Our first Rugby World Cup 2023 Team of the Week is here with three England stars included after their win against Argentina.
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Rugby World Cup 2023 Team of the Week:
BACK-THREE:
#15. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
STUFF: “Chimed in nicely on attacking raids without over-playing his hand. Accurate in his work, including pinpoint pass to send Papalii over.”
Rugby Pass: “Ran well and stepped into first receiver regularly. A nice kick-pass gave Fainga’anuku the ball on a platter in the lead-up to the first try of the match. Made good headway down the right edge off an NZ counter attack then kicked the ball in behind the defence to create the opportunity for the All Blacks’ second.”
Honourable mention: Freddie Steward (England)
#14. Mack Hansen (Ireland)
Independent 8/10: “His try was certainly one for the highlight reels after leaving plenty of red jerseys in his wake. Really smart 50:22 too even if he’ll be disappointed not to gather cleanly for Porter’s non-try.”
Honourable mentions: Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales), Grant Williams (South Africa)
#11. Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
The Citizen 9/10: “Back to his finishing best for the popular winger. Assisted Damian Willemse’s try, scored three of his own; dangerous every time he touched the ball. Superb!”
Rugby 365 8.5/10: “The wing really showed his deadly finishing skills, scoring a hat-trick of tries. He also set up Wille Le Roux, a very enjoyable outing.”
Honourable mention: Leicester Fainga’anuku (New Zealand)
CENTRES:
#13. Joshua Tuisova (Fiji)
Planet Rugby 9/10: “Got a gift of a try from the Wallabies early in the second half but apart from that, the decision to bring him in to the run-on side at inside centre paid off as he was named as the official man of the match. Ran hard as he gained 61 metres from 10 carries, impressed at the breakdowns and in defence where he made nine hits.”
#12. Bundee Aki (Ireland)
RTE 9/10: “Unlucky to not be picked as Player of the Match last week, but there was no doubt on Saturday evening. Even prior to his two tries he was the best player on the pitch and brought variety to his play with seven passes in addition to his 19 carries for 80 metres. Two clean breaks and 10 defenders beaten shows just how much trouble Tonga had dealing with him, even with their own formidable centres of Fakitoa and Akhi. In the form of his life.”
The 42 9/10: “A player in the form of his life. Aki felt he was slightly underweight at the last World Cup but he seems to be in the optimal physical condition to make a serious dent in this tournament. Two tries, 10 defenders beaten and 80 metres gained off a team-leading 19 carries (Tadhg Beirne was next with 11 carries).”
Independent 9/10: “With Tonga looking to line up Irish ball carriers and make the big hits, Aki found himself carrying into the jaws of the defence but proved the man for the job and rewarded with late tries.”
Honourable mention: Andres Vilaseca (Uruguay)