Team of the Tournament

All our wise men sat down and after many hours, as well as a good few liquid refreshments, we finally came up with our Team of the Tournament ... those players who outperformed all the others over the 14 weeks of the 10th and final Super 12.

Our captain: Anton Oliver

And we can now truly say we were on a big Crusade.

Yes, the Crusaders form the nuclease of our team, especially in crucial positions. They provide five members of our team and rightly so. After all, they have been crowned champions for the fifth time, not that influenced us at all.

The Waratahs, brave but well beaten in the Final, have four members in our team. But they provide an interesting stat. All three members of our loose trio come from the 'Tahs.

The Bulls, who overcame that dreadful slow start to reach the play-offs, also have four members. They again dominate our tight forwards.

The Highlanders provide us with the captain in Anton Oliver (that was an editor's choice) and the Hurricanes also have one player in the squad.

As for the rest. Well, they simply did not perform well enough to make it.

Of course some of you will disagree, so send us your selections and we'll publish the reader's choices.

Team of the Tournament:

15 Mat Rogers (Waratahs):
It was not the greatest of seasons by his standards, but the Waratahs and Wallaby No.10 still did enough to beat off a strong challenge from teammate Peter Hewat, who dominated the early rounds when Rogers was injured. Also featuring strongly in the latter rounds were the Crusaders' Leon MacDonald.

14 Rico Gear (Crusaders):
In a position where pace was plenty, Gear stood out among the right wingers. But it was not just his pace that convinced us. He has a great all round game. There were plenty of other right wingers who put up their hands, with the Hurricanes' Lome Fa'atau the best of the rest.

13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes):
The Hurricanes may have stumbled in the semi-finals. Well, actually they were completely dominated. But Smith was consistent throughout the season and often overshadowed his more illustrious teammate Tana Umaga on his inside. The 'Tahs Morgan Turinui and Jean de Villiers also put their hands up for the No.13 jersey.

12 Aaron Mauger (Crusaders):
Much of the Crusaders' creative backline play can be put down to the wonderful season Mauger has had. He is sure to also have a major impact for the All Blacks against the Lions if he takes that form into the Tests. The Hurricanes' Tana Umaga would have been our next choice.

11 Bryan Habana (Bulls):
This was a tough call, with the Bulls' flyer Bryan Habana and the Hurricanes' Ma'a Nonu almost dead even. We thought about flipping coins or doing some boat races to decide, but eventually we decided to study some of their best tries and Habana just beat Nonu. Lote Tuqiri also deserves a mention, but just that, nothing more.

10 Daniel Carter (Crusaders):
There were some fine fly-half performances in the Super 12 this year, but none as good and as dominant as those produced by Carter when it mattered most. His performances in the play-offs showed why he is New Zealand's premier first five-eighth (that's what they call a No.10 in the Land of the Long White Cloud).No other fly-half deserves a mention.

9 Justin Marshall (Crusaders):
And to think there are still people who question wether he should be selected for the All Blacks. Even worse, he suggested he may not be motivated enough. This was without doubt Marshall's most dominant Super 12 ever. The Bulls' Fourie du Preez challenged him for class, but in the end fell short.

8 David Lyons (Waratahs):
You want your No.8 to be forceful, not just on the drive but also on defence. Lyons was that and much more. His work rate was exemplary and he produced his best form in the final stages of the tournament. It is worth mentioning that Rodney So'oialo (Hurricanes) and Juan Smith (Cats) put in some credible performances.

7 Phil Waugh (Waratahs):
He has always been a class act, but to beat off the challenges of world class players like Richie McCaw (Crusaders), Daniel Braid (Blues) an George Smith (Brumbies) take some doing. Waugh definitely had the edge on them.

6 Rocky Elsom (Waratahs):
He certainly had a strong challenger in the Bulls' Jacques Cronjé, but Elsom's line-out performances gave him the edge over his closest rival. This was another position where we conside5red flipping a coin, but ended up studying a few crucial video replays to come to our conclusion.

5 Victor Matfield (Bulls):
Without doubt the most dominant player in the second half of the season. He reached our Team of the Week selections for seven consecutive weeks - more than any player in any position. He s going to be crucial to the Springboks' Tri-Nations defence this year. Nobody else worth mentioning here.

4 Chris Jack (Crusaders):
This was another tough position, with several players putting up their hands. In the end we had to decide between Jack, Bakkies Botha, Ross Kennedy and Nathan Sharpe. We went with Jack because of his form at the business end of the season. His performances in the primary aspects of the game, the set pieces, were also superior.

3 Richard Bands (Bulls):
Springbok coach Jake White may have his reasons for picking Eddie Andrews as South Africa's tighthead prop - things like bench presses, etc. We feel a prop's performances should be judged by what he does on the park, not in the gym. Bands wins hands down. His closest rival was Carl Hayman of the Highlanders.

2 Anton Oliver (Highlanders, captain):
He is our captain and by our account the best hooker on show this year. Sure, Gary Botha, Schalk Brits and Andrew Hore all had their moments. But Oliver was unmatched for consistency.

1 Kees Lensing (Bulls):
This Namibian international was, along with Matfield, one of the standout performers this year. It was not just his scrumming exploits that convinced us. If you still doubt him, go have a look at the videos and see the amount of work he gets through on defence.

Look back at our weekly selections:

*** Team of the Week - Semi-finals: 15 Leon MacDonald (Crusaders), 14 Rico Gear (Crusaders), 13 Morgan Turinui (Waratahs), 12 Nathan Grey (Waratahs), 11 Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes), 10 Daniel Carter (Crusaders), 9 Justin Marshall (Crusaders), 8 David Lyons (Waratahs), 7 Richie McCaw (Crusaders), 6 Jacques Cronjé (Bulls), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Chris Jack (Crusaders), 3 Greg Somerville (Crusaders), 2 Brendan Cannon (Waratahs), 1 Kees Lensing (Bulls).

*** Team of the Week - Week 12: 15 Mat Rogers (Waratahs), 14 Rico Gear (Crusaders), 13 JP Nel (Bulls), 12 Matt Giteau (Brumbies), 11 Bryan Habana (Bulls), 10 Morné Steyn (Bulls), 9 Justin Marshall (Crusaders), 8 David Lyons (Waratahs), 7 Marty Holah (Chiefs), 6 Rocky Elsom (Waratahs), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Justin Harrison (Waratahs), 3 Richard Bands (Bulls), 2 Gary Botha (Bulls),  1 Kees Lensing (Bulls).

*** Team of the Week - Week 11: 15 Mat Rogers (Waratahs), 14 Lome Fa'atau (Hurricanes), 13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes), 12 Tana Umaga (Hurricanes - captain), 11 Bryan Habana (Bulls), 10 Jimmy Gopperth (Hurricanes), 9 Justin Marshall (Crusaders), 8 Rodney So'oialo (Hurricanes), 7 Phil Waugh (Waratahs), 6 Rocky Elsom (Waratahs), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Trevor Hall (Cats), 3 Carl Hayman (Highlanders), 2 Jeremy Paul (Brumbies), 1 Dave Hewett (Crusaders).

*** Team of the Week - Week 10: 15 Mat Rogers (Waratahs), 14 Lome Fa'atau (Hurricanes), 13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes), 12 Tana Umaga (Hurricanes - captain), 11 Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes), 10 Daniel Carter (Crusaders), 9 Byron Kelleher (Chiefs), 8 Steven Bates (Chiefs), 7 Phil Waugh (Waratahs), 6 Rocky Elsom (Waratahs), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Daniel Vickerman (Waratahs), 3 Richard Bands (Bulls), 2 Andrew Hore (Hurricanes), 1 Kees Lensing (Bulls).

*** Team of the Week - Week Nine: 15 Mills Muliaina (Blues), 14 Conrad Jantjes (Cats), 13 Jean de Villiers (Stormers), 12 Luke McAlister (Blues), 11 Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes), 10 Nick Evans (Highlanders), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 8 Juan Smith (Cats), 7 Daniel Braid (Blues), 6 Daniel Heenan (Reds), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 James Ryan (Highlanders), 3 Richard Bands (Bulls), 2 Schalk Brits (Cats), 1 Carl Hoeft (Highlanders).

*** Team of the Week - Week Eight: 15 Sosene Anesi (Chiefs), 14 Rico Gear (Crusaders), 13 Ben Atiga (Blues), 12 Aaron Mauger (Crusaders), 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu (Chiefs), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Byron Kelleher (Chiefs), 8 Mosese Tuiali'i (Crusaders), 7 Daniel Braid (Blues), 6 Jerome Kaino (Blues), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Bakkies Botha (Bulls), 3 Richard Bands (Bulls), 2 Gary Botha (Bulls), 1 Kees Lensing (Bulls).

*** Team of the Week - Week Seven: 15 Peter Hewat (Waratahs), 14 Wendell Sailor (Reds), 13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes), 12 Ettienne Botha (Bulls), 11 Bryan Habana (Bulls), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 8 Anton Leonard (Bulls), 7 Jerome Kaino (Blues), 6 Jacques Cronjé (Bulls), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Bakkies Botha (Bulls), 3 Richard Bands (Bulls), 2 Anton Oliver (Highlanders - captain), 1 Kees Lensing (Bulls).

*** Team of the Week - Week Six: 15 Leon MacDonald (Crusaders), 14 Rico Gear (Crusaders), 13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes), 12 Daniel Carter (Crusaders), 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau (Chiefs), 10 Tasesa Lavea (Blues), 9 Chris Whitaker (Waratahs), 8 David Lyons (Waratahs), 7 Daniel Braid (Blues), 6 Jerry Collins (Hurricanes), 5 James Ryan (Highlanders), 4 Chris Jack (Crusaders), 3 Carl Hayman (Highlanders), 2 Anton Oliver (Highlanders - captain), 1 Tony Woodcock (Blues).

*** Team of the Week - Week Five: 15 Peter Hewat (Waratahs), 14 Winston Mafi (Waratahs), 13 Morgan Turinui (Waratahs), 12 Trevor Halstead (Sharks), 11 Hosea Gear (Hurricanes), 10 Matt Giteau (Brumbies), 9 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), 8 David Lyons (Waratahs), 7 AJ Venter (Sharks - captain), 6 Solly Tyibilika (Sharks), 5 Daniel Vickerman (Waratahs), 4 Ross Kennedy (Hurricanes), 3 Carl Hayman (Highlanders), 2 Schalk Brits (Cats), 1 Os du Randt (Cats).

*** Team of the Week - Week Four: 15 Chris Latham (Reds), 14 Rico Gear (Crusaders), 13 Jaque Fourie (Cats), 12 Aaron Mauger (Crusaders), 11 Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs), 10 Matt Giteau (Brumbies), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 8 Juan Smith (Cats), 7 Phil Waugh (Waratahs), 6 Jacques Cronjé (Bulls), 5 Daniel Vickerman (Waratahs), 4 Nathan Sharpe (Reds), 3 Greg Holmes (Reds), 2 Anton Oliver (Highlanders - captain), 1 Dave Hewett (Crusaders).

*** Team of the Week - Week Three: 15 Peter Hewat (Waratahs), 14 Breyton Paulse (Stormers), 13 Junior Pelesasa (Reds), 12 Aaron Mauger (Crusaders), 11 Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs), 10 Stephen Larkham (Brumbies), 9 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), 8 Paul Miller (Highlanders), 7 George Smith (Brumbies), 6 Owen Finegan (Brumbies, captain), 5 Daniel Vickerman (Waratahs), 4 Nathan Sharpe (Reds), 3 Carl Hayman (Highlanders), 2 Anton Oliver (Highlanders), 1 Os du Randt (Cats).

*** Team of the Week - Week Two: 15 Mat Rogers (Waratahs), 14 Clyde Rathbone (Brumbies), 13 Jean de Villiers (Stormers), 12 Gene Fairbanks (Brumbies), 11 Lote Tuqiri (Waratahs), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Chris Whitaker (Waratahs), 8 Rodney So'oialo (Hurricanes, captain), 7 Rocky Elsom (Waratahs), 6 George Smith (Brumbies), 5 Daniel Vickerman (Waratahs), 4 Ross Kennedy (Hurricanes), 3 CJ van der Linde (Cats), 2 Andrew Hore (Hurricanes), 1 Nic Henderson (Brumbies).