Rugby Championship Top Performers

Rugby Championship Top Performers

The 2019 Rugby Championship have been absolutely action packed, with all four sides showing that they are making massive strides heading into the World Cup in Japan later this year. Up until now the matches have been tight and brutal, but we here to see which players have impressed in the first two weeks of the competition.

Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)


New Zealand are really showing the versatility of Barrett in this competition as he has played 10 and 15 in the first two games. The Kiwi has been brilliant on attack over the last two weeks and there is no surprise he is leading the points scorers chart alongside Herschel Jantjies with 15 points (avg 7.5 a game). Barrett has the most carries in the competition (36 in total), most meters gained (155 meters) and is also tied on top of the defenders beaten list with Ben Smith, as the pair have each gone past 13 tacklers (average 6.5 a game). 




Herschel Jantjies (South Africa)


The Western Province and Stormers scrum-half broke saw his consistent performances in Super Rugby earned him a spot in the Springbok squad for the year’s TRC. The No. 9 was not expected by many to be a starter in any of the matches but since his Man of the Match performance against Australia he now the talk of the town.




Not only did Jantjies score a double on his test debut, he also came off the bench to score against the All Blacks which tied the game up for his side in Wellington on Saturday. The 23-year old is currently the top try scorer in the competition with three tries (averaging 33 mins per try) and he is also tied with Beauden Barrett as the leading points scorer with 15 points (avg 7.5 a game).

Micheal Hooper (Australia)


The Australian captain has been nothing but solid in his two championship games thus far. The Wallabies have arguably not been at their best but Hooper has lead from the front in all aspects regarding his team. The flanker has is leading the tackling charts in the competition with 27 (13.5 per game) and has won three turnovers until now, which is only one less that Francois Louw and Matias Orlando who are topping that list. Hooper has also done a good job regarding carries as he has made 14 for his team, the fourth most for the Aussies.



Pablo Matera (Argentina)

The Argentina skipper has unfortunately captained his side to two losses in the competition, which might surprise many after the Jaguares did so well to make the Super Rugby final. The Pumas pushed New Zealand and Australia all the way in their first two games but it wasn't enough to get the win. Matera has made the third most tackles for his side in the championship with 19 (averaging 9.5 a game) and has won three turnovers until now. On the attacking front the loose forward has beaten four defenders and has made 20 carries, which is the most in his team.

Special Mentions: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Tomas Cubelli, Ben Smith and Samu Kerevi

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