England and the All Blacks dominate our Nations Championship team of the week

With another round of the Nations Championship now behind us, it is time to delve into the team-of-the-week territory.

With Will Jordan (finally) breaking a two-decade record, more than two dozen players rose above the rest, deserving the spotlight on our Nations Championship team of the week.

1. Rhys Carré (Wales)
Another try for the always-impressive Rhys Carré. Was engulfed in a fair and brilliant arm-wrestle with Tomas Rapetti at scrum time, looking frightening with the ball under his arm, winning several contact metres.

2. Jamie George (England)
Sensational shift from Jamie George to help his pack turn Fiji to cinders, with the hooker’s commanding presence leading the scrum and driving the maul to glory, scoring a try to cap off a great outing.

3. Wilco Louw (South Africa)
With Pierre Schoeman in sensational form, Wilco Louw rose to the challenge and arguably got the better of the contest, winning two crucial scrum penalties against his direct opponent. While the colossal prop was not heavily involved with the ball in hand, he more than compensated with a superb defensive display, highlighted by a dominant tackle among his nine successful hits.

Nations Championship

Northern Hemisphere

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Ireland

2

2

0

0

10

2

France

2

1

1

0

7

3

Scotland

2

1

1

0

6

4

England

2

1

1

0

5

5

Wales

2

1

1

0

5

6

Italy

2

0

2

0

0

Southern Hemisphere

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

South Africa

2

2

0

0

10

2

New Zealand

2

2

0

0

10

3

Argentina

2

1

1

0

6

4

Japan

2

1

1

0

4

5

Australia

2

0

2

0

3

6

Fiji

2

0

2

0

0

4. Sam Darry (New Zealand)
Industrious work from Sam Darry, with the All Blacks lock overcoming the Italian lineout challenge with excellence and also snatching a couple of turnovers that killed Italy’s chances of coming back.

5. Warner Dearns (Japan)
It is becoming a habit to see Warner Dearns on the Team of the Week list, as the lock put in another stellar performance. Beyond picking apart the Irish lineout, Dearns was relentless in challenging the opposition’s attack, executing two jackals and making 14 successful tackles.

6. Lenni Nouchi (France)
17 carries, 15 successful tackles, 60 running metres – the most by any forward pack operator in that game – three defenders beaten, two offloads, and a world of hurt the Wallabies couldn’t take. Has Lenni Nouchi’s Les Bleus era begun?

7. Henry Pollock (England)
Potentially the call that might raise a few eyebrows, but England’s wonderkid came on from the bench and in under 30 minutes bagged a hat-trick, even outpacing Salesi Rayasi twice before skidding through the whitewash. The young back-rower also clinched a turnover and a dominant tackle, making a massive impact in England’s 73-8 win.

8. Joaquín Oviedo (Argentina)
Relentless from start to finish—something the Welsh national team can attest to. Oviedo’s physicality was too much for the opposition to handle, persistently winning the gain line, which was key for the Pumas to set the tone for the match. Despite claiming a brace of tries, what was far more impressive was the never-ending energy that he poured into 50 minutes.

9. Cam Roigard (New Zealand)
Roigard once again proved to be the driving force behind the All Blacks, orchestrating a relentless stream of attacks and combinations that kept the hosts firmly in control. Beyond his pinpoint distribution and attacking flair, the scrum-half was exceptional at identifying and exploiting weaknesses in the opposition, repeatedly finding gaps that checkmated the Azzurri.

10. Fin Smith (England)
The Smith&Smith combo worked to perfection, as the fly-half and full-back were on the same page, delivering the right set of blows to push England to a try-galore afternoon against Fiji. The Northampton Saints playmaker pulled the strings brilliantly, with his tactical kicking keeping Fiji under relentless pressure and forcing a string of errors that Marcus Smith and company were quick to punish.

11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England)
In a match where everyone expected Jiuta Wainiqolo to carve up the English backline, it was Immanuel Feyi-Waboso who did the damage instead. The Exeter Chiefs speedster broke the line twice, racking up 107 running metres and giving the Fijian defence all sorts of headaches.

12. Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
Sione Tuipulotu at the top of his game is a cheat code that can unlock any obstacle, regardless of how big it is. Against the Springboks, the centre was massive, fending off tacklers left and right, making some of the game’s best runs, and providing a sharp attacking platform for Scotland to exploit. Topped the charts for line breaks, running metres, defenders beaten and carries, underlining just how influential he was throughout the match.

13. Fabien Brau-Boirie (France)
It is becoming the norm to see one of rugby’s brightest young stars feature in the Team of the Week, but Fabien Brau-Boirie has once again earned his place. With Australia desperately searching for a way through the French defence, the Pau centre stood firm, producing two thunderous, dominant tackles that completely halted the opposing ball carriers’ momentum. He spiked the Les Bleus attacking game with four key offloads that ignited the fire from within his team.

14. Will Jordan (New Zealand)
Record broken and what a way to do it! Will Jordan has finally toppled Doug Howlett as the All Blacks’ all-time leading try scorer, and celebrated the feat by scoring a hat-trick—sheer, incredible stuff, needling his way through the Italian defence like the world’s sharpest cleaver cutting through butter.

15. Santiago Carreras (Argentina)
Played the Welsh backline like they were a violin. The way the elusive Pumas full-back kept feeding his best runners with quick passes and high, sharp kicks while moving the ball around with haste was too much for the opposition to handle. Got on the scoresheet to cap off a mouthwatering performance.
Honourable mentions to Kyle Rowe (Scotland), Marcus Smith (England), Evan Roos (South Africa), Romain Ntamack (France), Sean Jansen (Ireland), Shuhei Takeuchi (Japan) and Tommaso Menoncello (Italy).