The inaugural Nations Championship arrived with a bang as all 12 teams served up a memorable opening weekend.
New Zealand survived a major scare to edge France 34-32, while Ireland completed a dramatic comeback to beat Australia 33-31 in Sydney.
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Japan produced arguably the shock of the round with a 27-10 victory over Italy, Wales saw off Fiji 39-24 and Scotland emerged from a remarkable 47-38 shootout in Argentina.
South Africa then rounded off the action by putting England to the sword, running out convincing 45-21 winners at Ellis Park.
There were standout performances across all six matches, but only 15 players could make our side.
Here is the RUCK Nations Championship Team of the Week.
Back-three:
15. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
Rescued Ireland with a fantastic tackle on Joseph Sua’ali’i, preventing the former rugby league star from potentially putting the Wallabies 31-12 ahead.
That intervention proved crucial as Ireland remained in the contest and eventually edged a thriller, with Keenan then going over for one of their second-half tries.
Ireland’s comeback simply would not have been possible without his contribution.
14. Will Jordan (New Zealand)
Despite New Zealand being down a man early on, Jordan needed just one opportunity to make his mark.
The prolific winger finished brilliantly from Beauden Barrett’s looping long pass before following Luke Jacobson down the right touchline to grab his second late on.
Clinical, ruthless and once again decisive.
11. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)
Marked his 50th Springbok appearance in style by skinning Cadan Murley to score during South Africa’s devastating opening blitz.
Kolbe was also brilliant in the air, made several excellent defensive reads and contributed from the kicking tee.
Centres:
13. Rory Hutchinson (Scotland)
Silky smooth as always.
Hutchinson’s running game caused Argentina problems throughout, but his step inside the drifting defence before firing out a pass for Sione Tuipulotu’s try was simply outstanding.
The Northampton Saint then powered over for a try of his own before half-time.
12. Joe Hawkins (Wales)
Hawkins continues to establish himself as Wales’ first-choice inside centre and produced another impressive display against Fiji.
The 23-year-old was outstanding defensively, making 12 tackles in the first half alone, while his growing partnership with Eddie James is starting to look like the real deal.
There was one questionable kick in behind after Wales had built pressure, but otherwise this was another assured display.
Half-backs:
10. Matthieu Jalibert (France)
As always, Jalibert was central to France’s fast-paced attacking game and kept New Zealand guessing with his mixture of running and kicking.
He concluded the match with a surprisingly powerful finish, bursting through Ardie Savea to keep France’s hopes alive and showcasing another side to his game.
9. Cam Roigard (New Zealand)
Named player of the match after providing quick, sharp service and keeping the All Blacks attack flowing at a relentless tempo.
Roigard showed excellent support play to score just before half-time before grabbing a second following brilliant work from his centres.
His sniping runs continued to cause France problems after the break.
