Super 14 Team of the Week

Wow, what a weekend of upsets that was! The Reds and Cheetahs threw the predictions manual out of the window in Round Four, and booked themselves a few well-earned places in our Team of the Week.

With a few teams misfiring over the weekend and the Bulls having a rest, the selection process was made a wee bit easier for us compared to the last three rounds!

As expected, the Reds, Cheetahs and Stormers - following their drilling of the Highlanders - make up the bulk of our XV with three apiece, while the Crusaders (two), Sharks, Hurricanes, Waratahs and Brumbies fill the rest of the spots.

15 Luke Morahan (Reds): With a new Reds back three thrown in at the deep end against the Chiefs, Morahan kept himself afloat with no life jacket required. After a shaky start, the number fifteen got better and better as the match wore on and scored the decisive try against the run of play that would ultimately hand the Reds a famous come-from-behind victory in Hamilton.

14 David Smith (Hurricanes): One of the shining lights for a wobbly Hurricanes outfit that struggled against the Cheetahs. Smith bagged a try to sound an early warning for the 'Canes, but it was a false alarm. However, the winger kept his siren on all night.

13 Robert Fruean (Crusaders): In a battle of Test-like quality between the Crusaders and the Blues, Fruean could be playing in the real thing if he keeps up this good form throughout the Super 14.

12 Meyer Bosman (Cheetahs): Of course the highlight of Bosman's game were his four monster penalties - three of them inside the Cheetahs' half - but when Bosman wasn't on song with the boot, he was keeping opposite number Ma'a Nonu under wraps.

11 Bryan Habana (Stormers): Habana is fast becoming the new darling of Newlands. Always looking for work, the Springbok flyer showed he has some good soccer skills too in controlling the ball for the Stormers' crucial fourth-try bonus point at the end of the match.

10 Dan Carter (Crusaders): Pips Quade Cooper by a coin toss! Dan the man was back doing what he does best in Christchurch - hauling in the points (eighteen in all), setting up tries, saving others and keeping the tempo flowing. The Crusaders pivot overcooked one kick-off, but other than that he didn't put a foot wrong against the Blues.

9 Will Genia (Reds): Arguably the best number nine on show in the tournament so far, Genia didn't let the added pressure of wearing the skipper's armband get to him like last week... on the contrary, the Wallaby half-back led by example and kept a cool head when his side were staring down the barrel fifteen points down.

8 Ryan Kankowski (Sharks): Another brave performance from the Bok number eight, but again it was all in vain. Kankowski grabbed limited opportunities quite literally with two hands with a vital intercept try when his side were two men down. He was denied a second and it so nearly could have been a match-winner had the hand of Kurtley Beale not got in the way.

7 Daniel Braid (Reds): The Kiwi plying his trade for an Australian team was instrumental against his countrymen. Braid almost single-handedly painted Hamilton red with a tireless performance that swung the match on several occasions for the Queenslanders. It's no wonder Reds coach Ewen McKenzie is writing to the ARU in a desperate plea to keep him!

6 Schalk Burger (Stormers): We realise both Braid and Burger are opensides, but it was just too hard leaving the Stormers own version of the Hulk out of our XV. Having been forced to sit out last week's loss to the Brumbies, Burger vowed to make a difference upon his return and he didn't disappoint.

5 Andries Bekker (Stormers): This extremely tall piece of timber is giving Bok locks Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha a run for their money! At least Peter de Villiers can sleep peacefully at night knowing that his able replacement is putting his hand up, while the other one if stealing opposition throw-ins.

4 Nico Breedt (Cheetahs): This was a tough choice with the likes of Brad Thorn (Crusaders), Dean Mumm (Waratahs) and Anton van Zyl (Stormers) all throwing their weight around, but not more so than Breedt who was a beacon on the line-outs, a rock in the scrums and a ball of energy in the loose.

3 WP Nel (Cheetahs): Nel misfired last week but made up for it and then some for the Cheetahs against opposite number John Schwalger, forcing two penalties that led to the danger boot of Meyer Bosman.

2 Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs): Another close call with Stormers hooker Deon Fourie a little unlucky to be missing out. Polota-Nau caused big problems for the Sharks in the tight and loose, hammering the final nail home with a powerful try that saw the burly hooker bulldoze his way over the line for an important score.

1 Ben Alexander (Brumbies): The Brumbies heavy-weight made a big impact up front against the Lions, who crumbled under Alexander's strong and precise scrummaging which makes him the premier loosehead on show in Round Four.

Previous selections:

Round One: 15 James O'Connor (Force), 14 Lionel Mapoe (Cheetahs), 13 Robbie Fruean (Crusaders), 12 Wynand Olivier (Bulls), 11 Zac Guildford (Crusaders), 10 Morne Steyn (Bulls), 9 Will Genia (Reds), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Stormers), 7 Tanerau Latimer (Chiefs), 6 Deon Stegmann (Bulls), 5 Tom Donnelly (Highlanders), 4 Danie Rossouw (Bulls), 3 Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes), 2 Aled de Malmanche (Chiefs), 1 Guthro Steenkamp (Bulls).

Round Two: 15 Paul Williams (Blues), 14 Tamati Ellison (Hurricanes), 13 Richard Kahui (Chiefs), 12 Wynand Olivier (Bulls), 11 Bryan Habana (Stormers), 10 Quade Cooper (Reds), 9 Will Genia (Reds), 8 Ryan Kankowski (Sharks), 7 Juan Smith (Cheetahs), 6 Rocky Elsom (Brumbies), 5 Andries Bekker (Stormers), 4 Flip van der Merwe (Bulls), 3 Neemia Tialata (Hurricanes), 2 Jason Rutledge (Highlanders), 1 Heinke van der Merwe (Lions).

Round Three: 15 Cory Jane (Hurricanes), 14 Leila Masaga (Chiefs), 13 Stirling Mortlock (Brumbies), 12 Wynand Olivier (Bulls), 11 Zac Guildford (Crusaders), 10 Morne Steyn (Bulls), 9 Luke Burgess (Waratahs), 8 Thomas Waldrom (Crusaders), 7 George Smith (Brumbies), 6 Jerome Kaino (Blues), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 4 De Kock Steenkamp (Stormers), 3 Laurie Weeks (Reds), 2 Andrew Hore (Hurricanes), 1 Jamie Mackintosh (Highlanders).