Southern superiority marks our team

The rugby365.com Team of the Week is testament to the gap between the hemispheres as the southern powers put their northern rivals to the sword this weekend.

New Zealand completed yet another grand slam with a 37-25 win over a gutsy Wales side who were in the game right up until the final quarter.

While the Wallabies scrum woes continued, so did their sparkling backline play that inspired a marvellous 59-16 destruction of the Six Nations champions France.

The Springboks showed just how good they can be with an excellent victory against England that earns them six places in this week’s team. Australia (five) and New Zealand (three) also weigh in, while Wales add the only northern hemisphere representative.

It is much of the same southern tone in the Bubbling Under XV where the Boks and All Blacks have four each, while Australia (two), Samoa (one), Ireland (one), France (one), Wales (one) and Argentina (one) make up the numbers.

Here is rugby365.com’s Team of the Week:

15 – Mils Muliaina (New Zealand):
Has starred from the back all year and continues to inject pace into the backline and create tries for all those around him.
Bubbling under: Kurtley Beale (Australia)

14 – James O’Connor (Australia):
The fleet-footed talented youngster can play all over the backline, but he is cementing himself in the Wallaby No.14 jersey for the time being.
Bubbling under: Hosea Gear (New Zealand)

13 – Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia):
His ability to straighten the line and combine his power, pace and eye for a a gap makes him very difficult to stop (Just ask the French!).
Bubbling under: Conrad Smith (New Zealand)

12 – Jean de Villiers (South Africa):
Showed just how defensively astute he has become over the years with some excellent tackling to chop the English runners down to size.
Bubbling under: Gordon D’Arcy (Ireland)

11 – Drew Mitchell (Australia):
Mitchell just out sprints Lwazi Mvovo for the left wing berth, as he ran amok against a crumbling French defence.
Bubbling under: Lwazi Mvovo (South Africa)

10 – Dan Carter (New Zealand):
The new world record holder missed a few pots at goal, but was still the classiest pivot on display this weekend by a country mile.
Bubbling under: Quade Cooper (Australia)

9 – Will Genia (Australia):
The snippy scrumhalf was back to his usual standards are some injury troubles, and scored brave a try by unexpectedly busting past two enormous French forwards.
Bubbling under: Kahn Fotuali’i (Samoa)

8 – Pierre Spies (South Africa):
By far his best performance in a Springbok jersey this year to silence his critics.
Bubbling under: Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina)

7 – David Pocock (Australia):
Mopped up loose ball and to perfection and burgled the ball from French hands on countless occasions.
Bubbling under: Juan Smith (South Africa)

6 – Jerome Kaino (New Zealand):
Often the unsung hero in a team that has Richie McCaw in the back row, but he was robust and kept the Welsh loosies honest.
Bubbling under: Willem Alberts (South Africa)

5 – Victor Matfield (South Africa):
Towered in the lineouts as we’ve become accustomed to and a great all round game with a missed try as the only blemish.
Bubbling under: Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales)

4 – Bakkies Botha (South Africa):
The Bok enforcer returned to form and didn’t hold back in the physical exchanges with a number of bone-crunching tackles.
Bubbling under: Brad Thorn (New Zealand)

3 – Adam Jones (Wales):
The hair bear edges out Dr. Jannie after both anchors worked hard in the scrums, but Jones lasted a full match.
Bubbling under: Jannie du Plessis (South Africa)

2 – Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa):
Star of the show for the Boks and a real juggernaut on attack and in defence.
Bubbling under: William Servat (France)

1 – Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa):
The Beast was had a fantastic tour and will give Guthro Steenkamp a run for his money next year for the loosehead role.
Bubbling under: Tony Woodcock (New Zealand)

Our individual selections:

Paul Dobson XV: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 David Pocock, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Martín Castrogiovanni, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Len Kaplan XV: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 David Pocock, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Michael de Vries XV: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 David Pocock, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Bakkies, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Grant Ball XV: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Will Genia, 8 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Richie McCaw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Pessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Jan de Koning XV: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 David Pocock, 6 Willem Alberts, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Timmy Hancox XV: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Previous selections:

Week Three (Monday, Nov. 29): 15 Mils Muliaina (New Zealand), 14 Corey Jane (New Zealand), 13 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), 12 Seilala Mapusua (Samoa), 11 Hosea Gear (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 Ben Youngs (England), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 6 Stephen Ferris (Ireland), 5 Richie Gray (Scotland), 4 Ifereimi Rawaqa (Fiji), 3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy), 2 William Servat (France), 1 Tony Woodcock (New Zealand).

Week Two (Monday, Nov. 15): 15 Kurtley Beale (Australia), 14 Chris Ashton (England), 13 Conrad Smith (New Zealand), 12 Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand), 11 Hosea Gear (New Zealand), 10 Toby Flood (England), 9 Ben Youngs (England), 8 Kieran Read (New Zealand), 7 Richie McCaw (New Zealand), 6 Tom Croft (England), 5 Victor Matfield (South Africa), 4 Courtney Lawes (England), 3 Dan Cole (England), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa), 1 Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa).

Week One (Monday, Nov. 8): 15 Kurtley Beale (Australia), 14 James O’Connor (Australia), 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia), 12 Jean de Villiers (South Africa), 11 Hosea Gear (New Zealand), 10 Dan Carter (New Zealand), 9 Ruan Pienaar (South Africa), 8 Pierre Spies (South Africa), 7 Juan Smith (South Africa), 6 David Pocock (Australia), 5 Victor Matfield (South Africa), 4 Brad Thorn (New Zealand), 3 Adam Jones (Wales), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (South Africa), 1 Gethin Jenkins (Wales).