Team of the week: Blackout
The mighty All Blacks understandably dominate our team of the week which does not include one Springbok after their underwhelming performance in Mendoza.
The Pumas are rewarded for their passionate display in their first home game of the Rugby Championship with four spots in the starting XV, and despite failing to score any points against the All Blacks in Auckland the Wallabies earned three places in our side.
There is more of an even spread in the bubbling under team, with the All Blacks and Pumas securing five spots each, the Wallabies weighing in with four and one Springbok making up the numbers.
Rugby Championship Team of the Week, Round Two:
15 Israel Dagg (New Zealand)
Got the only try of the game in another polished display. He showed the incisive running that he is famous for and made some telling contributions with the boot as well.
Bubbling under: Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
14 Cory Jane (New Zealand)
An efficient outing for the speedy oustside back who made very few errors despite not having as many opportunities to impress as he would have liked.
Bubbling under: Gonzalo Camacho (Argentina)
13 Ma'a Nonu (New Zealand)
The powerful midfielder showed his class after battling to find his feet at outside centre last week. Made some crunching tackles and linked well with his centre partner who he is likely to replace in the No.12 jersey.
Bubbling under: Rob Horne (Australia)
12 Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
Signed out in style with a superb performance which showed off his unique skillset and confirmed that his departure to Japan will leave a void in the Test arena.
Bubbling under: Santiago Fernandez (Argentina)
11 Digby Ioane (Australia)
Woked as hard as ever despite his team being on the back foot and forced to defend for most of the games. Made a line-break and looked the most threatening back in his side.
Bubbling under: Hosea Gear (New Zealand)
10 Dan Carter (New Zealand)
A masterful display which underlined his status as the world's premier playmaker. He controlled the game superbly to put his authority beyond doubt.
Bubbling under: Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina)
9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
A snappy performance behind the scrum from the young livewire who varied his game well and showed the potential to develop into a star at this level.
Bubbling under: Francois Hougaard (South Africa)
8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Argentina)
A tough choice between two brilliant players which caused much debate. Kieran Read hardly put a foot wrong but Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe edges him out of this one due to his inspiring leadership which was as much a factor as his robust performance at the back of the scrum.
Bubbling under: Kieran Read (New Zealand)
7 Michael Hooper (Australia)
Worked his socks off making the most tackles of any player on the field and acquitted himself well against the fearsome Richie McCaw.
Bubbling under: Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
6 Liam Messam (New Zealand)
He has really stepped up this year in the absence of Jerome Kaino and made another big statement with a well-rounded performance which showed that he belongs at the highest level.
Bubbling under: Julio Cabello (Argentina)
5 Patricio Albacete (Argentina)
A stirring effort from the lanky lock who dominated the line-outs, tackled as hard as anyone and even made a crucial turnover in contributing greatly to his team's memorable performance.
Bubbling under: Nathan Sharpe (Australia)
4 Sitaleki Timani (Australia)
showed why he is rated so highly by Wallaby coach Robbie Deans by putting his body on the line in defence and carrying the ball up with gusto in a losing cause.
Bubbling under: Luke Romano (New Zealand)
3 Owen Franks (New Zealand)
Did his job effectively up front and got around the park well to further the gap between himself and the rest of the tighthead's in the competition.
Bubbling under: Juan Figallo (Argentina)
2 Eusebio Guiñazu (Argentina)
Played a vital role in the Pumas' try and was generally dependable apart from one line-out throw that went over the back.
Bubbling under: Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
1 Rodrigo Roncero (Argentina)
The veteran showed that he has plenty of life left in him as he took the game to the Boks at scrum-time and worked as hard as anyone else on defence.
Bubbling under: Benn Robinson (Australia)
Individual selections:
Jan de Koning XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Eusebio Guiñazu, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Paul Dobson XV: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Eusebio Guiñazu, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Len Kaplan XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Quintin van Jaarsveld XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Ma’a Nonu, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Previous selections:
Round One: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Bryan Habana (South Africa), 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
