A pretty good week for Australian rugby on the whole, with the Brumbies and Reds getting up in entertaining derby fixtures and the Tahs knocking off the Highlanders to keep their finals hopes alive. Only one round remains, which will be crucial for teams to push for finals places and individuals to push for Wallaby squad spots.
Team of the Week:
15. Kurtley Beale – WARATAHS
14. Nick Cummins – FORCE
13. Tom Carter – WARATAHS
12. Pat McCabe – BRUMBIES
11. Adam Ashley-Cooper – BRUMBIES
10. Quade Cooper – REDS
9. Will Genia – REDS
8. Radike Samo – REDS
7. David Pocock – FORCE
6. Jarrod Saffy – REBELS
5. Sitaleki Timani – WARATAHS
4. James Horwill – REDS
3. Al Baxter – WARATAHS
2. Stephen Moore – BRUMBIES
1. Kieran Longbottom – FORCE
The Aussie derbies threw up some interesting battles, and in the end it is the Reds and Waratahs that have come out on top with four players each. The Brumbies and Force follow close behind with three, and the Rebels bring up the rear with just one representative.
Longbottom, Moore and Baxter make up the front row after each put in eye-catching performances in their respective games. Baxter turned back the clock in his last game at the SFS, and keen observers noted the game ended after Baxter pulverised a poor Highlander into touch. Moore was once again outstanding, while Longbottom is rewarded for his consistent performances for the Force in the past few weeks. Benny Robinson is unlucky to miss out, as is Ben Alexander.
Kev Horwill and Sita Timani claim the lock spots with brutally physical efforts, while in the back row we have the seasons usual suspects- David Pocock, Jarrod Saffy and Radike Samo. Each provided their team with much-needed go forward, with both Pocock and Saffy getting over for good meat pies. Michael Lipman, Liam Gill and Ben McCalman also had good games.
Surprise, surprise- Genia and Cooper are the halves yet again. A few new faces in the centres though in Pat McCabe and Tom Carter who both had dynamically brilliant games. Ben Tapuai was bloody unlucky to miss out, but McCabe and Carter turned in season-best efforts. At the back we have Adam Ashley-Cooper, Nick Cummins and Kurtley Beale. KB was an obvious choice but no winger really had a stomer this weekend. With injuries to Ioane and Mitchell the selectors are watching closely, and none of the remaining speedsters are really putting themselves forward. Mainly because most of them are either injured or not eligible to play for Australia.
Player of the Week:
From the Friday night derby in Canberra we have Stephen Moore and Jarrod Saffy. Both back up after being nominated last week, and are surely putting their names in the frame for higher honours. Pat McCabe and Richard Kingi were the unlucky silver medallists. The Waratahs fans didn’t have to argue much to decide on Kurtley Beale, who also repeats his nomination from last week. Tom Carter and Sitaleki Timani also got votes.
Lastly the Reds and Force fans put forward Quade Cooper and David Pocock. Both won in landslides from James Horwill and James O’Connor respectively.
Try of the Week:
Once again proving he is the real deal, Kurtley Beale had the ball on a string on Saturday night. The try that he set up for Dave Dennis ranks as one of the best of the season. Kudos to Luke Burgess for remaining calm after it seemed all was lost after Kurtley’s unusually average grubber. He found a rampaging TPN who in turn offloaded to the perfectly placed Dennis. Have a look for yourself:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kldZdz2Z-MM[/youtube]
Moment of the Week:
It was yet another great escape by the Reds, and yet another agonising defeat for the Force. Quade Cooper’s audacious triple-cutout to Dom Shipperley secured not only the game but a much-needed week off and at least a semi-final in front of a packed home crowd. Now the Reds can travel to Hamilton with a little bit more breathing room at the top of the table, safe in the knowledge that a win will secure top spot. The ablility to perform under intense pressure in the final minutes is a skill that separates the men from the boys, the contenders from the pretenders, and the Reds from the Force in 2011.
Whom would you pick in your team of the week?
