Super Rugby Team of the Week - Round 19

Super Rugby Team of the Week - Round 19

With the regular season of Super Rugby done and dusted we take a look at the Super Rugby Team of the Week following the final round of action.

1. Jean-Pierre Smith

JP Smith was brilliant against the Sunwolves in the Reds final game of the season.

He dominated against a solid Sunwolves scrum and made 69 running metres from 7 carries and made 14 tackles.

Tendai Mtawarira and Nic Mayhew also had good games. 


2. Malcolm Marx

The Springbok hooker was all over the place against the Bulls making strong carries, big hit and numerous turnovers.


He finished the game with 38 running metres and a try.

Greg Pleasant-Tate made a great impact for the Highlanders while Ricky Riccitelli had another big game for the Hurricanes.

Akker van der Merwe was also good for the Sharks.

3. Thomas du Toit

A busy game for the Springbok tighthead in tough conditions in Durban.

He was strong in the scrum and made 12 tackles and 4 carries.

He beats Allan Alaalatoa and Ruan Dreyer to a place in the side. 

4. Jackson Hemopo

Hemopo defused a number of the Rebels attack by holding up the ball carrier or hitting them back with strong tackles.

He did this a number of times against the dangerous Amanaki Mafi. 

He beats the Arnold twins to a place in the side as well as Tyler Paul for the Sharks.

5. Franco Mostert

Mostert got through a mountain of work for the Lions on attack and defence.

He also put a quality Bulls lineout under significant pressure.

He made 7 carries and 15 tackles to beat the likes of Sam Whitelock, RG Snyman and Ruan Botha to a place in the side with all three players coming extremely close.

6. Marco van Staden

van Staden was absolutely brilliant at the breakdown for the Bulls. 

He made a number of key turnovers for his side and finished the game with 13 tackles and 4 turnovers in his 60 minutes.

He beats off Jerome Kaino, Jordan Taufua and Philip van der Walt for a place in the side.

7. Mitchell Karpik

Karpik was a key figure in the Chiefs win over the Hurricanes.

He made 13 tackles and 6 carries for 34 running metres. 

He also scored a try and prevented a certain try for the Hurricanes.

David Pocock and Cyle Brink were close to making the side. 

8. Liam Squire

Liam Squire beats Blade Thomson, Warren Whiteley and Daniel du Preez to the no.8 jersey this week.

Squire was immense for the Highlanders making 19 tackles with a number of those being big hits.

He also made 48 running metres from his 8 carries.

9. Brad Weber

A sublime performance by Brad Weber earns him a place in our Team of the Week after he put the All Black selectors on notice against the Hurricanes.

He put the Canes under pressure with a number of clever snipes and his kicking game was on point. He also raced away for a superb intercept try.

Michael Ruru and Mitchell Drummond also had good games this weekend as to did Ross Cronje.

10. Reece Hodge

The Rebels may have failed to make the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time but that had nothing to do with Reece Hodge's performance.

He scored a hattrick against the Highlanders and converted all of his shots at goal coming up with a personal tally of 29 points.

Richie Mo'unga, Elton Jantjies and Christian Leali'ifano all came close to claiming the jersey.



11. George Bridge

Bridge was in fine form against the Blues running in a hattrick against the Auckland based side.

He was solid on defence as well making all of his attempted tackles two of which were try savers.

He beats Andy Muirhead, Taqele Naiyaravoro and Eto Nabuli to the 11 jersey.

12. Teihorangi Walden

The Highlanders centre made 18 tackles for his side missing just one throughout the 80 minutes.

He kept Billy Meakes and Amanaki Mafi relatively quiet throughout the game and run great support lines on attack.

He was rewarded with a try and assisted another.

He beats the likes of Warrick Gelant and Kyle Godwin to a place in the side as well as Jack Goodhue. 

13. Seta Tamanivalu 

An extremely tough call at outside centre with Anton Lienert-Brown and Tevita Kuirdrani both playing expectionally for thier respective sides.

In the end Tamainivalu takes top spot with his performance against the Blues.

He may have started the game on the wing but made a bigger impact when he moved into the centres. 

He was involved in most of his side's tries and even scored one for himself.

He made 98 running metres beating 7 defenders and made 2 clean breaks.

14. Waisake Naholo

A mammoth performance by the All Black winger as he managed to 

The All Black winger was in fine form against the Rebels making 129 running metres from his two clean breaks and beat 6 defenders.

It wasn't all out attack for Naholo with his work in the air helping his side deal with Ruru's difficult box kicks while he also put in a crucial tackle on Jack Maddocks in the final play of the game when the Rebels looked to score a match-winning try.

Notable mentions: Ruan Combrinck and Melanie Nanai

15. Tom Banks

Banks had another fine game for the Brumbies against the Waratahs.

He attacked well making 107 running metres, scored a try and assisted another. 

Notable mentions: Andries Coetzee, Israel Dagg, Jono Lance and Solomon Alaiamalo.

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