Super Rugby Round 4 Review - Team Of The Week And More

Man of the Match

Here’s my selection, perhaps a little more straight-forward this week but never an easy task.

Chiefs v Highlanders:             Patrick Osborne (Highlanders)
Brumbies v Force:                   Sam Carter (Brumbies)
Blues v Lions:                         Warren Whiteley (Lions)
Reds v Waratahs:                    Peter Betham (Waratahs)
Cheetahs v Bulls:                    Handré Pollard (Bulls)
Stormers v Sharks:                  Vincent Koch (Stormers)

Team of the Week

With two New Zealand teams and one Australian team on a bye week, my Team of the Week selection has players from six of the 12 teams in action. The flanks are numbered on the New Zealand / Australian system of 7 for openside and 6 for blindside, and not the South African numbering, which is the other way around.

15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Peter Betham, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Patrick Osborne, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Nic White, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Jarred Butler, 6 Lappies Labuschagne, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Franco Mostert, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Best of the Week:

Game:
Stormers vs Sharks – superb skills at times, and intense physicality throughout

Team Performance:
Bulls and Stormers – each of them excellent in convincingly winning derby games which had been expected to be tight

Player:
Patrick Osborne – wonderfully skilful on attack

Back:
Peter Betham – elusive with ball in hand

Forward:
Vincent Koch – a magnificent scrummaging performance

Try:
Patrick Osborne – Highlanders vs Chiefs: evading defenders with marvelous footwork