It wasn’t easy, with more strong team performances than individual ones, but a team has been scraped together with 12 different countries represented!
1 – David Kilcoyne (Ireland) Ran into some troubles in the scrum, which was to be expected, but otherwise enjoyed his afternoon against Georgia. Scored a try and danced about like a loose forward.
2 – Guilhem Guirado (France) Nothing over the top, but there had to be at last one French forward in the mix. The hooker spearheaded a dominant performance over the outworked Australians.
3 – Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) Welcomed back by the Azzurri and looked surprisingly fresh around the park. The scrums were a bit messy but it takes two to tango.
4 – Leone Nakarawa (Fiji) Gave Wales a torrid time in the loose, running like a back and dishing out numerous offloads. A big presence in the lineout and in the middle of everything good for Fiji.
5 – Jonny Gray (Scotland) His best performance for his country against the world’s best side. Scottish fans will remember that one for a long time.
6 – Maurie Fa’asavalu (Samoa) An absolute beast at the breakdown against Canada, winning turnovers and slowing the ball down all day. Has a real spring in his step again since moving to France.
7 – Blair Cowan (Scotland) Another whose commitment will live long in the memory. Got stuck into everything, putting in the tackles and heavily involved in the rucks.
8 – Robbie Diack (Ireland) Not a great week for power forwards, so it’s an unlikely Ulsterman who gets the nod. Proved a more than useful link man and a fine target at the lineout.
9 – Cobus Reinach (South Africa) Bossed the play, scored a try, and basically did everything that Francois Hougaard hasn’t been doing. Might have just earned himself a ticket to the World Cup.
10 – Ian Madigan (Ireland) Sure, it was only Georgia, but Madigan needed to make a statement, and he did. Running, passing, kicking, and made all of his tackles.
11 – Charles Piutau (New Zealand) Huge workrate with ball in hand, looked dangerous every time he touched it. Showed a real desire to get involved.
12 – Merab Sharikadze (Georgia) Superb defensive effort from the young centre. Chopped down everything and never let his side down with ball in hand.
13 – Tevita Kuridrani (Australia) Another week, another jog around the park for the big man. Seems to break the gainline at will.
14 – Tevita Halaifonua (Tonga) Has really stepped up his game on this tour, emerging as a powerful and skilled attacker on the wing. Scored one try and set up another beautifully.
15 – Liam Williams (Wales) Must have wondered where his team went. Just about the only Welshman who walked off with reputation intact.
