Super Rugby Round 14: Team of the Week & More

Man of the Match

Blues vs Bulls                                                 George Moala
Reds vs Rebels                                          Liam Gill
Hurricanes vs Chiefs                                 Ma’a Nonu
Waratahs vs Sharks                                  Michael Hooper
Lions vs Brumbies                                    Nic White
Cheetahs vs Highlanders                            Ben Smith


Team of the Week

We have quite a few tough selections this week, such as that between James O’Connor and Ben Smith at 15, Ma’a Nonu and George Moala at 12, Lima Sopoaga and Bernard Foley at 10, with Nic White, Will Genia and Aaron Smith all superb at 9, and Liam Gill, David Pocock and Michael Hooper all absolute class at openside flank. At 13 we had Adam Ashley-Cooper, Malakai Fekitoa, Karmichael Hunt, and Conrad Smith all top performers this weekend. In contrast, with scrums as chaotic as ever, and referees guessing who is at fault, it’s difficult to find any props who earn selection.

15 James O’Connor, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Nic White, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 David Dennis, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tony Woodcock

Best of the Week

Best Game:
Hurricanes vs Chiefs – with the standard of rugby way ahead of some other games in Round 14

Team Performance:
Hurricanes – a tight victory in a clash as close to a Test match as can be found in Super Rugby

Player:
Ma’a Nonu

Back:
Nic White

Forward: 
Liam Gill

Tries:

There were at least three tries worth watching or re-watching:
Two tries by Sefanaia Naivalu for the Rebels against the Reds – in the 5^th and 32^nd minutes, plus the try by Adam Ashley-Cooper in the first minute for the Waratahs against the Sharks.