Team of the Week: It's a wild world
The first round of South Africa's premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup, produced an amazing collection of excitement, entertainment and even an upset.
As was to be expected the table-topping Golden Lions provided the biggest chunk of rugby365's famous first-choice election – six players from the Ellis Park outfit being rewarded for their emphatic win over the Blue Bulls.
The Sharks, with three, was also rewarded for their win over Griquas – even though They were a touch fortunate to have escaped with victory against the 14-man Kimberley outfit.
The Free State Cheetahs, despite their loss, had a couple of outstanding individuals, while Western Province, the Pumas, Griquas and Bulls make up the numbers.
There is further reward in our back-up squad for the Sharks (with five players bubbling under), while WP (four) and Pumas (two) are also well represented after their victories.
The Eastern Province Kings, Lions and Cheetahs make up the numbers.
Team of the Week – Currie Cup, Round One:
15 – Cheslin Kolbe (Western Province):
At Currie Cup level he can be devastating.
Bubbling under: JW Bell (Pumas)
14 – Rayno Benjamin (Free State Cheetahs):
One of the few Cheetahs players who did not harm his reputation.
Bubbling under: Ronnie Cooke (Eastern Province Kings)
13 – Nicolaas Hanekom (Golden Lions):
He was so devastating, one wonders why he was not used more in Super Rugby.
Bubbling under: Sibusiso Sithole (Sharks)
12 – Paul Jordaan (Sharks):
His pace created all kinds of problems for Griquas, who were admittedly a man short, but still struggled to deal with the Sevens Springbok.
Bubbling under: Michael van der Spuy (Western Province)
11 – Ruan Combrinck (Lions):
It was a tough call, but in the end he made more than three times the amount of metres than Sevens flyer Seabelo Senatla (admittedly it included a 60-metre intercept score) and also did not miss a single tackle.
Bubbling under: Seabelo Senatla (Western Province)
10 – Fred Zeilinga (Sharks):
Showed why he is so highly rated. A season in the Currie Cup will set him up nicely.
Bubbling under: Francois Brummer (Griquas)
9 – Ross Cronjé (Golden Lions):
Without doubt his best game yet for the Lions.
Bubbling under: Cameron Wright (Sharks)
8 – Renaldo Bothma (Pumas):
It is true that one swallow does not a summer make, but Bothma did a great job in sparking his teammates to a famous win.
Bubbling under: Nizaam Carr (Western Province)
7 – Derick Minnie (Golden Lions):
The questions about his absence from the Bok squad are beginning to erupt into a chorus of outcries.
Bubbling under: Michael Rhodes (Western Province)
6 – Marnus Schoeman (Griquas):
He played a crucial role in the second-half comeback, just a pity it fell short.
Bubbling under: Jaco Kriel (Golden Lions)
5 – Francois Uys (Free State Cheetahs):
Carried better, made five times the number of tackles of his closest rival and even stole a couple of line-outs.
Bubbling under: Stephan Lewies (Sharks)
4 – Paul Willemse (Blue Bulls):
One of the few Bulls who kept battling away when the Lions took charge in the second half.
Bubbling under: Marco Wentzel (Sharks)
3 – Ruan Dryer (Golden Lions):
And the critics said the Lions' scrum would not be the same without Julian Redelinghuys.
Bubbling under: Lourens Adriaanse (Sharks)
2 – Kyle Cooper (Sharks):
Not a universal choice and quieter than usual, but still got the most votes.
Bubbling under: Torsten van Jaarsveld (Free State Cheetahs)
1 – Schalk van der Merwe (Golden Lions):
The Cheetahs must really rue the fact that they let him go. One of the most underrate props in the country and even the Bloemfontein pundits are now acknowledging it.
Bubbling under: Vincent Koch (Pumas)
Our individual selections:
Darryn Pollock XV: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Nicolaas Hanekom, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Willem Serfontein, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Michael de Vries XV: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Nicolaas Hanekom, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 Sampie Mastriet, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Tauriq Ebrahim XV: 15 JW Bell, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Nicolaas Hanekom, 12 Michael van der Spuy, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Frikkie Spies, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Francois du Toit, 1 Vincent Koch.
Paul Dobson XV: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Pat Howard, 13 Sibusiso Sithole, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 Ruan Combrinck, 10 François Brummer, 9 Guy Cronjé, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Michael Rhodes, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Nicolaas van Dyk, 2 Edgar Marutlulle, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Jan de Koning XV: 15 JW Bell, 14 Ronnie Cooke, 13 Nicolaas Hanekom, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 Ruan Combrinck, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Marco Wentzel, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
