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. Ben Donaldson (Australia)
Planet Rugby 8/10: “Man-of-the-match in his first start for the Wallabies this year. Took over the kicking duties from Carter, missed his first conversion but nailed his next from out wide and a few more penalties. At the back was solid, cleaned up a Georgian grubber in the in-goal that saved the Wallabies from conceding. Scored a breakaway try after an intercept by Taniela Tupou after a moment of Georgian madness and then hit a line into space to score his second. A massive 25-point haul.”
Sydney Morning Herald 9/10: “The critics were completely silenced by an outstanding performance. He was responsible for 25 points, scoring two tries and hitting six out of seven of his kicks from the tee. Normally seen in the 10 jersey, he will be difficult to shift from 15 now. The Wallabies were desperate for a reliable goalkicker, they have now got that in Donaldson and so much more. Deserved player of the match.”
Honourable mention: Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Damian Willemse (South Africa)
14. Damien Penaud (France)
Rugby Pass 8/10: “He did end up scoring eventually, following on from scoring against New Zealand when they beat them 40-25 in 2021. He has now scored in his last five Tests, with nine for the year.”
Planet Rugby 8/10: “Really came into the game in the second period after a quiet first half. Constantly dangerous when he got the ball and was rewarded with a try.”
11. Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales)
Honourable mentions: Mark Nawaqanitawase (Australia), Ange Capuozzo (Italy), Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa)
CENTRES:
13 Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji)
Planet Rugby 8/10: “Regularly pushing his claim as the best outside centre in the world, if he isn’t carrying the tag already. He scored his opening try, scoring a blinder off a terrible pass. A mix of great and poor reads defensively, but more of the former than the latter.”
Honourable mention: Jordan Petaia (Australia), George North (Wales)
12. Bundee Aki (Ireland)
RTE 8/10: “Best player on display and a constant threat with ball in hand as he carried over the gainline 12 times and made three offloads. Took his two tries well and didn’t tire over a full shift in 35C heat.”
Belfast Telegraph 9/10: “Pinged for offside that allowed a Romanian penalty but other than that was superb. So prominent in the early stages, he always looked likely to break the first tackle and deserved his score.”
JOE 8/10: “Looked really good for Ireland. Scored a nice try and could have had a hat-trick if a couple of passes stuck. Teed up a couple of tries with nice bursts and passes. Rammed through for a late try as Romania flagged in the baking sun. Ended up gaining 172 metres off his carries.”
Honourable mention: Manu Tuilagi (England), Nick Tompkins (Wales)