Super Rugby Round 8 Review - Team Of The Week & More

Man of the Match
Canes vs Stormers:      Ma’a Nonu
Rebels vs Reds:      Sefanaia Naivalu
Chiefs vs Blues:                                 Brodie Retallick
Brumbies vs Cheetahs:                     David Pocock
Sharks vs Crusaders:                        Andy Ellis
Lions vs Bulls:                                   Warwick Tecklenburg


Team of the Week

15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Henry Speight, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sefanaia Naivalu, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read,  7 David Pocock, 6 Warwick Tecklenburg, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Scott Sio, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
(New Zealand/Australian  numbering for flanks: 7 openside, 6 blindside)

Best of the Week

Best Game:
For a tight, tense contest with an exciting twist-at-the-end climax, it would be Lions vs Bulls, but the Crusaders creative, clinical demolition of the Sharks in Durban provided a wonderful exhibition of skilful rugby and was one of the most impressive exhibitions of rugby of the season thus far.

Team Performance:
Crusaders – with their 8 tries, including two tries in the first four-and-a-half minutes and earning a four-try bonus point in the 35^th minute.

Player:
Andy Ellis (Crusaders)

Back:
Ma’a Nonu (Hurricanes)

Forward: 
David Pocock (Brumbies)

Tries:
Three of the tries in Round 8 were exceptional:

*     The long-range try from a turnover inside their 22 scored by James Marshall for the Chiefs (68^th minute) was superb – the Chiefs moved from the middle of the field towards the left touchline, then to the right touchline, passing and recycling and changing the point of attack, and then back towards the left touchline for Marshall finish a sweeping movement.

*     The try scored by Andy Ellis for the Crusaders (3^rd minute) was excellent too, moving left to right and recovering from two handling errors to attack from near the right touchline 10m inside their own half and create a try when it seemed there was nothing on.

*     One of the tries of the season was scored by Beauden Barrett for the Hurrricanes (39^th minute) after a steal at breakdown 10 metres from their own goalline, spreading the ball right and then attacking down the middle of the field before moving the ball left, with exceptional handling and support play and timing of passes all the way. Few teams would have had the Hurricanes initiative to run from so deep, under pressure and with no obvious space to launch an attack, as Cory Jane and Ma’a Nonu did.