Super Rugby Home Team of The Decade

May 05, 2020
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Ultimate Rugby

Having released the Super Rugby away team of the decade, SANZAAR has now released the Home Super Rugby team of the decade.

With the help of OPTA stats the team has been selected based on home performances over the past decade.

As per the Away Team of the Decade, New Zealand enjoys the biggest representation with seven this time around, with South Africa and Australia providing four each. Of the seven Kiwi players three are from the Crusaders which is the best representation from any club. The Lions have two, as do the Stormers and Rebels, and in total 10 teams are represented.

Five players make the Home Team after featuring in the Away Team of the Decade: Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Lions), Alan Alaalatoa (Brumbies), Beauden Barrett (Crusaders/Blues) and Chiefs' Damian McKenzie.

The pack has players from six different teams including the same front row as the Away Team of the Decade: Stormers' prop Steven Kitshoff and Lions' hooker Malcolm Marx have both impressed with their carries and metre gains at home, while the latter scored a position high 16 tries at home. The other prop is Brumby Allan Alaalatoa whose defence is as good at home as it is away.

There is different lock pairing however in Rebels' Luke Jones and Stormers Pieter-Steph du Toit. The backrow is again an interesting mix with two All Blacks in No.8 Kieran Read and flanker Ardie Savea.

The other flanker is Lions' Jaco Kriel who was prominent is his teams success in reaching three consecutive finals - he beat 5+ defenders on home turf 11 times in the last decade - one of only two forwards to reach double figures in this category (Ardie Savea - 11).

The statistics have selected the Reds' Will Genia and Crusaders' Beauden Barrett [yet to play for the Blues!] as the halves.

The centre pairing is incredibly strong and features Reds' Samu Kerevi and Crusaders' Jack Goodhue.

On one wing is Crusaders' crowd favourite George Bridge who has been super consistent at home, especially in terms of ball carrying and being a threat in attack; while the Highlanders Waisake Naholo slots onto the other wing having scored 23 tries in his last 24 Super Rugby home matches.