Rugby Championship Team of the Week: All Blacks and Springboks ...

Following an action-packed opening round of the Rugby Championship, we select our team of the week.

The All Blacks and Springboks dominate our team after their comprehensive victories over Argentina and Australia, respectively.

South Africa thrashed the Wallabies 43-12 in the tournament’s opener, with New Zealand backing that up with a 12-41 crushing of Los Pumas.

15 Beauden Barrett (New Zealand): The veteran fullbacks stood out in round one with Willie Le Roux and Barrett, the two contenders for a spot in our side. The All Black gets the nod over his Springboks counterpart after an impressive outing in Mendoza which included a try, an assist and over 70 running metres. 

14 Emoni Narawa (New Zealand): Debut delight for the Chiefs’ star winger who produced a fine outing against Los Pumas. His Super Rugby Pacific form suggested that he would make a seamless step up to Test rugby, and that proved to be the case with an all round superb performance capped off with a maiden Test try. It was a forgettable night in Pretoria for Australia’s Suilasi Vunivalu, while Canan Moodie was the runner-up in the position.

???????? A try on debut for Emoni Narawa! #RugbyChampionship #ARGvNZLpic.twitter.com/w2BHQUzvtf

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 8, 2023

13 Rieko Ioane (New Zealand): He got the ball rolling for the All Blacks after an excellent dummy and break led to his side’s opening score. While he still has some work to do in defence, Ioane was blockbuster in attack and beats the Boks’ Lukhanyo Am.

12 Andre Esterhuizen (South Africa): Jordie Barrett may have been named man of the match for his outing against Argentina, but Esterhuizen cracks the nod for our team. The Harlequins’ centre stepped up to the mark in a crucial Test for him personally and delivered an outstanding performance that has done his stocks a world of good. Not only was he abrasive and physically dominant in possession, but he showed off his softer skills assisting the opening try and kicked well out of hand. 

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa): A straightforward decision after he ran in a hat trick of tries against the Wallabies. The superstar winger has now scored ten tries in just eight Test matches for the Springboks, dotting down in seven consecutive Tests. The 27-year-old knows his way to the try line, and although he had little to do for his first try, his latter two were finishes of the highest order.

???? Try number three for Kurt-Lee Arendse. He's on fire! #RSAvAUSpic.twitter.com/MWDx5L8dSj

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 8, 2023

10 Damian McKenzie (New Zealand): The playmaker has been in incredible form this season and reproduced that in the All Blacks jersey on Saturday. It was somewhat surprising to see him start in the number 10 jersey, but he did not disappoint as New Zealand steamrolled Argentina. He assisted three of his side’s seven tries and was hugely influential throughout the 80 minutes. Manie Libbok shone in his first start for his country but just misses out to the exciting All Black. 

9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand): Ian Foster’s charges raced out to a 0-31 lead at halftime in Argentina, mainly due to Smith’s excellence. He had an easy ride with his pack dominating the breakdown, but he certainly made the most of it as the All Blacks stretched and ripped through the Los Pumas defence. 

8 Duane Vermeulen (South Africa): The veteran number eight rolled back the years with an inspirational performance in his side’s win over the Wallabies. The 37-year-old came to the fore with great physicality as a ball carrier and caught the eye with outstanding leadership as the Boks’ stand-in skipper. He beats out Ardie Savea of the All Blacks.

7 Marco van Staden (South Africa): The Springbok tearaway made his first start for his country and delivered an excellent all-round performance. Van Staden was his usual busy self at the breakdowns, where he did well to slow down the Wallabies’ ball but also did well on attack, where he gained 43 metres, and defence, where he made a handful of tackles.

6 Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa): The 2019 World Rugby player of the year edges out All Black tearaway Shannon Frizell to make it an all-Springbok back-row after a superb performance in Pretoria. Du Toit was lively as a ball carrier, solid on defence and shone in the lineouts to complete an excellent all-round display.

5 Scott Barrett (New Zealand): The All Blacks second-row played in the number four jersey, but we’ve moved him to number five for our team, and he comes in ahead of Springbok Marvin Orie. Barrett was in the thick of the action as he won his fair share of lineout balls, impressed with ball in hand but made his biggest impact on defence as he made nine tackles.

4 Jean Kleyn (South Africa): The former Ireland lock showed his class with a fine debut for South Africa which will live on long in the memories of Bok supporters as he was one of the standout players against Australia. Kleyn hit the ground running as he took the fight to the Wallabies with some strong carries up front and did well in the lineouts.

3 Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand): This was a tough call as Frans Malherbe also had a good game in Pretoria, but Lomax edges him after a better all-round effort against Los Pumas in Mendoza. The All Blacks delivered a scrummaging performance and also shone in the execution of his other core duties, especially on defence, where he made eight tackles.

2 Dane Coles (New Zealand): Another veteran who showed he can still do the business at Test level with a fine effort in the All Blacks’ win over Argentina. The 36-year-old did well with ball in hand during a 47-minute shift and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. He also shone in the execution of his core duties and beats out South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi.

???????? Dane Coles opens the All Blacks' account in Mendoza. #ARGvNZLpic.twitter.com/IjAR0bwTRB

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 8, 2023

1 Steven Kitshoff (South Africa): The Ulster-bound front-row was a late replacement in the Bok starting XV for Ox Nche but showed why he is one of the world’s best players in his position with a fine display. Kitshoff was superb in the scrums, where he dominated his battle against Allan Alaalatoa, and defended well, especially at close quarters.

READ MORE: Rugby Championship: Five takeaways from Springboks v Wallabies clash as Eddie Jones left with a lot to ponder