Team of the Week: Springboks dominate after All Blacks victory - Page 2 of 2 - Ruck
Rugby News Team Of The Week

Team of the Week: Springboks dominate after All Blacks victory

31 August 2026
Tom Sansom

1. OX NCHE (SOUTH AFRICA)

We move onto the forward pack now, and call it brilliance or call it mind games, but there is no denying how Rassie’s late changes were instrumental upon their Cape Town win. After originally being named in the starting XV alongside Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw, Ox Nche and his fellow front rowers were swapped to the bench a matter of hours prior to kick off. Nche was deployed as part of the formidable Springboks ‘Bomb Squad’ late in the first half, and had a bruising impact with serious scrum time dominance. The Sharks man looked at his best in the front row, and laid the groundwork for the Springboks triumph.

2. BRANDON PAENGA-AMOSA (AUSTRALIA)

Honourable Mention: Malcolm Marx (South Africa)

The Wallabies hooker continues to gain momentum, and enters the proverbial ‘chat’ around the best hookers in the world right now. It was a tough call between Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Springboks sensation Malcolm Marx for this week’s number two jersey, yet we hand the Team of the Week spot to the Wallabies man, who impressed with an all star, all round performance. With a 100% line-out completion rate against some rangy Argentine jumpers, a solid tackle count and crossing over for a seventh minute try, we hand the Western Force man his dutifully deserved spot.

3. THOMAS DU TOIT (SOUTH AFRICA)

Whilst Malcolm Marx was shifted from a routine appearance in the Team of the Week, there is no displacing arguably the world’s very best tight-head prop in Thomas du Toit. The man whom Bath fans will be sorely missing next season is clicking back up to his top form, in time to make a statement with the Sharks for the new URC season. The prop was unflustered by Rassie’s late change to the play-book, and took the fight to the All Blacks front row with some beautifully brutal scrum time displays. His impact was evident, as du Toit remained on the pitch an extra 20 minutes longer than his fellow front rowers Gerard Steenekamp and Deon Fourie.

4. EBEN ETZEBETH (SOUTH AFRICA)

The ultimate enforcer gets the spot in the Team of the Week, with Eben Etzebeth reminding the rugby world once again as to why he is so highly regarded by his peers and revered by opponents. The Sharks man was tremendous against the All Blacks, with some important disruptions made at line-out time. Etzebeth rose up and intervened with the New Zealand throw-in, which caused chaos to break loose and several mad scrambles for the ball. The most-capped Springboks player also made some timley blocks and slap downs on kick attempts, which helped in the pre-coursing build up for Cheslin Kolbe’s try. The years were certainly wound back.

5. JEREMY WILLIAMS (AUSTRALIA)

Honourable Mention: Fabian Holland (New Zealand)

It was a very tough call this week, as Fabian Holland was also excellent in the engine row for the All Blacks. However, we have instead opted for Jeremy Williams of the Wallabies to partner up with the formidable Eben Etzebeth, in what makes quite the pair of locks in our Team of the Week. Williams played a key role in setting up Paega-Amosa’s early score, and excelled across both sides of the ball. The line-out was a dedicated Williams fly-zone, with the Western Force man rising to disrupt the Pumas throw in, and made no mistake upon collecting the Wallabies ball. Desfensivley astute as well, it was a hulking 70-minute effort from the lock, who should feel hard done by to have his second half score chalked off.

6. TOM HOOPER (AUSTRALIA)

Our second of three consecutive Australians to make the Team of the Week, the Exeter Chiefs man continues to impress in the gold jersey with excitement bountiful for his 2028 move to the Reds. Hooper was given the nod to start by Les Kiss, with rotation the order of the day in the back row, as Hooper played no part in the two-match series against Japan, and featured once in the Nations Championship throughout July. Hooper made good on his opportunity with a match best 13 tackles, and wrestled his way onto the score-board for an important try mid-way through the second half.

7. FRASER MCREIGHT (AUSTRALIA)

Rounding off the trilogy of Wallabies is a man who can seamingly do little wrong at the moment, with Fraser McReight enjoying the form of his career. The flanker is a real candidate around the world’s best open-side’s on the pitch today, with the 27-year-old bagging himself another international try in this hard-fought contest with Los Pumas. Aside from his five point contribution, the Queensland Reds man was his quintessential best, hard tackling, tireless breakdown work and an engine that never faltered around the park. Looking at the stats, McReight matched his back-row brother Tom Hooper with 13 tackles, and carried 10+ times.

8. JOAQUIN MORO (ARGENTINA)

Honourable Mention: Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

It was another tight call to complete our Team of the Week, with Ardie Savea and Joaquin Moro all but coming down to a coin flip. Whilst there is no denying the tremendous impact from the All Blacks star, who punched repeated holes into the Springbok defence as his sides best go-forward option, we hand the accolade to the Argentina bull-dozer this time around. A full Team of the Week entry had been typed out with Savea included, yet a final review has since tipped favour to the Leicester sledgehammer.

Whilst Savea was the strongest forward pack performer on the pitch for the All Blacks, Moro’s effort carries greater weight. With regular starting number eight Jaoquin Oviedo rotated out following a solid run in the Nations Championship, Felipe Contepomi wanted to see what Moro could deliver. The Tigers man delivered in spades, as he grabbed his try, emptied the tank with several clattering carries, and kept the Wallabies on their toes for a tense one-score shoot-out into the closing moments.

LATEST RUGBY NEWS

Pages: 12