Super Rugby Aotearoa round 3 review

Team of the Week

1. Alex Hodgman (Blues)- huge performance with 12 tackles and consistently strong in the scrums
2. Codie Taylor (Crusaders)- showed why he’s an All-Black with 24 run metres from just four carries and a massive 14 tackles.
3. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Blues)- put in a massive shot on wing Sam Gilbert early on, made 14 run metres and was strong at set piece time
4. Sam Whitelock (Crusaders)- the experienced lock made 9 tackles, won ball in the lineouts and was a powerhouse in open play.
5. Paripari Parkinson (Highlanders)- the only Highlanders player to make it this week, Parkinson made 10 tackles and made 19 metres, beating two defenders.
6. Cullen Grace (Crusaders)- Grace makes the team for the second week running, making 19 tackles and being a constant nuisance at the breakdown.
7. Dalton Papali’i (Blues)- the openside makes the team yet again, scoring two essential tries, making 41 run metres and 10 tackles, as well as disrupting the ‘Landers breakdown excellently.
8. Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)- despite other no8s stepping up, no one has reached the quality of Sotutu yet. He made 21 run metres, 11 tackles, and disrupted the line-out aggressively. He remains terrifying opposition defences week after week.
9. Brad Weber (Chiefs)- no scrum half particularly stood out this week, but Weber was quality, making 89 passes and seven tackles for his team.
10. Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders)- Mo’unga makes the team again for his sublime gameplay and kicking. He scored eight points, shipped the ball 14 times and made 22 metres.
11. Caleb Clarke (Blues)- Clarke was arguably player of the week, after a huge performance dedicated to his late grandfather. He made 77 run metres, 7 tackles, and got a try assist as well as a try of his own.
12. Jack Goodhue (Crusaders)- Goodhue was solid in the midfield of the Christchurch side, making 13 tackles and providing a base for his outside players to work from.
13. Rieko Ioane (Blues)- despite being sin-binned, Ioane still makes the team with 59 run metres, six tackles and a sublime try to top it off. Showing why he should retain his NZ shirt for years to come.
14. Sevu Reece (Crusaders)- the quality wing made 46 run metres, got two try assists and beat two defenders. Set the backline alight with fullback Will Jordan.
15. Will Jordan (Crusaders)- Jordan showed his quality with two spectacular tries, 98 run metres and four defenders beaten. Ignited the backline along with Sevu Reece.