Team of the Week - Round One

The first round of the inaugural Super 14 produced the usual batch of surprise results, some very entertaining rugby and most of all a number of outstanding individual performances. So true to tradition our intrepid selectors sat down and produced the Team of the Week.

Our No.15: Chris Latham

Our first selection meeting of the year did not pass without a few differences of opinion, nor without the usual stimulants. It was, at times, as tense as the rugby.

And thus it is not surprising that we may have produced a couple of bolters ... none more so than the Sharks halfback combination of Percy Montgomery and Ruan Pienaar.

Strong arguments were put forward for Dan Carter of the Crusaders and the Bulls' Fourie du Preez. But a few rounds of debate and some strong refreshments ... or was that a few rounds of refreshments and some strong debate .. later and we opted for the Sharks duo.

As for the rest of our selections? Well, they speak for themselves.

For the record, our starting XV includes three players each from the Hurricanes, Sharks and Highlanders. The Crusaders provided two members of our team while the Waratahs, Brumbies, Western Force and Blues (with one each) make up the numbers.

Before you hurl too many brickbats in our direction, our Bubbling under XV includes four Crusaders, so they do have twice as many players in the overall squad as the Highlanders.

Here's our form XV for Week One:

15. Chris Latham (Reds):
The rest of his teammates tried to lull us (and the opposition) to sleep so they could sneak an unsuspecting win. But his class shone through and he got our vote.
Bubbling under: Werner Greeff (Stormers)

14. Wendell Sailor (Waratahs):
We've never been fans of Sailor, since he has seldom lived up to his pre-rugby union hype or his multi-million dollar price tag. His celebrations on Saturday also did not endear him to us either. But we simply could not ignore the fact that he produced one of his best performances since transferring form league.
Bubbling under: Lome Fa'atau (Hurricanes)

13. Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes):
Yes, we are well aware he started the game on the wing, but it was once he moved into the midfield that Nonu really had an impact on the game. And what an impact that was. He is ready to take over Tana Umaga mantle ... both at the Hurricanes and All Blacks.
Bubbling under: Ronnie Cooke (Cheetahs)

12. Matt Giteau (Brumbies):
This nippy Wallaby again showed at the weekend that his creative skills are better suited to the midfield than at fly-half, where he tends to become to programmed and not as instinctive.
Bubbling under: Andries Strauss (Sharks)

11. Rico Gear (Crusaders):
He is so much more than just a great finisher. But it was how Gear swept over the line, in his own majestic manner, for the third try and the killer blow than won him our vote.
Bubbling under: Bryan Habana (Bulls)

10. Percy Montgomery (Sharks):
It is not just the fact that he scored 25 of the Sharks 30 points which saw him edge Carter. It was his mature performance as a fly-half, a position he once played a Test in that convinced us. If Jake White is ever short of No.10 in the Green and Gold he can fall back on Montgomery with confidence.
Bubbling under: Dan Carter (Crusaders)

9. Ruan Pienaar (Sharks):
We can babble on about his over game, his passing, his kicking, etc. But it was one simple sweeping move, that try which saw him step inside two All Blacks, that finally won him our vote.
Bubbling Under: Fourie du Preez (Bulls)

8. Scott Fava (Western Force):
The crowd in Perth were looking for a hero in a losing cause and in Fava they found a very brave man.
Bubbling under: Mose Tuiali'i (Crusaders)

7. Richard McCaw (Crusaders):
The decision by Robbie Deans to move him to the blindside made absolutely no difference. He still found all the shortcuts.
Bubbling under: AJ Venter (Sharks)

6. Chris Masoe (Hurricanes):
The Blues' loose forwards must have spent countless hours looking over the video of the match, trying to figure out how they were so heavily outclassed. Five minutes of observing Masoe would have told them why.
Bubbling under: Kabamba Floors (Cheetahs)

5. James Ryan (Highlanders):
It takes a special player to stand out in a losing cause and Ryan is a special player. He again showed why he became an All Black last year.
Bubbling under: Hugh McMeniman (Reds)

4. Johan Ackermann (Sharks):
There are many people in South Africa who wonders why he did not play more Tests for his country and after the manner in which he - at times single-handedly - man-handled the Chiefs pack will raise those questions again. And his line-out work is not too shoddy either.
Bubbling under: Chris Jack (Crusaders)

3. Carl Hayman (Highlander):
If there is one aspect in which the Highlanders stood their ground it was the scrums, and Hayman was the cornerstone of that.
Bubbling under: Campbell Johnstone (Crusaders)

2. Anton Oliver (Highlanders):
Like good red wine he only gets better. Don't ever underestimate the value of a player like Oliver turning a team of mostly ordinary individuals into a very good unit. That is why they remained competitive for so long.
Bubbling under: Andrew Hore (Hurricanes)

1. Tony Woodcock (Blues):
Even when the Hurricanes were running rampant after the break, Woodcock made his presence felt on the park.
Bubbling under: Heinke van der Merwe (Sharks)