With the thirteenth round of Super Rugby’s matches now a thing of the past, it is time for us to work out which players shone over the past weekend.
Hayden Parker is our standout performer after his pointscoring heroics for the Sunwolves and the men from Tokyo and the Crusaders have the most representatives in our team this week.
Super Rugby: Team of Round 13
15 George Bridge (Crusaders): The 23-year-old was one of the sparks that ignited the Crusaders’ fightback which saw them come back from 29-0 down to score 31 unanswered points against the Waratahs. Bridge made an unbelievable 164 metres from 16 carries, beating four defenders and making two clean breaks. Opposite number Israel Folau showed his aerial prowess, while Warrick Gelant was on song for the Bulls.
14 Waisake Naholo (Highlanders): Naholo beat a weekend-high nine defenders against the Lions and scored a try, showing good support play to link up with Ben Smith. His 82 metres from 14 carries also included three clean breaks and an offload. Elsewhere, Travis Ismaiel shone for the Bulls, especially in the air where he dealt expertly with up-and-unders, winning a number of aerial duels.
13 Jesse Kriel (Bulls): His magnificent grubber kick bounced perfectly for Gelant and moments later broke the line beautifully to dot down for the Bulls’ second. Beat six defenders from 11 carries and made an impressive five clean breaks. Meanwhile, Chiefs centre Anton Lienert-Brown carried strongly for his side in their victory over the Stormers and took his try well.
12 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs): Combined brilliantly with Israel Folau for the full-back’s try. Distribution was excellent throughout, especially his long-range passing. Made two clean breaks from nine carries for 66 metres. Also got busy on defence, putting in ten hits. Beats out the Blues’ Sonny Bill Williams, whose offloading game against the Hurricanes was something to behold.
11 Hosea Saumaki (Sunwolves): Saumaki was unstoppable on his way to notching up a scintillating hat-trick against the Reds. Made three tackle busts and two clean breaks for 63 metres. Comes in ahead of the Rebels’ Marika Koroibete, who carried strongly in his side’s win over the Brumbies, setting up a try in the process for Tom English with a well-timed offload.
10 Hayden Parker (Sunwolves): Parker was immaculate off the tee on Saturday, kicking seven penalty goals and five conversions, ending the game with a 100 percent kick success rate. Took his try well for a total tally of 36 points on the day, which is a new record for the Tokyo-based franchise. The Bulls’ Handre Pollard and the Chiefs’ Damian McKenzie also played pivotal roles in their sides’ victories on Saturday.
9 Bryn Hall (Crusaders): Effervescent performance from Hall, who looked refreshed thanks to Crusaders coach Scott Robertson’s policy of rotating his scrum-halves. Quick to the breakdown and efficient with his delivery, Hall also made a couple of sniping darts which saw him come away with two clean breaks. Edges out the Sunwolves’ Yutaka Nagare.
8 Jordan Taufua (Crusaders): The eight-time champions have been without the services of injured All Blacks captain Kieran Read since the start of the season but his absence has not been as big a blow as initially expected as Taufua has proved to be an excellent replacement. The 26-year-old was at the forefront of his side’s impressive come-from-behind win over the Waratahs in Christchurch. Taufua gained 63 metres on attack from 11 runs with two clean breaks, four defenders beaten and also managed an offload. Marco van Staden of the Bulls and the Hurricanes’ Gareth Evans also impressed.
7 Ardie Savea (Hurricanes): The All Blacks tearaway only returned to action a couple of weeks ago, after recovering from a rib injury, and has hit the ground running as he makes our team for the second successive week. Savea was particularly impressive at the breakdown and won some crucial turnovers against the Blues. Also carried well, gaining 26 metres from seven runs and did his bit on defence with eight hits. Comes in ahead of Tom Cusack of the Brumbies.
6 Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks): The men from Durban suffered another defeat to the Bulls but the Springbok can hold his head high after delivering a superb all-round performance. Du Preez was his side’s go-to man as a ball carrier and eventually gained 54 metres from 15 runs with two clean breaks, three defenders beaten and one offload. Also scored a try and made nine tackles on defence. Hurricanes captain Brad Shields also played well.
5 Grant Hattingh (Sunwolves): The former Bulls stalwart was one of the Sunwolves’ heroes as they got the better of the Reds to register their first victory of the season. Hattingh carried with great intent, gaining 23 metres with one clean break and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. Also made tackles and won nine lineout balls. Beats out Tom Franklin of the Highlanders and Lood de Jager of the Bulls.
4 Brodie Retallick (Chiefs): The All Blacks enforcer returned to the Chiefs’ run-on side and it’s no coincidence that the two-time champions returned to the victory trail. Retallick led from the front at the coalface of the men from Hamilton’s forward effort against the Stormers in Cape Town and walked off with the official man-of-the-match award. Retallick won some crucial turnovers, did well in the lineouts and made nine tackles. Alex Ainley of the Highlanders also impressed.
3 Trevor Nyakane (Bulls): The Springbok’s importance to the Bulls cause was highlighted in his absence against the Stormers last week when his side’s scrum came off second best against the men from the Cape. But with Nyakane back, the Bulls were solid in the set-piece and he did particularly well in his direct duel with Bok veteran Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira. Nyakane also did well on defence with 11 tackles and beats out the Blues’ Ofa Tuungafasi and Angus Ta’avao of the Chiefs.
2 Ricky Riccitelli (Hurricanes): Another player who has done well as a replacement for first choice All Black in Dane Coles and he was superb in his side’s win over the Blues in Auckland. Riccitelli capped a fine showing by scoring one of his side’s tries but also impressed in the tight exchanges and especially on defence where he made 11 hits. Elsewhere, Armand van der Merwe and Shota Horie also caught the eye for the Sharks and Sunwolves respectively.
1 Daniel Lienert-Brown (Highlanders): The entire
Highlanders pack deserve credit for laying the groundwork in their win over the
Lions but Lienert-Brown deserves special praise after an excellent all-round
effort. The 25-year-old stood up well in the scrums, gained 20 metres with ball
in hand from three carries with one clean break and a defender beaten but also
shone when defending and made 13 tackles. Edges out Karl Tu’in
