Team of the Week Rugby Championship
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1. Kane Hames
Hames copped some criticism ahead of the clash against the Springboks and brilliantly shut down his critic's before the match and he also did his talking on the field as he gave Ruan Dreyer problems throughout the game.
Close 2nd: Scott Sio
2. Dane Coles
Back to his best as he made 10 tackles, 35 running metres, got two clean breaks and a try assist.
2nd Choice: Agustin Creevy
3. Sekope Kepu
Massive 64 minutes by the experienced tighthead as he looks to once again cement his spot in the starting lineup.
Close 2nd: Neop Laulala
4. Brodie Retallick
Showed once again why he is considered by many as the best lock in the world.
5. Sam Whitelock
Picked the Springbok lineout apart alongside his second-row partner, as the pair put together an absolute master class.
No other locks were anywhere near as good as these two this weekend.
6. Scott Barrett
One his best performances in a black jersey as the youngster replaced Liam Squire after 27 minutes and looked right at home on the side of the scrum despite having trained at lock in the week leading up to the fixture.
Closest contender: Siya Kolisi
7. Michael Hooper
A real skippers' effort making 18 tackles, 36 metres from 9 carries and beating 2 defenders to record 2 clean breaks.
Close 2nd: Sam Cane
8. Sean McMahon
An absolute masterclass by the Wallaby no.8 as he made 19 of his attempted 20 tackles. He was exceptional on attack making 84 metres from his 14 carries.
Contender: Kieran Read
9. Aaron Smith
Back to his devasting best Smith controlled the All Blacks attack as his side ran in 8 unanswered tries. His attacking and defensive kicking game was exceptional and he showed why he is one of, if not, the best halfback in the world.
Not far off: Will Genia
10. Beauden Barrett
Who else? Barrett bossed the All Black attack that opened the Springbok defence time and time again with relative ease. He also scored 17 points from the boot, missing only one place kick and got 2 try assists.
Close 2nd: Lima Sopoaga
11. Rieko Ioane
By far the best no.11 of the weekend as he Rhuled his opposition winger racking up 181 running metres, beating 11 defenders and collected 4 clean breaks.
12. Anton Lienert-Brown
Made a huge impact off the bench making 30 running metres, beating 5 defenders and set up Lima Sopoaga for a great try.
Closest contender: Jeronimo De La Fuente
13. Ryan Crotty
Consistently brilliant, Crotty shifted the ball to the right areas of the field putting the players around him into space and was barely threatened in defence.
Contender: Tevita Kuridrani
14. Nehe Milner-Skudder
Things just seem to get better and better for Milner-Skudder as he scored two tries and assisted another against the Springboks.
Contender: Matias Moroni
15. Israel Folau
A brilliant performance by the Wallaby fullback as he edges Damian McKenzie in our team of the week, the 28-year-old added another 2 tries to his impressive scoring record in 2017.
He made 114 running metres beating 6 defenders and made 5 clean breaks.
