Super Rugby Team of the Season (so far)
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.
Continue reading below…
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)
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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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To be able to continually dislodge Akira Ioane from the Blues’ starting lineup is no mean feat, but youngster Hoskins Sotutu did so convincingly in the early stages of the season.
The 21-year-old started in all but one of the Blues’ fixtures, and did so with devastating impact with ball in hand.
Sotutu led the competition for running metres, line breaks and tackle busts for loose forwards and stands as genuine prospect for All Blacks selection in 2020.
Honourable mentions: Harry Wilson (Reds), Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Sharks), Pete Samu (Brumbies)
9) Brad Weber (Chiefs)
Continuing his sublime form from last season, Brad Weber is no doubt keeping Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara on their toes for a starting All Blacks role.
The nippy 29-year-old remains the heartbeat of the Chiefs and flourished in the competition’s attacking statistics for halfbacks.
Given his influence with ball in hand and astute running game, expect Weber to increase his tally of five test caps in the coming months.
Honourable mentions: Tate McDermott (Reds), Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), Sam Nock (Blues)
10) Curwin Bosch (Sharks)
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The Sharks sit atop the Super Rugby standings while the competition remains suspended, and much of that can be accredited to the work of Curwin Bosh.
The young playmaker was been sensational for the Durban club through a mix of his tidy running ability, tactical nous and booming boot.
If Springboks selection was confined purely to Super Rugby players, Bosch would be a frontrunner for the No. 10 jersey, but he certainly stands as a contender for the future.
Honourable mentions: Aaron Cruden (Chiefs), Noah Lolesio (Brumbies), Dominigo Miotti (Jaguares)
11) Mark Telea (Blues)
Considering the amount of talent laden in the Blues’ backline, not many would have picked Mark Telea to have shone as brightly as he did between January and March.
In his first season of Super Rugby, the fleet-footed North Harbour product burst onto the scene to establish himself as one of the league’s most lethal attacking weapons.
An All Blacks call-up may be a bit premature at this stage, but if he can maintain that form in the imminent New Zealand competition, Telea could press his case for the All Blacks XV.
Honourable mentions: George Bridge (Crusaders), Henry Speight (Reds), Ben Lam (Hurricanes)
12) James O’Connor (Reds)
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What a comeback it has been for a player who most thought we had seen the last of on Australian soil.
The maturity and development in James O’Connor’s game was been evident in the way in which he led his young Reds side around the park from No. 10 and No. 12 this season.
His playmaking ability is second to none, and both Queensland and Australia are in good hands over the coming years if O’Connor remains in both set-ups.
Honourable mentions: Jack Goodhue (Crusaders), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks)
13) Rieko Ioane (Blues)
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Many questioned Rieko Ioane’s positional switch to the midfield leading into the 2020 campaign due to his defensive frailties, but the All Blacks star has silenced his critics.
Assistant coach Tana Umaga’s influence over the 23-year-old has been clear to see, as his transition further in-field was seamless from an attacking perspective.
Ioane’s defensive output improved as well, adding an extra string to his tremendous bow and making him an invaluable member of this promising Blues outfit.
Honourable mentions: Joe Marchant (Blues), Braydon Ennor (Crusaders)
14) Andrew Kellaway (Rebels)
Another player to have surprised this season is Andrew Kellaway, who appears to have benefitted hugely from spells in England and New Zealand.
The former Northampton Saint and Counties Manukau wing was in inspired form for the Rebels, topping the try-scoring charts with seven tries in six outings.
Add to that the amount of clean breaks he made and the number of metres he ran, and a unlikely Wallabies call-up seems far more realistic at this stage.
Honourable mentions: Sevu Reece (Crusaders), Solomon Alaimalo (Chiefs), Solomone Kata (Brumbies)
15) Aphelele Fassi (Sharks)
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As one of the most electric players in Super Rugby this year, Sharks speedster Aphelele Fassi deserves the fullback spot in this side.
The 22-year-old tore apart defences across the Southern Hemisphere, leading the competition for running metres and coming close in the clean breaks and defenders beaten charts.
South Africa already have a plethora of outside backs at their disposal, but Fassi must be enticing option for new Springboks boss Jacques Nienaber.
Honourable mentions: Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes), David Havili (Crusaders)
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments