Team of the Week: Irish eyes
Ireland's convincing victory over Argentina caught the eye of our selectors and sees them lead the way in our Team of the Week.
After a series of tough results the 46-24 win over will be a massive boost for the Irish who have six players in our side this week.
They are matched by the All Blacks, whose dominant first-half performance against Wales sees six of them crack the nod this week, with the balance of the side made up by some hard-working Springbok forwards.
Our Bubbling Under side has a much wider spread of teams, with the Boks, All Blacks and Wallabies joined in the team by players from Ireland, Tonga, Samoa, Wales and France.
Team of the Week:
15 Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
Showed his full range of skills to underline the fact that when on song there is no other fullback in world rugby that comes close to him.
Bubbling under: Zane Kirchner (South Africa)
14 Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
There is no substitute for pace, and Bowe showed that on his way to an impressive second-half try-double.
Bubbling under: JP Pietersen (South Africa)
13 Conrad Smith (New Zealand)
Another composed performance from the All Black midfield general who showed some slick touches and provided a cool head under pressure when the Welsh mounted their fight back.
Bubbling under: Jonathan Davies (Wales)
12 Ma'a Nonu (New Zealand)
A typically destructive performance from the big centre who got his team over the gainline consistently and put in some big hits on defence.
Bubbling under: Jean de Villiers (South Africa)
11 Craig Gilroy (Ireland)
Continued his encouraging form with aother energetic display. He ran well off Jonathon Sexton's shoulder and showed good footwork to finish his try.
Bubbling under: Julian Savea (New Zealand)
10 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
The star of the show for Ireland who showed a diverse skillset to control the game expertly against Argentina. Created plenty of opportunities for those outside him and produced another accurate performance with the boot.
Bubbling under: Aaron Cruden (New Zealand)
9 Conor Murray (Ireland)
His service was swift and accurate, which made life a lot easier for Sexton. Played with real purpose and desire to keep Ireland ticking over.
Bubbling under: Kahn Fotuali'i (Samoa)
8 Duane Vermeulen (South Africa)
Tackled his heart out in a comitted effort, making the most of his physicality, and also showed some skills at the breakdown to slow England down.
Bubbling under: Kieran Read (New Zealand)
7 Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
The All Blacks skipper was back from his break last week and did not miss a beat in another inspirational game which saw him make life incredibly difficult for Wales.
Bubbling under: Michael Hooper (Australia)
6 Liam Messam (New Zealand)
He has really stepped up this year and proven that he belongs at Test level. Imposed himself on the opposition and kept his team on the front foot.
Bubbling under: François Louw (South Africa)
5 Juandre Kruger (South Africa)
Called the impressive Springbok line-out and made a nuisance of himself on opposition ball on top of his hard work in loose play which saw him cover plenty of ground.
Bubbling under: Joe Tekori (Tonga)
4 Donnacha Ryan (Ireland)
Dominant in the line-outs and carried the ball up with real ferocity to help seize the advantage up front.
Bubbling under: Pascal Papé (France)
3 Owen Franks (New Zealand)
The rock of the All Blacks pack was immovable at scrum-time and was a key factor in the solid platform that the tight five laid up front.
Bubbling under: Ben Alexander (Australia)
2 Adriaan Strauss (South Africa)
Really starting to look confident at Test level, and certainly delivered the goods for his team at Twickenham with a hard-working display.
Bubbling under: Richardt Strauss (Ireland)
1 Cian Healy (Ireland)
Ireland bullied the Pumas at times, and Healy was a key figure in that working-over as he used his experience to good advantage.
Bubbling under: Alisona Taumalolo (Tonga)
Previous selections:
Week One: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Tamati Ellison, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Week Two: 15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 George Pisi, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Yannick Forestier.
Our individual selections:
Jan de Koning XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Taniela Moa, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 François Louw, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Alisona Taumalolo.
Len Kaplan XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Alisona Taumalolo.
Quintin van Jaarsveld XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Paul Dobson XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Cian Healy.
Michael de Vries XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
