While the Springboks fell just short of claiming the title, six of their star players feature in our Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
Bringing the heat in their cauldron, the All Blacks walloped the Wallabies 40-14 in Auckland at the weekend to retain the silverware in one of the most hotly-contested editions of the Southern Hemisphere showpiece.
The 39-point winning margin they set South Africa proved a bridge too far with the world champions only managing a 38-21 victory over the Pumas in Durban to finish second. Australia and Argentina finished third and fourth respectively.
Five All Blacks earned selection, three Pumas made the cut and a pair of Wallabies round out our team.
15: Jordie Barrett (New Zealand)
With the speed and skill of one of his brothers and the size of the other, he was an awesome all-rounder for the All Blacks. Dangerous from the back, a giant in the sky and used his big boot effectively. Finished the tournament with a commanding performance at No 12 in place of the injured David Havili at Eden Park.
14: Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina)
Pivotal to the success the Pumas enjoyed with his metronomic boot, finishing as the joint-top points-scorer with Richie Mo’unga with 71. His goal-kicking masterclass in the historic win over the All Blacks in New Zealand was legendary, slotting them from everywhere to score 20 of his team’s 25 points. Excellent in the air and a handful on attack.
13: Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)
Arguably the fastest outside centre in the world with side-stepping abilities that saw him swerve past would-be tacklers like Ken Block drifting in between obstacles, Ioane beat the most defenders (25), made the second-most running metres (537) and third-most clean breaks (7). Scored and set-up tries to race through the door opened by Lukhanyo Am’s injury.
12: Damian de Allende (South Africa)
While skillful, there was nothing flashy from De Allende this season. Instead, the bankable Springbok battering ram proved once again that it’s one thing to know what’s coming but another to stop it. Used his size and power to smash over the gain line consistently, leading the world champions in carrying metres (374) and defenders beaten (17), and scored two tries.
11: Marika Koroibete (Australia)
Dynamite personified in an explosive run in which the Wallabies wing showed he’s the total package. Big, strong, fast and agile on attack and a beast on defence. Handre Pollard will have nightmares about the humiliation Koroibete caused him with his crossover try and regardless of one’s stance on whether it was legal or not, his try-saving tackle on Makazole Mapimpi in the same match was undoubtedly the hit of the tournament.
10: Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand)
Steadied the ship when the All Blacks needed it most. When they were caught deep in the heart of a storm that looked set to sink the ship, it was Mo’unga who took the wheel, pointed them in the right direction and steered them to glory. Pivotal in the bounce-back win over the Springboks at Ellis Park, which saved Ian Foster his job, and continued to provide calmness and structure with his tactical expertise. He was elusive as well, beating 16 defenders.
9: Jaden Hendrikse (South Africa)
The 22-year-old blue-chipper directed the Springboks with poise well beyond his years to unseat the out-of-form Faf de Klerk as starting scrumhalf. His box-kicking was pinpoint, as evidenced by Canan Moodie’s magical try in Sydney, his service crisp and he caught out defenders with clever darts.
8: Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
A superstar. His explosive athleticism is unmatched and he’s filled out his game to where he’s a complete colossus. Physical in the trenches, a bloodhound at the breakdown and ultra-dynamic in space, where he iced his hard grinding with breakaways with trademark Savea swagger. Made the joint-most carries (60) and was the king of the offload (9).
7: Marcos Kremer (Argentina)
Solidified himself as a world-class flanker in an iconic campaign. An absolute warrior who sacrificed his body to help power the Pumas to monumental back-to-back wins over Australia and New Zealand and sustained his fierce intensity throughout. His superhuman showing in the historic triumph in Hamilton, in which he made 26 tackles, will never be forgotten. Topped the tackle stats by a country mile (80).
6: Pablo Matera (Argentina)
With his legendary stature, he’s one of the men management and players look to for inspiration and he delivered without fail, producing one passionate all-around performance after the other. Had typical Pumas mongrel mixed with muscle and a motor that ran and ran. Played eighthman but forced us to find a place for him with his heroics, which included making the joint-most carries (60) and fourth-most tackles (60).
5: Lood de Jager (South Africa)
Fired on all cylinders. A pillar of strength in the lineouts, where he secured a tournament-high 26 takes and picked off a few, as well as in the mauls. Arguably the second-rower with the best hands in the game, distribution skills he put to great use to generate momentum and/or feed the backline on the pullback and loose forward-like in terms of his defensive output.
4: Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
A colossal figure in the South African set-up in every sense. The centurion continued to personify the blunt-force style of the Springboks, taking the proverbial fight to the opposition and staying in their faces, sometimes with a crazed look in his eyes. Brutalised with controlled aggression, collected rebounds as an extra kick-chaser and athletic in the lineout.
3: Frans Malherbe (South Africa)
An unparalleled scrummaging powerhouse at tighthead, a point he punctuated by pulverising the Pumas in the tournament finale. Deceptively mobile and an unsung workhorse on defence, making double-digit tackles on more than one occasion.
2: Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
Cemented himself as the best hooker in the world. A tireless titan with flawless fundamentals who stabilised the shaky Springbok lineout, was a sledgehammer with ball in hand – especially as the second-phase go-to man – and brilliant at the breakdown.
1: James Slipper (Australia)
Did a sterling job as the Wallabies’ stand-in skipper after Michael Hooper’s shockingly withdrew from the squad less than 48 hours before the tournament-opener against Argentina. The added unexpected responsibility didn’t detract from his game with the centurion scrumming well and even set up a stunning try against South Africa with a clever inside pass.
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