Best Australian Performers from Super Round 10
Round ten of Super Rugby Pacific was a positive weekend for the Australian teams in terms of their finals push.
The NSW Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels got much-needed wins over the Highlanders and Moana Pasifika respectively. Meanwhile, the Queensland Reds held off the Western Force whilst the ACT Brumbies fought valiantly against the Hurricanes.
With this in mind, Rugby.com.au has selected the best from the Australian sides for round 10.
1 Matt Gibbon (Melbourne Rebels)
Gibbon was dominant for a Rebels pack that set the tempo early and controlled the first half.
He put his hand up for a plethora of tough carries as they ground Moana out of the game.
This coupled with drawing several penalties at scrum time helped seal his spot
2. Alex Mafi (Melbourne Rebels)
Mafi hangs onto his position after a reliable showing at hooker. He guided the Rebels pack around the park with ease and was rewarded with a double, including a great show of speed to run 40 metres and score against the run of play.
For this, he just edges out Dave
Porecki, who was a defensive wall for the Waratahs.
Nonggorr
Nonggorr took advantage of second-string Force front-row assert his dominance.
The tight-head constantly took the ball over the advantage line to power the Reds home in a conformable victory.
4. Nick Frost (ACT Brumbies)
Frost made a real statement with his attacking prowess against the Hurricanes.
He showed off the motor to back up Corey Toole’s break along with the silly skills to trap an Aidan Morgan grubber and outsprint the flyhalf 70 metres to score, replicating his viral moment from the U20 Junior Championships.
It’s this that just has him above Jed Holloway in this squad, who has really stepped up his form in the past month
Hosea
(Queensland
(Melbourne
a to
Rebels)
Hosea produced one of the best individual set-piece performances by a forward in 2023.
He stole a ridiculous four lineouts whilst winning ten of his own as they controlled the contest. For context, the single-game haul puts him in the top ten for steals and we’re 10 rounds into the season This coupled with several tough carries and tackle busts secured his spot in the team.
6. Taleni Seu (NSW Waratahs)
Seu is member push.
He has quietly stepped up as a key back row piece and produced some nice carries to go with a great offload to put Lalakai Foketi over the line.
Seu also won several dominant tackles to help control the Highlanders pack and take them out of the contest. proving of the to be a crucial Waratahs’ finals
McReight (Queensland
McReight produced one best games for the Reds
He was everywhere in attack in a rare case that a player walks away from a field feeling like they should’ve had more than a double.
McReight also took three pilfers at ruck time to go with a solid defensive night.
It was a week where basically every seven in Australian Rugby had a strong game, with Michael Hooper a narrow second followed by Carlo Tizzano and Brad Wilkin of his
8. Harry Wilson (Queensland Reds)
Wilson was at his workhorse best, coming back from Wallabies camp with a spring in his stop.
He registered 19 carries and eight tackles, however, it’s his work to quickly get to the breakdown and fire the pass to McReight for his second that stood out above and beyond.
The complete performance earned him selection over Langi Gleeson, who likely would’ve earned the nod if he’d featured for longer than a half as he continues recovery from injury.
9. Tate
Reds)
A tough call but the Reds skipper takes the nod with a heroic outing. The scrum half terrorised the Force with his running game, making significant inroads from his 10 carries for 78 metres.
He also had a pair of offloads to win a razor-thin decision over Waratahs counterpart Jake Gordon.
It sets up an exciting battle this week in Townsville.
McDermott (Queensland 10. Carter Gordon (Melbourne Rebels)
Gordon continues his breakout year with a calming performance for the Rebels.
He picked his moments perfectly, throwing a great ball to Lachie Anderson for the opener before going it alone just before the half for a try of his own.
He will have the perfect chance to shine when the Rebels host the dominant Brumbies on Sunday.
11. Zach Kibirige (Western Force)
The English flyer has been a revelation since arriving from Wasps, showing the finishing ability with a great finish in the corner in the opening ten minutes.
He made their most impactful break of the second half to run over Tate McDermott, before snatching the intercept to score his second.
For this, he holds out Dylan Pietsch after his strong outing for the
Waratahs.
12. Lalakai Foketi (NSW Waratahs)
Foketi stood up for the Waratahs and willed them home.
His try just before the break gave them a comfortable buffer heading into the second half as he marshalled the attack.
13. Izaia Perese (NSW Waratahs)
Perese was back at his tacklebreaking best for the Waratahs. He showed great strength to hold his feet and turn a stationary carry into a remarkable try.
He broke five tackles on the night to go with coming up with a key turnover on defence in a quality outing.
14. Corey Toole (ACT Brumbies)
Toole was electric for the Brumbies, with his one-of-a-kind speed on full display.
His effort to set up Nick Frost’s try was nothing short of worldclass, sprinting around the Hurricanes’ defence like he was back on the Sevens circuit before a great pass inside to backrower Charlie Cale, who gave the final pass for lock Nick Frost’s try.
He got a try of his own late to go with five tackle busts and a gamehigh 111 metres.
15. Andrew Rebels) Kellaway (Melbourne
Kellaway gave a handy reminder of his talent at the back.
He finds a way to get involved at key moments and his picture-perfect read of the defensive line allowed him to slice through and find Josh Kemeny for the second try. His composure at the back is a major positive, dominating the aerial battle and making some crucial tackles.