Super Rugby: Week 1 + 2 Awards

Hello guys I thought it would be a great idea to have a weekly winners and losers section for the Super Rugby season. In each section we will highlight a couple of candidates and it would be great if you get involved and tell me your opinions in the comments.

So, the awards that we will be handing out on a weekly basis would be:

1. Game of the Week – Best or most exciting game.
2. Tries of the week – The three best tries from the weekend’s games.
3. Player of the week – Best Performer.
4. Team of the Week – Best Team from the weekend.
5. Losers of the Week – Most disappointing teams and players of the weekend.

1.Game of the Week: Highlanders vs Blues.

A brilliant game with end to end rugby that saw some of New Zealand’s best young talents and experienced heads dazzle the crowd with some scintillating displays of skill. With moments from Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Rob Thomson and Aaron Smith this game was definitely a brilliant way to get the season started for eventual winners the Highlanders who in the end triumphed by 41 points to 34.

2.Tries of the Round:

Aphiwe Dyantyi (Lions) vs Sharks.

Rob Thompson (Highlanders) vs Blues.

3.Players of the Week:

Aphiwe Dyantyi:

The youngster from the Lions has gotten off to a flyer with some exciting running rugby solid defense culminating in two impressive displays. The winger has taken to Super Rugby like a duck to water and does not seem to be struggling to fill the boots of Springbok winger Courtnall Skosan, who is sidelined with injury for most of the season. If Dyantyi continues with his impressive displays, a Springbok call up won’t be out of reach.

RG Snyman:

The lock forward from the Bulls looked like a centre at times with an impressive display of running rugby. He was immense with ball in hand and provided a lot of physicality. RG also was solid defensively and reliable at set piece time. The Bulls will be hoping for similar performances.

Will Genia:

The new Rebels scrumhalf showed his immense quality in a game that the Rebels were expected to win after the Reds were reduced to 14 men. Genia read the game brilliantly and it was his decision making that impressed me most. When he kicked ran or took a quick tap. Genia was inspiring and could just be the catalyst for a Rebels side that will be hoping for a better season than they have had in previous years.

4.Team of the Weekend.

Blue Bulls.

Probably the biggest upset of the first rounds the Bulls held on to a two-point margin against last year’s semi-finalists.
After a nightmare run of Super Rugby seasons the Loftus faithful will take a lot of encouragement from their side beating the pre-tournament favorite Hurricanes by 2 points. Although the Hurricanes were poor the men from Pretoria showed glimpses of what South African rugby supporters are crying out for. Showing great continuity in their play with the forwards and backs getting involved the Bulls couldn’t have asked for a better first game. John Mitchell’s men will be hoping to build on this first performance and all South African rugby fans will be hoping to see more of the same.

5.Losers of the Week.

Stormers

After sneaking past the Jaguares in week one the Stormers threw away the opportunity to get a win in their first game on tour. In a match riddled with errors the Stormers were poor, struggling to clear their lines on many occasions and despite dominating the set piece they lost the two most important set pieces in the game. With the game tied up at 27-27 the Stormers missed their jumper in the lineout which led to Ned Hanigan scoring the match winning try in the last seconds.

The Stormers now have a tough task ahead facing the Crusaders and the Highlanders away in the coming weeks and most rugby supporters won’t be too optimistic about their chances.

Scott Higginbotham.

The experienced Reds flanker was critical to the Queensland franchise getting off to a solid start. Instead he lost his head 10 minutes in. Higginbotham shoulder charged an opponent making forceful contact with his head and was duly given his marching orders. It was a moment of madness which gave his team no chance against their Aussie rivals. Coach Brad Thorne will be livid with his loose forward and if it was me Higginbotham would struggle for a starting spot in weeks to come.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuxK4iPB4J_fToVUP4q3bA
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/TJ+Perenara/RG+Snyman
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/101733617/melbourne-rebels-thrash-queensland-reds-to-open-super-rugby-season
https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/wrap-super-rugby-week-2-20180223