Round 9 featured the sublime, the ridiculous and most things in between. In the end the Reds and Force emerged victorious, while the Waratahs, Brumbies and Rebels were defeated in crucial games. The next few weeks will be critical in determining the conference ladder as we begin the second series of games. But back to this week: the 15 much-coveted places in the G&GR team of the round go to…
Team of the Round:
15 Luke Morahan – REDS
14 Drew Mitchell – WARATAHS
13 Anthony Faingaa – REDS
12 Mike Harris – REDS
11 Digby Ioane – REDS
10 Quade Cooper – REDS
9 Will Genia – REDS
8 Scott Higginbotham – REDS
7 Beau Robinson – REDS
6 Radike Samo – REDS
5 Nathan Sharpe – FORCE
4 James Horwill – REDS
3 James Slipper – REDS
2 Saia Faingaa – REDS
1 Sekope Kepu – WARATAHS
Not surprisingly it’s the Reds who provide the bulk of the side, after their resounding win over the defending champions. The Waratahs provide two players; however, you could argue the remaining 13 Waratahs would struggle to make an Australian Third XV this week. The Force supply us with our last player.
The tight five would have been all red but for a couple of standout performances from Sekope Kepu and Nathan Sharpe. They relegate the unlucky pair of Ben Daley and Rob Simmons, who both had good games up front for the Queenslanders. Horwill, Faingaa and Slipper have all made it though, with honourable mentions going the way of James Hanson, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Benn Robinson.
Radike Samo makes his first appearance after just edging out Ben McCalman for the No. 6 jersey. Beau gets yet another guernsey, while Higgers takes the No. 8 spot. These three players were pivotal in securing the Reds win by providing good momentum at the breakdown, which allowed the backs to dominate.
Due to said dominance the backline is a very deep shade of red, with only Drew Mitchell messing up the colour scheme. Genia and Cooper stroll in after taking the Bulls’ defence to pieces. Harris and Faingaa were equally outstanding, along with Digby Ioane and Luke Morahan at the back. David Smith, Rod Davies, Christian Lealiifano, James O’Connor and Matt Giteau can consider themselves a little unlucky.
Player of the Week:
The votes have been counted and the nominees announced. The first is Hugh Pyle, who was a clear standout in a losing team on Friday night. The Waratahs fans have provided Drew Mitchell, who won in a landslide from Sekope Kepu and Benn Robinson. Mitchell was close to best-on-ground in a badly beaten side, and has restamped his credentials as the form Australian winger in the competition.
The Reds fans had plenty of standouts to choose from, and ultimately settled on Quade Cooper, who set the ground alight with skill, flair and (surprisingly) the occasional tackle. James Horwill, Will Genia, James Slipper, Digby Ioane, Ben Daley and Ant Faingaa also received votes.
From the Sunday game we ended up with Nathan Sharpe from the Force and Matt Giteau from the Ponies. Both were obvious standouts in a fairly underwhelming match.
Try of the Week:
Plenty of good tries to choose from this weekend, and I have ended up settling on a cracker by Luke Morahan. I have not been alone in pining for the return of the backline set-move, and tries like this only add weight to my argument. The game was in the balance just after half time, the Reds had a scrum five metres out. A simple loop and a couple of passes later and Morahan is over in the corner and the Reds are almost home. Simple yet elegant, it was a great try. Have a look for yourself:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oppcqhyz8VY[/youtube]
Moment of the Week:
There could be only one contender. Digby Ioane’s breakdancing try celebration summed up the 2011 Reds — energetic, audacious and entertaining. It had the crowd on their feet, and was up the top of most sports bulletins on Sunday night. Finally this season has produced its first ‘watercooler moment’ and it is no surprise it was the Reds who delivered it. Let’s hope it isn’t the last, and that a few other sides can give them a run for their money — starting with the Waratahs this Saturday.
What was your moment of the week?
