Super 14: Team of the Tournament
June 02 2008
With the 2008 Super 14 done and dusted, the Crusaders may have dominated the championship by taking home the silverware for an unprecedented seventh time - and deservedly so - but that's not to say they can dominate Planet Rugby's team of the tournament. Far from it!
In fact, only two winners of this year's Super 14 trophy get the nod in a mixed and colourful line-up that features two Stormers, two Sharks, two Hurricanes, two Blues, two Chiefs, two Waratahs (it seems three is a crowd!) and one player from the Force.
We would also like to take this opportunity to announce that due to public demand, we will be bringing back the Super 14 team of the week in 2009!
But let's stay in the present for now shall we?
Super 14 team of the tournament:
15 - Conrad Jantjes (Stormers): Tight call with the likes of Leon MacDonald having a blinder of a season with the Crusaders, but Jantjes just edges his full-back counterpart by a single vote. Jantjes revived his career with a move to Cape Town and Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus certainly got his money's worth from the former Lions player. Injury and selection idiosyncrasies cut into Jantjes career but he has rebounded with the sort of silky running, counter-attack and strong kicking game for the Stormers which brought him Test recognition about a decade ago. Jantjes has a prodigious boot and is solid under the high ball. He also has a penchant for attacking rugby, and often comes into the line with good effect. His form this season has brought him back into the Bok mix, so don't be surprised if you see Jantjes run out in the number fifteen jersey against Wales this weekend, while World Cup winner Percy Montgomery watches from the bench.
14 - Lelia Masaga (Chiefs): Almost an unanimous choice by our resident experts. Blessed with great speed and skills, Masaga is a young player with huge potential. It was a mystery how this guy missed the All Blacks squad for the upcoming Tests against Ireland and England. Fantastic finishing, rocket acceleration and loads of courage. Okay, he is a bit dicey on defence - but name a winger who isn't? To say he was still too fresh to crack the nod for All Black honours ignores how novices like Adam Thomson made it.
13 - Casey Laulala (Crusaders): Without a doubt, 2008 has been Casey Laulala's most consistent season by far. The outside centre remains one of the hardest players to contain in broken-field play in the Crusaders game. He may have the number thirteen on his back, but there's nothing unlucky about this dynamic ball-runner. Laulala has a low error-rate, is a strong defender who can also carry the ball and link strongly with his outside backs. Stretchered off the field following a big clash of heads with the Chiefs' Dwayne Sweeney in Round Ten, Laulala showed his tough-as-nails character and was back in full flight against the Sharks two weeks later. Capped just twice by the All Blacks, Laulala is set to add to those two Tests after being recognised and included by coach Graham Henry in the New Zealand squad.
12 - Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes): He had been a constant threat on the wing for most of the Hurricanes' campaign and looked even more dangerous when shifted to inside centre in Round Nine against the bumbling Bulls. Defenders didn't want to know him when he charged 35m for the first try and a spectacular one-handed intercept gave him a second. The explosive, some would say flamboyant, Nonu has built a reputation as one of the toughest players in world rugby: able to break the line, off-load the ball and set up or score scintillating tries. It's no wonder that All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith is one of Nonu's biggest fans.
11 - Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs): The dread-locked Wallaby star did nothing but enhance his standing as one of the game's leading wingers during another strong season in the Super 14. Tuqiri played a leading role in helping his team to their second Super 14 final appearance this year and has been a pillar of strength in a young, but talented Waratahs' back-line. Tuqiri shouldered much of the ball carrying burden during the Waratahs' 2008 campaign, making more metres than any other player. A lethal finisher whose workrate has been a huge part of the Waratahs' resurgence. Tuqiri has also shown immense maturity in guiding his younger team-mates along in their first year of Super Rugby.
10 - Matt Giteau (Western Force): A cool head together with calm decisions and an eye for the gap make the Western Force's multi-million dollar man worth every penny after Giteau ended this year's Super 14 campaign as one of the most creative fly-halves in the competition. "Kid Dynamite" has a short fuse when it comes to perfection and most of the Force's attacking moments stemmed from his explosive speed, inventiveness and vision. The centre cum fly-half enjoyed a stable role in the number ten jersey during the tournament, only interrupted by injury after being knocked out during the clash against the Waratahs in Round Nine. Giteau was responsible for booting over the match-winning kick on two occasions for the Force - both in injury time. Shades both Carter and Donald, whose kicking has been too erratic.
9 - Brendon Leonard (Chiefs): Beating off stiff competition from Ricky Januarie, Rory Kockott and Andy Ellis, the Chiefs hard-working number nine gets our number one vote. Leonard's deceptive pace, crisp passing and tactical kicking were strong assets behind the scrum for the Chiefs this season. He wastes little time in getting to the breakdowns and clears the ball quickly. Feisty, scrappy, niggly - Leonard is a constant thorn in opposition's backsides. Showed he can deal with bad ball if his pack is out of sorts and can vary his running, passing and kicking skills to make the most of his back-line. A slow start to finding his feet, Leonard's breakthrough performance came in Round Six when he played himself to a virtual standstill against the Bulls, scoring two of his team's six tries in a 43-27 Super 14 win. This was followed up with more high-tempo performances that put him back at the head of the queue for the All Blacks' number nine jersey this season.
8 - Ryan Kankowski (Sharks): The Sharks' trump card has arguably been the competition's in-form number eight from start to finish - well, not quite - he was shut out by the Waratahs in a very one-sided semi-final. A product of the Sevens game, Kankowski set the 2008 Super 14 alight with his pace, vision and sublime handling skills. He was a menace on attack, always looked dangerous with ball in hand and has been one of the few players in the Sharks side to make a big impact this season. His primary threat has been in general play where he broke the line on numerous occasions and that's something that's been a rarity for the Sharks. His intercept try against the Highlanders in Round Nine shifted momentum in his side's favour and the Sharks have relied heavily on these moments of brilliance from the 22-year-old to galvanise them in flat periods. Kankowski's meteoric rise to the top will keep on rising after he was selected to cause havoc on the international scene with the Springboks, but faces strong competition from the likes of Pierre Spies.
7 - Richie McCaw (Crusaders, captain): Captain Fantastic put the dreadful memories of the Rugby World Cup behind him and moved on in a big way to hoist the Crusaders seventh Super Rugby trophy aloft after beating the Waratahs in the final. Richard McCaw, or 'Richie' as he is widely known, was once again a key figure for the Crusaders this season and kept his reputation intact as the world's best openside flanker. McCaw has the size and strength to be a punishing defender, the cool head and quick hands required to master the breakdown area, and the speed and handling skills to play a traditional tear-away's linking role to superb effect. He also gets the nod as our team's skipper based on his inspirational leadership qualities that resulted yet again with a winner's medal.
6 - Jerome Kaino (Blues): The toughest call to make with the Waratahs' Rocky Elsom, Highlanders' Adam Thomson and Kaino all tied on two votes apiece. Ultimately it went down to game time - Elsom missed out on a small part of the tournament with an injury, while Thomson was used mainly as an impact player. The athletic Blues loose forward on the other hand played every match and was a bulldozing threat in all of them, setting the games alight with powerful runs and big tackles. A reckless disregard for his own body, the barging bruiser on the blindside wore tackles from all sides and put in monster hits for the team. He has also managed to force his way back into the All Blacks squad - look out for this man to set the international stage alight.
5 - Dan Vickerman (Waratahs): The Wallabies lock was the central figure for the Waratahs this year in their quest to win the Super Rugby title for the first time. The towering Vickerman ruled the line-out by securing his own team's ball and either stealing or spoiling the opposition's possession from the set piece. This was never more evident than in the Waratahs' 28-13 win against the Sharks in their semi-final in Sydney. The Waratahs only had two throws into the line-out which indicated the Sharks' reluctance to kick the ball into touch because they could not compete with Vickerman. But the Waratahs stole the Sharks' line-out ball five times and disrupted the rest. It reached the stage where Sharks hooker Bismark Du Plessis was forced to hold several mini-conferences with line-out caller Johann Muller in an attempt to find a way to get past the South African-born Waratah. As dominant in the air as the incomparable Victor Matfield had been before his exit for Toulon, Vickerman has reclaimed the title of best Australian line-out forward. So much so that pressure must be coming to keep him in the sunburnt country.
4 - Andries Bekker (Stormers): The Stormers' skylab was an automatic supplier of line-out ball for his team. He also showed surprising mobility for a man of his size and improved his driving play. He had a sensational season for the Stormers in the 2008 campaign, and will be aiming to translate this to the Bok setup. Much is expected from one of the most promising locks to come out of South Africa for some time. At 2.08m tall he is a mountain of a man. Although he is yet to make his debut for South Africa, he is set to play for the Springboks against Wales on June 7. He is a Peter de Villiers favourite and with the skills and mobility to match his 120kg frame, he will be pushing Victor Matfield hard for a starting-berth.
3 - John Afoa (Blues): No surprise here. John Afoa is a powerful, explosive prop who has risen through the ranks to become one of New Zealand's leading players in the front row. A talented ball player, Afoa dominated his side of the scrum for the Blues this year, and took every opportunity to show his impressive running and handling skills in open play. The All Black prop has again cracked the nod in Graham Henry's good books and continues to improve in leaps and bounds. Still relatively young at only 24-years of age, Afoa still has a lot of years left in him and like a fine red wine, can mature into one of the best.
2 - Andrew Hore (Hurricanes): An accurate line-out thrower and scrummager extraordinaire, Hore has been in scintillating form this year for the Hurricanes and has quite literally blown opposition away with some bustling runs that could have been mistaken for a fourth loose forward in general play. This hard-running, no-nonsense front rower has an eye for the chalk dust and didn't disappoint by scoring crucial tries at vital times for the Hurricanes. Hore has been the stand-out hooker for the entire season and has to be the overwhelming favourite for the All Blacks number two jersey over Keven Mealamu.
1 - Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks): The only player to win an unanimous vote and rightly so! The Zimbabwean-born former flanker turned loosehead prop, Mtawarira has excelled in Durban since making his debut in 2007. He has taken his starting berth in the 2008 Super 14 season ahead of the more experienced Springbok pair of Jannie du Plessis and BJ Botha with both hands. He is not only a powerful scrummager, but also has the ability to mix it up in the loose and cross the advantage line at will. For a man weighing in at 115kg, he is surprisingly mobile and is often used as the Sharks' battering ram. He is now eligible for Springbok duty and will be keen to pull on the green and gold jersey. Nicknamed the "Beast" for obvious reasons, he has that mojo that the crowd simply love. With chants of "Beeeeeeaassst" as the young prop gets the ball show just how much of a crowd favourite he has become.
Individual selections:
Danny Stephens' XV: 15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Anthony Tuitavake, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Troy Flavell, 4 Andries Bekker, 3 John Afoa, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Ross Hastie's XV: 15 Leon MacDonald,14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Richie McCaw , 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Adam Kyriacou's XV: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Andries Bekker, 3 John Afoa, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Andy Jackson's XV: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 John Afoa, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Marcus Leach's XV: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Anthony Tuitavake, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Lelia Masaga, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Duanne Vermeulen, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Andries Bekker, 3 Heinke van der Merwe, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Dave Morris' XV: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Andries Bekker, 3 John Afoa, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
So you've seen our team, what would yours look like?
By Dave Morris