Six Boks make our Nations Championship team of the week - Round 1

No one could have asked for a better start to the Nations Championship, which, in its opening round, offers some of the best Test matches of recent years.

In a weekend packed with stellar performances, we went ahead and picked our round 1 best 15, with the Springboks supplying five, while the All Blacks and France each provided two.

1. Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
The Pumas must still be having nightmares with Schoeman after yesterday, as the loosehead prop wielded himself like a sledgehammer, repeatedly powering his way through the Argentine defence. 13 massive carries, a top-notch try and a lesson on how to scrum.

2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
It should come as no surprise that Marx has secured a place in the best 15 of the round, with the hooker once again proving a relentless force of nature as he helped the Springboks’ pack overpower England at Ellis Park. Close to perfection in his lineout duties and a brutish enforcer from the side of the ruck.

3. Thomas du Toit (South Africa)
England had a troubling time containing the Boks’ starting tighthead Thomas du Toit, who made several groundbreaking carries that plunged the Boks deep inside the opposition’s territory. Adding to his excellent performance, he stood up well to Ellis Genge and won a scrum penalty in the process.

4. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
Another performance for the ages. PSDT’s voraciousness in continuing to throw his body on the line and finding a way to break through the English defence solidified the Boks’ dominance at Ellis Park. Two line breaks, 21 successful tackles, one successful jackal and unending stamina.

5. Warner Dearns (Japan)
While Ben Gunter did put on quite the shift, Warner Dearns was as influential as his teammate, with the Hurricanes lock stealing two opposition lineouts and crossing for a try as the Brave Blossoms secured their first win over the Azzurri since 2018.

6. Rob Valentini (Australia)
Relentless for nearly 80 minutes, the Brumbies back-rower was easily one of the best Wallabies against Ireland. Beyond 14 thumping carries, the blindside flanker was a constant headache for the Irish forward pack, who struggled to contain him at the breakdown, with Valentini nabbing a turnover mid-first half.

7. Jac Morgan (Wales)
In a weekend packed with some of the finest jackling performances seen in recent years, Jac Morgan emerged as one of the standout operators at the breakdown. The Welsh flanker forced Fiji to concede two penalties and claimed two turnovers of his own, also scoring a brace to help deliver the second victory of the Steve Tandy era.

8. Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
In a match of fine margins, Ardie Savea was potentially one of the reasons why the All Blacks came out on top. He won every collision and made the French loose forward trio suffer until the very end.

9. Cam Roigard (New Zealand)
The French must still be wondering how Cam Roigard managed to slip through their grasp in one of the finest performances of his Test career. Six defenders beaten, two line breaks, while not allowing Lucu to boss him around, having the upper hand until he was subbed off.

10. Matthieu Jalibert (France)
Maestro. Jalibert kept dragging France from the dead even when Les Bleus seemed intent on making it easy for the All Blacks to power through, with the UBB fly-half producing an all-time performance.

11. Jiuta Wainiqolo (Fiji)
No tries for Jiuta Wainiqolo, but a winger’s performance shouldn’t be defined by the number of finishes, as shown by the LOU speedster in Cardiff. Ran the show from the left side of the aisle, outpacing most of the opposition to help set up his side’s best plays.

12. Damian de Allende (South Africa)
A Player of the Match performance from one of the Boks’ finest ever backline operators, de Allende was critical to a belting afternoon for the world champs. Tremendous on defence, de Allende narrowed down the English line of attacking options while setting up a handful of key plays and a try assist.

13. Fabien Brau-Boirie (France)
An outstanding performance from the young Pau centre, he delivered two of the biggest tackles in the All Blacks vs France showdown. Wasn’t intimidated by Jordie Barrett’s presence and even managed to evade the All Blacks centre twice. If he keeps performing at this level, it will be a near-impossible task to remove him from Fabien Galthié’s first 15.

14. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)
Marcus Smith will still be wondering what happened in the split second he found himself one-on-one with Cheslin Kolbe. The elusive winger was at his devastating best, scoring a try, making a line break, winning six aerial contests and claiming a turnover as he played a starring role in the Springboks’ impressive start to the Test season.

15. Damian Willemse (South Africa)
That 50/22 has to sit amongst the very best kicks and punts of the year, showing why he is currently the world’s best international fullback – with only Thomas Ramos on par with him. Was immaculate under pressure, expertly controlling the backfield and effectively neutralising England’s dangerous outside backs, who struggled to find a way past him throughout the contest.

Honourable mentions to Kyle Rowe (Scotland), Ben Gunter (Japan), George Martin (England), Jasper Wiese (South Africa), Josh Canham (Australia), Rhys Carré (Wales) and Hugo Keenan (Ireland).