Rugby World Cup Team of the Week: All Blacks and England dominate selection after contrasting semi-finals

Dylan Coetzee
Split with Handre Pollard (RSA), Maro Itoje (ENG), Will Jordan and Ardie Savea (both NZL).

Split with Handre Pollard (RSA), Maro Itoje (ENG), Will Jordan and Ardie Savea (both NZL).

The Rugby World Cup semi-finals have come and gone with two contrasting games leaving only two teams left to battle for glory.

In the first game, New Zealand took apart Argentina with a powerful performance, which shot them into the final.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, England seemed to have their place in the final secured before the Springboks produced a brilliant comeback to claim an unlikely win.

Now that the dust has settled, Planet Rugby takes a closer look at the best-performing players from the semi-final action.

Team of the Week

15 Freddie Steward (England): The Englishman was majestic in the air as he fielded high ball after high ball against the Springboks all game long in dreadful conditions. It was the kind of performance that underlines his reliable quality as one of the premier full-backs in the world.

14 Will Jordan (New Zealand): Simply outstanding as he continues his ridiculous strike rate at Test level aided by a brilliant hat-trick. The wing has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. He also showed he could do it all by himself with a lovely solo try including a chip and chase. Tied Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana and Julian Savea’s record of eight tries in a single tournament. Can he break it next weekend?

13 Rieko Ioane (New Zealand): The rapid centre was busy again in the semi-finals as he got through a decent amount of work during the clash. He was neat on defence with seven tackles and none missed whilst making a few solid carries. Not quite his blockbuster best but a good outing nonetheless. Springbok Jesse Kriel was committed yet again for his team.

12 Jordie Barrett (New Zealand): A lot has been said about his move to centre but over the last two games the youngest Barrett has been sublime for the All Blacks. His complete skill set from passing through to kicking adds so much value in the 12 channel, making it easy for Mo’unga inside him. Add to that his powerful frame and astute decision-making, he’s a critical midfield player for the men in black.

11 Mark Telea (New Zealand): The wing is one of the hardest players to tackle in world rugby at the moment and it showed again as he danced and powered his way to 14 defenders beaten against Argentina. That’s an outrageous return for a man who was desperate to make up for a missed quarter-final. Telea will be a big player in the final. Elliot Daly of England had a busy and brave outing for his country and should be proud of his efforts.

10 Handre Pollard (South Africa): The veteran was brought on early in the game and showed his class in the tricky conditions. His penalty kick for touch resulted in a try whilst he won the game with a 50+ metre kick in a vintage showing. Clutch is an understatement. Huge credit must go to Owen Farrell, who almost won the match for England with a massive shift, while All Black Richie Mo’unga was classy yet again for his side.

9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand): Pure comes to mind when thinking of the veteran’s performance. Smith was decisive and clear in all his actions throughout the game and was rewarded with a lovely solo try, which included two brilliant dummies. There is one game left in his Test career and he is going to leave the game playing some outstanding rugby.

Power pack

8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): At this rate, he could well be considered for World Rugby Player of the Year after ANOTHER blockbuster performance. Savea only has one setting and that is utterly world-class. 19 tackles made with none missed whilst 16 carries with ball in hand and a try assist. Is there anyone better in the world? England’s best player of the tournament, Ben Earl, shone once again.

7 Tom Curry (England): To challenge the Springboks the Red Rose always needed some monster shifts and Curry put his hand up from the word go. He was anywhere and everywhere in an epic performance complete with 16 tackles at 100%. The Englishman has proved time and again that he is a player who can dig deep when required. All Black skipper Sam Cane continued his good form against Argentina.

6 Courtney Lawes (England): In line with his flanking partner, the veteran had a hard-working shift where he led the physical charge against the Springboks with ball in hand, making a game-high 10 carries whilst also disrupting the line-out with a steal. Meanwhile, Marcos Kremer played hard in a losing cause for Los Pumas.

5 George Martin (England): There was huge debate over Sam Whitelock’s possible inclusion but Martin’s physicality throughout, including his outstanding work in the tight, earned him selection. It was an astute selection from head coach Steve Borthwick to put the Englishman in for the Springboks clash and it very nearly worked. A star with massive potential. Springbok Franco Mostert deserves mention for a good performance.

4 Maro Itoje (England): A player for the biggest of matches and one that did just about everything he could to give his team the advantage from steals in the line-out and the breakdown to nine perfect tackles. An admirable effort from an English great.

3 Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand): The tighthead seems to be finding his best form at the perfect time as he put in another workmanlike performance in the loose with 11 tackles on the day. He was a wrecking ball at scrum time and a player very well-placed to face the Bok scrum in the final. England’s Dan Cole flipped the narrative from the 2019 final with a brave scrummaging performance against Steven Kitshoff and one worthy of mention.

2 Bongi Mbonambi (South Africa): A player who has grown since being elevated to one of the team’s leaders and one who has put in extra minutes this tournament. His line-out throwing was questionable at times but his physicality on both sides of the ball were key.

1 Ox Nche (South Africa): Came onto the field in the second half and almost single-handedly changed the game with his outrageous power in the scrum. Nche’s dominance at the set-piece resulted in several penalties, including one that led to the try and the winning kick. Simply put, the great front-row scrummed South Africa into back-to-back finals. England’s Joe Marler and All Black Ethan de Groot were also marvellous in the semi-finals.

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup 2023 final and kick-off time confirmed

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