We are past the halfway mark for the 2011 Super Rugby season and it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a clipboard and put our selector hats on. Here is my Super Rugby XV so far:
15. Isaia Toeava (Blues)
Injury has unfortunately ended the Iceman’s Super Rugby season, but for the previous 11 weeks he has been in sparkling form. He is a powerful runner with pace to burn, and has an uncanny ability to beat the first tackler every time. He has certainly reaped the benefits of the Blues’ forward dominance, getting front foot ball more often than not.
Unlucky – Ben Smith (Highlanders)
14. Kade Poki (Highlanders)
Poki has been one of the key men in the Highlanders’ unexpected surge up the table this season. His cannonball style and lightning pace have seen him break the line time after time, and score a few tries to boot. Beating 7 tacklers to score against the Rebels was just one example of this guy’s skill and strength in close confines.
Unlucky – Sean Maitland (Crusaders)
13. Jared Payne (Blues)
It’s a real shame Payne is going offshore next season, because he was starting to set the competition alight for the Blues. His skills are top notch, and he has a knack of drawing multiple defenders before providing a perfectly timed ball to a man outside. His defence has been rock solid, and with Toeava now injured he will be critical to the Blues’ fortunes come finals time.
Unlucky – Robbie Fruean (Crusaders)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders)
SBW played terribly in his first 15 minutes of Super Rugby against the Waratahs, but in the remaining 620 minutes he has been pretty fucking good. His incredible power in both attack and defence is one thing, but his ability to offload in the tackle is something else entirely. He is now the lynch-pin of the Crusaders attack, and one would think he will fill the same role in black later this year.
Unlucky – James O’Connor (Force)
11. Drew Mitchell (Waratahs)
Drewster was on fire before injury ended his season a few weeks ago. He racked up 6 tries and 8 linebreaks, and was the Waratahs’ go-to man when they needed a spark. He had 12 more tackle busts than anyone else in the competition, and his balance when running was beautiful to watch. The enthusiasm he showed in both attack and defence is something the Tahs have sorely missed these last few weeks.
Unlucky – Digby Ioane (Reds)
10. Quade Cooper (Reds)
Head and shoulders above all others this season, except maybe Daniel Carter, but he has only played a couple of games. Yes, his defence is questionable, as is his decision-making when the chips are down. But the man is an attacking genius, who can pull the most amazing pieces of play out of his arse at any time and place. He has the crowds flocking to Suncorp, and because of that he will be very much in demand after the RWC.
Unlucky – Peter Grant (Stormers)
9. Will Genia (Reds)
Cooper’s partner in crime, he has been the steady hand on the wheel for the Reds this year. He has virtually eliminated mistakes from his game, and his kicking under pressure has been sublime. He marches the Reds around the park like a general, and has shown a consistency not seen in other more mercurial halfbacks (e.g. Pretorius, Burgess, Mathewson).
Unlucky – Sarel Pretorius (Cheetahs)
8. Gareth Delve (Rebels)
The bulky Welshman is the heart and soul of the Rebels forward pack. Rod Macqueen has realised this, and hasn’t yet taken him off the field. He gets through a mountain of work, and has visibly carried the team on numerous occasions. His efforts to set up Lachie Mitchell against the Blues were testament to this, drawing three men before executing a miracle offload close to the touchline. It wasn’t the first time he has pulled off something this inspirational, and won’t be the last.
Unlucky – Kieran Read (Crusaders)
7. Adam Thomson (Highlanders)
I know he hasn’t had 7 on his back much this season, but I needed a bit of a shuffle to get everyone in. Plus this bloke has played openside for the ABs in the past, and could do it again tomorrow. In fact he could play just about anywhere, he is that good. He can do it all: lineouts, pilfers, bone-crunching tackles, kicks, passes, tries, bullocking runs, quantum physics. If he fires then the Highlanders win. It’s that simple.
Unlucky – Matt Todd (Crusaders)
6. Willem Alberts (Sharks)
This bloke is a veritable wrecking ball. He ploughs mercilessly into defences time after time, dragging two or three tacklers for metres before reluctantly dropping to ground. And he can tackle and pilfer too. He was at the heart of the Sharks’ stellar early season form, and all eyes will be on him in the latter part of the season to see if he can continue that and push for a Springbok jersey.
Unlucky – Liam Messam (Chiefs)
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5. Nathan Sharpe (Force)
Sharpie has been in career-best form so far this season, and has been the standout Australian forward. His consistency in breaking the advantage line with ball in hand is staggering, as is his ability to spoil opposition lineout ball. The bloke just never seems to stop, and has made fools of the critics who once accused him of being a seagull (I am sorry Sharpie, I take it all back). Let’s just hope he can continue his glorious run of form in gold.
Unlucky – Rynhardt Elstadt (Stormers)
4. Andries Bekker (Stormers)
The gigantic Saffa has had another fine season tormenting opposition lineouts and defensive lines. He has put up a bold challenge to Victor and Bakkies with a phenomenal workrate in the tight stuff. Unsurprisingly leads the competition in lineout takes. An integral member of the Stormers’ rock-solid defence, he is one player whom I would be quite happy to see sitting on the sidelines come World Cup time.
Unlucky – Jarrad Hoeata (Highlanders)
3. Ben Franks (Crusaders)
Franks has anchored the most powerful scrum in Super Rugby, and that in itself should be enough to see him selected. However his form around the park has been great as well and I would argue he is probably the hardest bastard in the whole competition. Sadly he is out with injury for most of the remainder of the comp, but (sadly for all other countries) he will be back in time for the RWC.
Unlucky – Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)
2. Ged Robinson (Rebels)
This is a bit of a controversial one, but I just love the way this guy plays rugby. No showboating, no fuss, no drama. He just hits ruck after ruck, makes carry after carry. Along with Delve he has driven the Rebels pack. At the start of the season I looked at the team list and said ‘Ged who?’, but now I am scrambling through his playing record to see if he can play for the Wallabies. He can’t, sadly. For the record TPN wasn’t considered due to insufficient game time.
Unlucky – Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks)
1. Coenie Oosthuizen (Cheetahs)
Oosthuizen epitomises the Cheetahs this season: young, audacious, error-prone but overall great to watch. He plays the game with a level of exuberance and enthusiasm not normally seen in a South African loose-head, and it has seen him turn some heads in the Springbok coaching staff. The guy actually leads the competition in pilfers. A bright future awaits if he can keep it up.
Unlucky – Benn Robinson
What do you think? Did I miss anyone?
