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Super Rugby Team of the Season (so far)
By Alex McLeod
As Super Rugby remains at a standstill amid the global coronavirus pandemic, it's almost certain we've seen the end of the competition as we know it for this year.
Instead, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa look set to continue their respective conference campaigns with domestic competitions.
In a bid to acknowledge the seven rounds of action that played out before the regular competition came to a close, here's a XV made up of the best players from the first - and probably only - seven weeks of the season.
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1) James Slipper (Brumbies)
The Brumbies set the standard in Australia this year, and much of their prowess can be attributed to a dominant forward pack that James Slipper has shone in.
The Wallabies veteran’s move from Brisbane last year proved to be a success, as his high involvement in general play and solidity at scrum time worked wonders for the Brumbies.
The 30-year-old subsequently forced Wallabies incumbent Scott Sio for most of the campaign, and looms as a prominent figure for Australia boss Dave Rennie.
Honourable mentions: Ox Nche (Sharks), Angus Bell (Waratahs), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)
2) Codie Taylor (Crusaders)
Limited minutes and All Blacks rest weeks restricted Codie Taylor’s full impact for the Crusaders this season.
However, we still saw enough from the All Blacks incumbent to show why he’s the best hooker in the country through his robust style of play and significant work rate.
In a Crusaders side missing a raft of key players from years gone by, Taylor remains a key cog in the reigning champions’ roster.
Honourable mentions: Alex Mafi (Reds), Anaru Rangi (Rebels), Julian Montoya (Jaguares), Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes)
3) Taniela Tupou (Reds)
It’s hard to go past one of the most destructive ball-runners in the game, who continues to inflict damage on almost every team he plays against.
The Tongan Thor dominated that stat charts in every attacking aspect for Super Rugby props, leading the competition for running metres, line breaks, tackle busts, offloads and tries.
That’s a tough act to beat, so it should be no surprise to see Tupou heavily involved in Rennie’s Wallabies set-up later in the year.
Honourable mentions: Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies), Thomas du Toit (Sharks)
4) Guido Petti (Jaguares)
The Jaguares weren’t exactly as dominant compared to last year when they finished as defeat finalists, but star lock Guido Petti hasn’t let his standards dip.
The 25-year-old remains a force to be reckoned in his core role at the lineout, where he led the competition with 34 wins and five opposition steals.
Petti’s physicality hasn’t gone amiss either, and he will act as a guiding light for years to come within Argentine rugby.
Honourable mentions: Scott Barrett (Crusaders), Caderyn Neville (Brumbies)
5) Michael Stolberg (Sunwolves)
Few would have predicted that Michael Stolberg would have such an impact for the Sunwolves in their final Super Rugby campaign.
The Australian lock had other ideas, though, as he shone in a dismal Sunwolves outfit to jointly lead the competition with Petti in lineout wins and steals.
Stolberg also impressed with ball in hand to bag his fair share of tries and running metres and establish himself as one of the Sunwolves’ best in their five-season existence.
Honourable mentions: Matt Philip (Rebels), Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes)
6) Cullen Grace (Crusaders)
With his rangy frame and big mop of ginger hair, Crusaders rookie Cullen Grace evoked memories of Blues star Tom Robinson in his breakout season in 2019.
The 20-year-old was an unheralded recruit by the reigning champions, but played with commitment and determination as if he’d been playing Super Rugby for years.
Grace’s defensive tenacity, superb work at the breakdown and safety at the set piece has placed him in good stead for an All Blacks call-up later in the year.
Honourable mentions: Rob Valetini (Brumbies)
7) Lachlan Boshier (Chiefs)
Primarily seen donning the No. 6 jersey this season, Lachlan Boshier is a natural openside whose game went to another level for the Chiefs in the opening seven rounds this year.
Forced to accommodate the presence of Sam Cane, Boshier capitalised on Luke Jacobson’s injury-enforced absence to wreak havoc defensively against every team he faced.
The 25-year-old made a menace of himself at the breakdown, tackled his heart out and was bruising on attack, and an international debut doesn’t seem far off the reckoning.
Honourable mentions: Tom Christie (Crusaders), Liam Wright (Reds), Marnus Schoeman (Lions)
8) Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
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Latest Comments
Skelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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