Best XV from 3rd Weekend of Rugby Championship
The third round of the Rugby Championship saw late drama between Australia and South Africa.
Rob Horne’s last-gasp score snatched a 24-23 victory for the Wallabies to return some respectability to Ewen McKenzie’s men following their demolition at the hands of New Zealand.
And for the All Blacks, it meant top spot could be theirs with a win over Argentina in Napier. Steve Hansen’s side duly delivered after a tight first half with four tries also securing a bonus point in a 28-9 win.
Here are the men who made their mark in Round 3.
Full-Back
1 of 7
15. Israel Folau
Folau proved how important he is to Australia with a try and the crucial offload that helped to create the winning score at the death for Australia.
His own score showed his ability to hold his run and pick the correct line to exploit a gap, which is a sign of a maturing understanding of the game.
His flip off the floor as he was tackled was a classic example to any youngster about how to keep the ball alive in the tackle. It took defenders out of the game and gave his teammates the space to exploit out wide, which led to Rob Horne's winner.
He was his usual dominant self in the air and proved he doesn’t need time and space to be an influential figure for this team and that his basics can stand up under scrutiny.
Wings
2 of 7
11. Julian Savea
Julian Savea cannot stop scoring tries. Another two against Argentina made it 26 tries in 25 Tests—and 12 in 12 Rugby Championship fixtures. He can finish the easy ones and create more dazzling five-pointers with his own pace and skill. No one has an answer to him at present.
14. Cornal Hendricks
Sometimes a winger will have little involvement in a game, but he needs to be sharp when that one chance comes his way. Cornal Hendricks fulfilled that brief to the letter on Saturday with a world-class try that showcased his deadly finishing ability.
Centres
3 of 7
12. Matt Toomua
Matt Toomua can apply one of a range of skills to any situation, and he did so effectively against South Africa, kicking accurately when required and doing his fair share of hard yards against an uncompromising Springboks defence.
13. Tevita Kuridrani
It seemed odd at the time that Tevita Kuridrani was left out of both line-ups for Australia's back-to-back clashes with the All Blacks. And it looks an even dafter decision now given his performance against South Africa.
The Brumbies man was the best back on the field, full of hard lines and powerful running that caused South Africa no end of trouble.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Half-Backs
4 of 7
9. Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith is in tremendous form at the moment.
Though the eye-catching stuff like the tries and wonderful support lines take the headlines, his kicking game is the best of any No. 9 in the world right now.
His box-kicks were pinpoint in Napier and gave the Pumas nowhere to go.
10. Beauden Barrett
An impressive start from Beauden Barrett may give the selectors food for thought once Dan Carter and Aaron Cruden are fit.
Barrett's sharp mind was evident when he raced through a gap following a scrum turnover and set Liam Messam free for New Zealand's first try.
His pace and decision-making were key features all evening, and he proved he is capable of doing more than just adding a late dash of impetus from the bench.
However, as well as he played with the ball in hand, his goal-kicking will count against him. He only nailed one from four conversions against Argentina.
Back Row
5 of 7
6. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
Not a night for an all-court display, the likes of which we have regularly seen from the Toulon man, but Lobbe showed his ability to gut it out in the trenches just as well on Saturday.
A stout defensive performance from the former Sale star.
7. Richie McCaw
The reaction to a rare yellow card for McCaw in Round 2 against Australia was a mixture of shock and merriment, so often have the inhabitants of the rugby press box demanded he be sin-binned, only for those calls to be ignored by the officials.
So McCaw probably thought it was the right time to raise his game and return the focus to his ability as one of the world’s best No. 7s. In that respect, the job was done in style against Argentina.
We saw his ground game, his handling and the usual stretching of the laws of the breakdown in one of the most complete performances the captain has delivered for some time.
8. Kieran Read
Read is so far ahead of the game’s other Test No. 8s that there is little you can say about him that has not already been said. If he doesn’t become the next full-time All Blacks captain when Richie McCaw calls it a day, I’ll eat my notepad.
Second Row
6 of 7
4. Brodie Retallick
Another week, another world-class display from the best lock in world rugby at present.
Brodie Retallick was everywhere again for New Zealand, and his effort took on even greater importance with the injury to his senior partner Sam Whitelock.
5. Eben Etzebeth
Perhaps not back to full speed since returning from injury, the signs were promising from Eben Etzebeth in Perth.
He looked a danger to Australia in the line-out and was on hand often to provide support in the loose.
If his injury troubles are in the past, his future is quite frightening.
Front Row
7 of 7
1. Marcos Ayerza
Leicester man Marcos Ayerza was, at one stage, a doubt to make the squad for this tournament after missing out on the party for the visits of Ireland and Scotland in the summer, per the Leicester Mercury.
How bizarre that now seems. In his last two performances, the Argentine loose head has arguably established himself as the best No. 1 currently playing the game.
2. Dane Coles
Dane Coles was busy all night against Argentina. Much has been made of the size he has added in order to cope with the rigours of Test-match hooking, but he has not sacrificed his mobility in that bulking-up process and is developing into a fine player.
3. Ramiro Herrera
Ramiro Herrera picked up where he left off against South Africa as far as scrummaging is concerned. Many top teams look for more from their prop forwards than the ability to shove at scrum time. For now, that will do nicely from the 25-year-old.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
