ruck defensively and with ball in hand and even snagged a try in the first half thanks to a ripper rolling maul from the Brumbies big men.
3. Allan Ala’alatoa (Brumbies)
Ala’alatoa’s scrummaging and defensive work left a little to be desired against the Kings, but his ball running was a highlight up the guts for the Canberra side on the road.
His powerful legs kept the Brumbies rolling over the advantage line with ball in hand.
4. Dean Mumm (Waratahs)
Yes, Dean Mumm. Rory Arnold might feel a little hard done by with a good outing against the Kings, but it’s Mumm who gets the nod this week.
The 33-year-old brought back some of his old form against the Rebels in what was a very open game, especially in the second half. If he wasn’t threatening the line when he ran, he was breaking it and racking up the running metres.
Not a perfect performance defensively or disciplinary, but one of his better games over a tough couple of seasons.
(AAP Image/NZPA, David Rowland)
5. Will Skelton (Waratahs)
The big man kept himself busy while on the park on Sunday afternoon, using his mammoth frame for the better with some of the more damaging runs in the game.
He even got the chance to show off his wheels when he broke into back play and tried to outrun the ensuing chase.
6. Ned Hanigan (Waratahs)
Hanigan was one of a few real workhorses for the Tahs this week, delivering quality across the park and keeping the Rebels under the pump after a shaky opening to the game.
His ability to break the first tackle was matched by only one other man from either side in a dominant running performance that was backed up with support play and defence.
7. Michael Hooper (Waratahs)
Arguably the performance of the round across all sides, Michael Hooper’s stellar outing against the Rebels was a defining factor in the Tahs’ win on Sunday.
He made the most running metres, line breaks, tackle busts and runs of anyone in the game across both sides, tearing apart the Melbourne defence throughout the game.
His multiple line-breaks helped set up a pair of tries before bagging one of his own off the back of an absolute peach of a counter-attacking movement down the left wing.
8. Amanaki Mafi (Rebels)
Mafi is becoming a very regular name in this list, and for good reason as the Japanese international continues his star-studded season.
Despite an injury scare that saw him clutching at the shoulder, he bounced back in blistering fashion, causing massive headaches for the Waratahs especially out on the fringes.
Some quick thinking off a scrum penalty earned him a five-pointer as well early in the game to give his side the lead.
9. Nick Phipps (Waratahs)
Not the most outstanding performance of all time but steady enough to pip a fairly shallow week for those wearing the No.9 jumper.
Phipps provided solid service and he kept digging around the ruck when the Tahs began to take control of the game. His opening half try was more Bernard Foley than Phipps, but the support play deserved the five points nonetheless.
10. Bernard Foley (Waratahs)
Foley really took control as a running playmaker this week, setting up not only the aforementioned Phipps try but multiple others as the Tahs landed eight tries to three.
He seemed to be everywhere in support and picked his timing in running the pill to near perfection as he looks to find form and the starting Wallaby jumper for the upcoming internationals.
(AAP Image/Daniel Munoz)
11. Marika Koroibete (Rebels)
It would be hard to find a more powerful and damaging winger in Australia at the moment as the former rugby league player continues to find his feet in the 15-man game.
Only Hooper had more running metres than Koroibete, who was given plenty of galloping room out on the left wing throughout the game thanks to a mix of strong ball movement through the centres and pure strength to brush away the fringe defence.
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Rebels)
He came on very early under unfortunate circumstances after the heavy head knock of starting inside centre Reece Hodge, but took his opportunity with both hands.
The 20-year-old has had limited chances on the park since signing with the Melbourne side last season but there’s plenty of potential there, potential that reared its head in Sydney.
Tuipulotu was confident and aggressive with the ball in hand, often breaking the advantage and defensive line whenever he put his weight behind the ball. Just sneaks past David Horwitz for the 12 spot who had a good game but lacked the impact of Tuipulotu.
13. Tevita Kuridrani (Brumbies)
Kuridrani and Henry Speight on the outside have been one of the strongest backline pairings in Australia this season.
The Kings struggled to keep him contained in the second half in particular as he kept finding his way through the line and keeping his side moving forward.
14. Bryce Hegarty (Waratahs)
Hegarty wasn’t on for too long but he made his time worthwhile as the Waratahs jumped away late in the game.
Replacing a struggling Cam Clark out on the wing, he threw himself into the game at a million miles an hour, falling just short of hitting three figures for running metres despite playing half the time of everyone else.
His try after the siren capped off a big night for his side.
15. Israel Folau (Waratahs)
Where has this Folau been all season? The uninterested and out of form Folau that has been hanging around over the past month gave way to someone that looked eager and hungry and put in a performance reminiscent of his debut year in rugby.
He bagged a pair of tries, set up a couple more, made the equal most line breaks and set up just as many. The offloading was unstoppable as was the tackle busts as he continually found a way to poke his nose through the line.
Everything Folau touched in broken play resulted in forward momentum on the counter-attack.
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.