Autumn Nations Team of the Week
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Autumn Nations Team of the Week
A thrilling weekend of international rugby in Europe has come to an end, and it's time to pick the Ultimate Rugby Autumn Nations Team of the Week.
A doubleheader kicked things off with Ireland hosting Japan when New Zealand faced Italy in Rome.
New Zealand extended their 100 per cent winning record against Italy to 15 games as they scored a crushing 47-9 win in Rome – setting a record for the most points in a calendar year.
Meanwhile, Andy Farrell's Ireland kick-started their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a superb 60-5 win over Japan at Aviva Stadium.
England ran in 11 tries as they thumped Tonga by 69-3 despite the absence of captain Owen Farrell who missed the Test after a positive Covid-19 test.
The Springboks then held their nerve in a terrific tussle to win 23-18 against a Wales side who were left to bemoan the moment a pitch invader cost them a likely try.
On Saturday, France ran out 29-20 victors over Argentina in the final Test thanks to a try from replacement hooker Peato Mauvaka.
The weekend's final game saw Scotland hold off Australia to claim a narrow 15-13 win in their first November Test at Murrayfield, ending the Wallabies' five-match winning run.
Here is our Team of the Week.
1. Pierre Schoeman - Scotland
There was no shortage of standout games at loosehead this weekend, with Andrew Porter shining against Japan. At the same time, Steven Kitshoff was immense off the bench for the Boks and Thomas Gallo, impressing again for Argentina. France's Cyril Baille had also had a big 63-minute shift against Argentina. He grabbed the upper hand at the set pieces for France at critical moments in the encounter while throwing his weight around superbly both on attack and in defence.
However, Pierre Schoeman was the standout at loosehead this weekend. He dominated the Wallaby scrum and was effective with the ball in hand and on defence.
2. Ewan Ashman - Scotland
Again there was plenty of options at hooker from this weekend's action. South Africa's Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx were superb in all facets of the game against Wales, while Dane Coles notched up a brace of tries against Italy.
Jamie George also got on the scoresheet and impressed in the starting line up having initially been left out of the squad altogether. France's Julian Marchand was excellent despite getting a silly yellow card, while his clubmate Peato Mauvaka came up with the all-important score in the encounter.
Finally, Ewan Ashman superbly finished off a try in the corner to help Scotland beat Australia. The young hooker was excellent at the set pieces too and has made the step up to Test rugby look easy. It was close but the Scotsman just takes it.
3. Tadhg Furlong - Ireland
Vincent Koch made a massive impact off the bench for the Springboks, while Mohamed Haouas had a superb game for France against Argentina.
However, Furlong cracks the nod after an all-action display against Japan. He dominated the set pieces and impressed with the ball in hand. He made an excellent line break and linked up nicely with Porter inside the Japanese half.
4. Eben Etzebeth - South Africa
Another remarkable shift from the veteran Springbok, who piled into the Welsh pack and was excellent at lineout time. Italy's Marco Fuser was excellent against New Zealand, too, while Tadhg Beirne had a strong game against Japan.
Thibaud Flament grabbed a try on his test debut and excelled at the set pieces as France's man jumper for most of the clash with Argentina.
5. Izack Rodda - Australia
France's Paul Willemse was back on top form for France as he fronted up against the Pumas' pack. Ireland's James Ryan was similarly brilliant against Japan. He was excellent at lineout time as Japan struggled to produce a solid attacking platform.
Rodda edges the two players mentioned and South Africa's Lood de Jager and Wales' Adam Beard to a spot in the side. Rodda was abrasive in all facets of the game against Scotland, with his ball-carrying playing a significant role despite the defeat.
6. Ellis Jenkins - Wales
A difficult choice this week with stand-in England captain Courtney Lawes having an outstanding game against Tonga, which included a try-saving tackle. Over in Cardiff, Kwagga Smith was nothing short of brilliant for the Boks, whether he was stifling over the ball, carrying it into contact or making tackles. However, Jenkins cracks the nod at blindside as he shone on his return to Test rugby after a three-year absence.
The Welshman won several key turnovers for his side while he was excellent on defence and effective on the attack. He is certainly making up for lost time.
7. Hamish Watson - Scotland
The Scotsman was back to his best on Saturday with a man of the match performance against Australia. He was excellent at the breakdown and carried furiously into contact.
The new Italian captain Michele Lamaro was the epitome of the cliche' leading from the front' against the All Blacks as he took the fight to the far more fancied opposition. It took 28 minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock, and during that period, Lamaro was all over the pitch, landing some big hits and contesting the breakdown superbly. He continued in that fashion for the remainder of the game.
Lamaro was far from the only standout in the #7 jersey this weekend, with Sam Underhill impressing once against Tonga while Josh van der Flier capped off another strong outing with a try against Japan. Taine Bashman added to a standout debut against New Zealand with a solid shift against the Springboks, while Sam Cane was strong on his return to the starting lineup.
8. Jack Conan - Ireland
Conan, the man of the match against Japan, continued his fine form in 2021 with another standout performance against the Japanese. He made metres with ease in the wider channels and linked up superbly with the outside backs. He made over 70 running metres and assisted a try.
Aaron Wainwright and Duane Vermuelen were both excellent at the Principality, as was Hoskins Sotutu in Rome. Finally, Tom Curry was brilliant in the no.8 jumper for England, topping the tackle count in the encounter with 16 while gaining over 30 running metres and claiming a pair of turnovers.
9. Jamison Gibson-Park - Ireland
Jamison Gibson-Park was also excellent for Ireland weighted his box kicks well, providing the likes of Andrew Conway and James Lowe plenty of time to get underneath them. He also scored a try against the Brave Blossoms and assisted two!
New Zealand's Finlay Christie grabbed a try and assisted another, having come off the bench early on following an injury to Brad Weber.
Leading his country for the first time, Antoine Dupont was at his usual best for Les Bleus as he kept their attack ticking over. He managed to make over 100 running metres, beating five defenders and making all of his attempted tackles. He also rounded off a stellar try that was unfortunately chalked off for an earlier infringement.
10. Matthieu Jalibert - France
Birthday boy Matthieu Jalibert steered France to a 29-20 victory, with the pivot assisting both of France's tries. He sent second-rower Thibaud Flament charging through a gap in the 49th minute before assisting the match-winning try with 10 minutes to go with a magnificent offload from the ground to Mauvaka. He linked up well with Romain Ntamack and was easily one of the most threatening players on the attack for France.
11. Josh Adams - Wales
Adams cracks the nod ahead of the try-scoring wingers this week. The Welshman regularly defused the Springbok bombs and was sound on defence.
James Lowe just misses out and made the most of his opportunity on his return to Ireland's starting lineup, scoring a try and making over 120 running metres against Japan. He took his chance to score superbly and went looking for work throughout the game, popping up in the midfield and on the opposite wing. He made 13 passes in the game as well as six offloads.
Italy's Monty Ioane also had a standout game against the All Blacks. Duhan van der Merwe was destructive against Australia.
12. Damian de Allende - South Africa
Manu Tuilagi made the most of his return to Test rugby against Tonga, but the standout inside centre from the weekend was South Africa's Damian de Allende.
The Springbok was fantastic on defence and made a devasting line break in the second half. His physicality regularly gave the Boks' front foot ball.
13. Henry Slade - England
A standout performance from the England centre earned him the man of the match award against Tonga after England ran in 11 tries. Slade played a vital role in a number of those tries with his excellent support and running lines. He made over 20 passes from the outside centre position and claimed a try assist.
Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am also enjoyed a fine outing in Cardiff, while Gael Fickou was a thorn in the side of the Argentine defence in Paris.
14. Andrew Conway - Ireland
On Saturday, Andrew Conway was in a try-scoring mood as he managed to get on the end of three tries against Japan. He was also superb under the high ball as he regularly managed to get possession back for Ireland and kept Andy Farrell's charges on the front foot.
Adam Radwan also made the most of his opportunity against Tonga, gaining over 100 running metres, beating eight defenders and grabbing a try.
15. Frans Steyn - South Africa
Steyn came to the rescue for the Springboks in their narrow win over Wales, having come on as an early replacement for the injured Damian Willemse.
He slotted a mammoth 54-metre penalty and was safe under the high ball. He admitted after the game that any given test might well be his last and his playing like it is.
France's Melvyn Jaminet showed precisely why he had been entrusted as the starting fullback despite the stiff competition for the role with a steady performance against Argentina, which included 19 points from the tee. He also made over 90 running metres.
Hugo Keenan also had a stellar outing against Japan, including a superb 50:22 that later resulted in a try for Jonathan Sexton. Stuart Hogg returned to top form for Scotland in the final game of the weekend.
