Super Rugby Team of Round Eight

The latest installment of our Super Rugby team of the week has a wee bit of a red and black look to it. Ok, a real red and black look to it!

The Crusaders' slaughtering of the Bulls (too harsh?)... The Crusaders' taming of the Bulls in Timaru made it very tough on other big performers of week eight to make the cut.

With six Crusaders in our XV, we managed to find some room for a two players each from the Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies and Highlanders plus a Shark. Sorry, no Bulls players this week.

15 Ben Smith (Highlanders): What's this? No Israel Dagg? Amazing some may say. But he came close! In the end, we felt discarded All Black Ben Smith offered a lot more on attack at the back for the Highlanders - even if it was against the lowly Cheetahs.

14 Henry Speight (Brumbies): Made a mess of an earlier five-pointer, but turned the game around for the Brumbies with a sensational try just before half-time. A shame we'll only see him again after he recovers from his ankle injury in six weeks time.

13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders): You can't have the rum without the coke - or vice versa. Either way, the Crusaders' midfield pairing are red hot and the pick of the bunch at the moment with Fruean a major defensive force against the Bulls.

12 Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders): From the very first bone-crunching hit of the game on Bulls number eight Pierre Spies, we knew SBW was in for a big one. And he didn't disappoint. Opposite number Wynand Olivier will be having nightmares after coming up against the former Rugby League star who made the Bull look like a calf. Williams did everything right - including scoring a clinical, long-range try.

11 Drew Mitchell (Waratahs): Two tries, both of them gems, in another flawless display from the Wallaby flyer. His form really has been excellent so far this year.

10 Quade Cooper (Reds): There's been a few complaints that we've ignored Cooper in our previous selections. Whilst we stand by our decisions over the last eight weeks, it would be mad to leave the Reds playmaker out this time though. Cooper was once again a stand-out performer for the Queenslanders - slotting five from six, and laying the foundation for another Reds win.

9 Luke Burgess (Waratahs): Keeps Andy Ellis and Will Genia out in what was perhaps the hardest position to fill. But Burgess looked in fine fettle as he seeks a spot in the national set-up as the Wallabies' starting scrum-half for the World Cup. He was involved in all but one of his team's four tries against the Force.

8 Kieran Read (Crusaders): Read has led the Crusaders superbly in Richie McCaw's absence, and his performances in 2011 has been nothing short of exceptional.

7 Matt Todd (Crusaders): With the Crusaders victory built around a tireless forwards assault, Todd was the Crusaders' leading hitman.

6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders): Besides a brace of tries from the flanker, the All Blacks selectors would have been happy with what they saw as Thomson again stood out in the forward exchanges.

5 Chris Jack (Crusaders): The veteran lock stepped in for injured All Black Sam Whitelock, but the former international showed he still has what it takes at this level and all the experience with 103 Super Rugby matches in the bank.

4 James Horwill (Reds): Conquered Cape Town and the home side's very own Table Mountain in the form of Andries Bekker. Horwill was immense in leading his troops to a memorable win over the previously unbeaten Stormers.

3 Ben Franks (Crusaders): His brother Owen made a big impact off the bench - knocking big Flip van der Merwe out cold - but Ben was worth his weight in gold during the 64 minutes before he was replaced.

2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks): A busy night's work for the Sharks rake, who has shown Bok coach Peter de Villiers time and time again now that he will offer much more playing a full 80 minutes at the World Cup than from the bench - if John Smit is chosen at hooker that is.

1 Ben Alexander (Brumbies): Took the Hurricanes scrum to the cleaners, and won valuable penalties for it too.

Team of Round One: 15 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs), 14 Tim Nanai-Williams (Chiefs), 13 Rob Horne (Waratahs), 12 Robbie Coleman (Brumbies), 11 Drew Mitchell (Waratahs), 10 James O'Connor (Force), 9 Jano Vermaak (Lions), 8 Kieran Read (Crusaders), 7 Phil Waugh (Waratahs), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Franco van der Merwe (Lions), 4 Bakkies Botha (Bulls), 3 Jannie du Plessis (Sharks), 2 Keven Mealamu (Blues), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls).

Team of Round Two: 15 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs), 14 Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), 13 Rob Horne (Waratahs), 12 Julian Huxley (Rebels), 11 Drew Mitchell (Waratahs), 10 Danny Cipriani (Rebels), 9 Charl McLeod (Sharks), 8 Ashley Johnson (Cheetahs), 7 Josh Strauss (Lions), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 Mark Chisholm (Brumbies), 3 WP Nel (Cheetahs), 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs), 1 Jamie Mackintosh (Highlanders).

Team of Round Three: 15 Pat McCabe (Brumbies), 14 Lelia Masaga (Chiefs), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Shaun Treeby (Highlanders), 11 Kade Poki (Highlanders), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Will Genia (Reds), 8 Keegan Daniel (Sharks), 7 Matt Todd (Crusaders), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Josh Bekhuis (Highlanders), 4 Isaac Ross (Chiefs), 3 John Afoa (Blues), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), 1 Wyatt Crocket (Crusaders).

Team of Round Four: 15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14 Sean Maitland (Crusaders), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders), 11 Andre Taylor (Hurricanes), 10 James O'Connor (Western Force), 9 Andy Ellis (Crusaders), 8 Kieran Read (Crusaders), 7 Willem Alberts (Sharks), 6 Richard Brown (Western Force), 5 Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), 4 Sam Wykes (Western Force), 3 CJ van der Linde (Stormers), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), 1 John Schwalger (Hurricanes).

Team of Round Five: 15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14 Rene Ranger (Blues), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Luke McAlister (Blues), 11 Sarel Pretorius (Cheetahs), 10 Peter Grant (Stormers), 9 Alby Mathewson (Blues), 8 Kieran Read (Crusaders), 7 Heinrich Brüssow (Cheetahs), 6 Scott Higginbotham (Reds), 5 Andries Bekker (Stormers), 4 Rynhardt Elstadt (Stormers), 3 WP Nel (Cheetahs), 2 Keven Mealamu (Blues), 1 Ben Daley (Reds).

Team of Round Six: 15 Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14 Rod Davies (Reds), 13 Jaques Fourie (Stormers), 12 Sonny Bill Williams (Crusaders), 11 Zac Guildford (Crusaders), 10 Dan Carter (Crusaders), 9 Nick Phipps (Rebels), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Stormers), 7 Beau Robinson (Reds), 6 Willem Alberts (Sharks), 5 Andries Bekker (Stormers), 4 Alister Campbell (Rebels), 3 Greg Somerville (Rebels), 2 Deon Fourie (Stormers), 1 Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders).

Team of Round Seven: 15 Isaia Toeava (Blues),14 Kade Poki (Highlanders), 13 Digby Ioane (Reds), 12 Luke McAlister (Blues), 11 Luke Morahan (Reds), 10 Danny Cipriani (Rebels), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 8 Gareth Delve (Rebels), 7 Schalk Burger (Stormers), 6 Jack Lam (Hurricanes), 5 Hugh Pyle (Rebels), 4 Sam Wykes (Western Force), 3 Werner Kruger (Bulls), 2 Jason Rutledge (Highlanders), 1 Jamie Mackintosh (Highlanders).