Team of the Week - Round Eight:
15 - Jayden Hayward (Western Force):
He ran and made plenty of metres, eventually stepping through three defenders on his way to the match-winning try.
Bubbling under: Israel Dagg (Crusaders)
14 - Tim Nanai-Williams (Chiefs):
Was a vital cog in his team's second-half comeback - scoring two crucial tries in the final quarter, including the five-pointer that allowed them to draw the match.
Bubbling under: Luke Morahan (Western Force)
13 - Adam Ashley-Cooper (Waratahs):
It was a straight shoot-out between the two outside centres in the Newlands showdown, with Ashley-Cooper winning the final vote count - even though the statistics seem to suggest Juan de Jongh actually outplayed his Wallaby rival.
Bubbling under: Juan de Jongh (Stormers)
12 - Pat McCabe (Brumbies):
The weekend headlines said it all - he put his hand up for Wallaby selection.
Bubbling under: Stefan Watermeyer (Lions)
11 - Johnny McNicholl (Crusaders):
Admittedly the Lions' defensive lines were a bit tagged, but he made them pay - which is what any good win will do.
Bubbling under: Julian Savea (Hurricanes)
10 - Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes):
In the absence of the now injured Aaron Cruden and Dan Carter (on a sabbatical) he has jumped to front of the All Black queue.
Bubbling under: Bernard Foley (Waratahs)
9 - Sarel Pretorius (Cheetahs):
Delivered a world class performance. Now, if only, he becomes more consistent it will warrant closer scrutiny by the national selectors.
Bubbling under: Aaron Smith (Highlanders)
8 - Scott Higginbotham (Rebels):
Still the driving force behind the Rebels, even when they fall short.
Bubbling under: Liam Messam (Chiefs)
7 - Jack Lam (Hurricanes):
His defensive effort when the Bulls were pushing for the win late in the second half, along with some incredible work at the breakdown, were just as valuable as those three-pointers that secured the win on the scoreboard.
Bubbling under: Shane Christie (Highlanders)
6 - Jaco Kriel (Lions):
Not the most flashy on loose forwards, but his scrum cap pops up so often on defence and with ball in hand that you can't overlook him.
Bubbling under: Jacques Potgieter (Waratahs)
5 - Brodie Retallick (Chiefs):
Tackled his heart out, dominated the line-outs and made a good number of carries.
Bubbling under: Samuel Whitelock (Crusaders)
4 - Franco Mostert (Lions):
This was a tough call and caused considerable debate. Eventually Mostert edged out his direct opponent Dominic Bird, who was prominent on defence and worked hard at the maul, while Mostert had a better all-round game - several carries, tackled well without slipping any, as well as winning line-outs and even stealing one off Bird.
Bubbling under: Dominic Bird (Crusaders)
3 - Sekope Kepu (Waratahs):
Did all that was expected of him - scrummed well, carried the ball when needed and made more than just a handful of tackles.
Bubbling under: Ben Alexander (Brumbies)
2 - Dane Coles (Hurricanes):
He is slowly beginning to prove wrong those critics that questioned his size and heart.
Bubbling under: Tatafu Polota Nau (Waratahs)
1 - Chris King (Highlanders):
The fruit of his labour can't always be measures in statistics, but his tackle count is ample proof of his value.
Bubbling under: Pek Cowan (Western Force)
The selection of Kepu underlines his dominance over Kitshoff.....denied by the OOM. I also thought Robinson had Malherbe on the ropes, but I guess he is no longer the flavour of the day. How Strauss never made the team is hard to understand.
