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Aussie Super Rugby Team of the Week Round 4

Matt Rowley March 11, 2013 38

No GravatarHere it is – the G&GR writer’s Super Rugby team of the week for round 4. Some very close calls to be made between the Reds and Brumbies this round – toss of a coin in it.

ben alexander brumbies

1.Ben Alexander

Still looking good at LOOSE HEAD (hear that Robbie?) and angry!

moore team pic

2.Stephen Moore

Just class

dan palmer brumbies

3. Dan Palmer

Please don’t go to France, please don’t go to France…..

fardy profile

4. Scott Fardy

When he wasn’t smashing rucks he was smashing tackles

hugh pyle

5. Hugh Pyle

Still rock solid at the top of the lineout and putting in the hard yards

scott higginbotham rebels

6. Scott Higginbotham

Is it my imagination or is his play tightening up?

gill profile

7. Liam Gill

Was absolutely everywhere in that match –  G&GR Man of the Round

ben mowen

8. Ben Mowen

Could have dominated the Tahs pack on his own

nick frisbee

9. Nick Frisbee

Didn’t look at all like a second reserve

Matt+Toomua+deDc4GE5jHWm

10. Matt Toomua

Accomplished and calm, a great team facilitator

digby loane reds

11. Digby Ioane

Did his talking on the field (not the pub)

tapuai profile

12. Ben Tapuai

The beautiful little tip-toe try he scored  shows how he’s come on

anthony fiangaa reds

13. Anthony Faingaa

Had he been injured? Brought the physicality the Reds missed back

henry speight

14. Henry Speight

Bustling and physical

jesse mogg

15. Jesse Mogg

Is this run of gold ever going to end? Another two tries created.

How’d we do – what would you change?

TAGS » ,
POSTED IN » ACT Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Super Rugby
About the author: Matt Rowley View all posts by
Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

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Discussion »

  • http://www.facebook.com/clayton.everton.9 Clayton Everton

    Love seeing 7 reds in that side. X

    • RoffsChoice

      I only see 5?

      • Goddess

        Assuming he’s including Higgers & Squeaky.

  • Steve

    Still too many Waratahs :(

  • HardenUp

    could have just used the entire Brumbies team!!

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

      That’s where we started out….

  • Capnles

    George Smith wouldn’t have looked out of place in that team.

    • Capnles

      … but Gill was unstoppable.

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

      Agree

    • http://twitter.com/martyaskew Marty Askew

      Surely George Smith would be handy to have on the bench vs the Lions. Having one of the young guys start (Hooper or Gill) and then someone of his experience on the bench would be immense. He can cover the whole backrow.

      Something we missed in the 2011 world cup

      • Roscoe Tims

        For mine, not on the bench but as the starting No 7. He looks as good as ever.

  • stevottop

    Lealiifano and O’Connor tough omissions.

    • Pedro

      Agree.

    • Persona Non Grata

      I watched the Rebels game and cannot see anything O’Connor did to deserve inclusion, or inclusion in the Wallabies either

      • bill

        the pass to mitchell was a pearler. I’ve never heard of any rugby team that wouldn’t want that sort of pass in their arsenal. ….well except Robbie ‘s teams.

        • Patrick

          Yes. I think what PNG’s getting at is that O’Connor really did take it up far too often alone, and got isolated two or three times as a result, missed far too many kicks, and didn’t get a single second touch that I saw.

          So I actually think a deserved omission. Probably Inman was the most hard-done by Rebel, he had probably the best game I’ve seen him have and I actually thought he beat Faingaa over the course of the night.

  • Brumby Runner

    Reds were ordinary in their win against a second rate Rebels. Brumbies were clinical in their demolition of the ‘great white hope’ Tahs. In any instance of perceived close calls, the decision should realistically come down in favour of the Brumbies’ candidate. Even so, it is beyond my comprehension that anyone would rate Frisby’s effort superior to Nic White. Nic was outstanding and a very major influence on the outcome of the game.

    Imo George Smith was Man of the Round. Gill is very good but wouldn’t rate his game any better than Hooper’s. Also, not impressed with Higger’s game atm. His attempted intercept that went awry led directly to a Reds try.

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Matt Rowley

      Something tells me you would only have been pleased with 15 Brumbies in that side….

      • brumby runner

        Haha. I would not have been unhappy, but I am prepared to concede that others should be included where their performances warrant. I am happy to see Pyle, Taps, Ant and Digby, but I still question the inclusion of Higgers and Frisby. The 6 should be between Quirk and Kimlin, while White was far and away the best 9 on the weekend. Based on the teams’ performances last weekend, the team of the week should rightly be dominated by Brumbies and Reds. Only Pyle makes it imo from elsewhere, although I could almost accept Robinson in place of Benny A if pushed.

    • Barbarian

      I was also offended that Scott Sio and Robbie Coleman didn’t make it in. And where was Colby Faingaa, Joe Roff and Ipolito Fenukitau?

      • AJ

        Ipolito would cruise into a Waratahs starting spot at present.

        Baa Baa, I am sooo excited about your upcoming tuesday top five reasons why you were wrong about Dennis’ superiority over Mowen. It should be a cracker!

        • Barbarian

          Haha what I said (three weeks ago) was “Would I pick him there tomorrow? No. He’s still behind Higgers and Dennis for mine. But that can change quickly, and he will have plenty of chances to prove his superiority in the weeks to come.”

          It can change quickly, and it looks like it has. He had the chance and has taken it, against Dennis at least (Higgers is still playing well). How mind-blowingly prescient of me.

        • Patrick

          Welcome to the 21st C Barbarian, with your conversion I think there is now no-one with any knowledge of rugby in Australia who supports DD being selected for the Wallabies :)

        • Klaus

          I was a fan of Dave Dennis last year but this year the captaincy must be a burden he was terrible in that brumbies game. That attempt(if you could even call it that) on Mogg at the end was something that a Super 15 coach never the less a National coach should be disgusted in a player for an effort like that. That sounds harsh I know but he is a better player than that and gave up the ghost that night like others and that why it ended up the way it did.

    • http://twitter.com/sportamanda Amanda Singh

      Nic White is really maturing. Composed and his skills saved some tricky situations. Close call, Frisbee was pretty damn dynamic.

  • Patrick

    Ben Mowen – dominated the Tahs pack on his own

    yea, but did he do anything special?

    ;)

  • Dan54

    Yep, couldn’t disagree with your selectiond there. I agree about Mowen being so dominant, he actually plays similar type game to Kieran Read. I also really like Matt Toomua’s game he really turning into a bloody good 10.

  • Stin

    I can’t believe there aren’t any Tahs!

    • http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/ Brumby Jack

      Rob Horne isn’t playing yet…

      • http://landoftheunit.wordpress.com/ Sully

        I don’t see why that would stop him being named

  • Younggun

    i think you should also have a substitute of the round. just one player who made a difference off the bench. e.g when the fotu-tank was deployed or robbie coleman came on.

    • Barbarian

      That’s a good idea.

      • younggun

        for me this is week its easily fotu. He redefines being on the bench into being an actual position. IMO he is best suited to being that impact bench player. I felt sorry for the tahs when was deployed. 120kg of angry polynesian that looks and acts like a very-very fast D-12 bulldozer. try stopping that after you have been on the field for 60-70 minutes.

    • bill

      It is a good idea, more than one though, if they deserve it. Some weeks you could have none, some weeks you might have three.

  • Ooaahh

    Nick White and George Smith should both be in that team. Nick White is the reason the brumbies don’t play in their own half. George Smith is just a class act.

  • http://www.facebook.com/alan.grouse Alan Grouse

    ah yes charlemagne.. what a scrummager. still cant believe he is leaving.
    very very poor ARU

  • Klaus

    Massive one eyed Reds Fan but Nick White played far superior to Nic Frisby. He was ordinary. Seemed indecisive, pass was ok but wasn’t spectacular I think he has a long way to go. Rob Simmons seems to be disliked here but he has the Reds lineout running well, he was far more involved in rucks than both Pyle and Fardy, had some offloads to boot. You need a 2nd rower who is willing to put his head into a ruck rather than wait on the wings for a try like Pyle seems to do. IMO

  • Polo

    Good team question Moore not rated really

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