Rugby
John Goliath, Special to ESPN 5y

Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament: All Blacks, Springboks star

Rugby, Rugby Championship

There were some magnificent individual performances in the Rugby Championship. But who were the guys who were consistently good throughout the competition? Read on for our Team of the Tournament.

Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina)

The versatile speedster moved to fullback in the Rugby Championship with great success. Boffelli made the most carries in the competition, and featured in the top three in metres made and defenders beaten.

Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)

The All Blacks' powerhouse winger finished joint top of the try-scorers list with five scores in six outings. He was a menace with ball in hand throughout the tournament, and again showcased his deadly finishing ability.

Jack Goodhue (New Zealand)

The Crusaders man was the standout player in a position where many of the coaches chopped and changed throughout the tournament. He made the top 10 in defenders beaten and carries, while he also defended sharply.

Damian de Allende (South Africa) 

De Allende is slowly coming back to his best after struggling to find his peak form over the last two years following an ankle injury. He brought the physicality to the Boks' backline, while also displayed a soft touch and good running lines.

Aphiwe Dyantyi (South Africa)

Dyantyi has been compared to the great Bryan Habana after a magnificent maiden Rugby Championship. The Lions wing also finished with five tries, with two of them coming against the All Blacks in Wellington.

Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina)

There were many brilliant individual fly-half performances in the competition, but Sanchez was the most consistent of the lot. He finished the competition with the most points (67) and was Argentina's most influential player.

Faf de Klerk (South Africa)

De Klerk may not be the world's best tactician at No 9, but he certainly plays with a lot of heart and energy. He got the better of Aaron Smith in their two matches against each other and was a key component in the Boks' rush defence.

David Pocock (Australia)

Pocock was the best Australian player throughout the Rugby Championship. He was again a massive threat at the breakdown, while he also showed his fight in the tackle and with ball in hand. His value to the Wallabies is priceless.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

A few years ago people doubted Du Toit's ability as a flank, but he proved a lot of people wrong with top performances in the Rugby Championship. He made 83 tackles during the competition, 11 more than Pocock. He also ended in the top 10 for carries made and lineouts won.

Siya Kolisi (South Africa)

The Springbok captain led from the front with superb displays throughout the tournament. He was all over the park, as he made the third most tackles, and featured prominently in the clean breaks, metres gained and defenders beaten categories.

Sam Whitelock (New Zealand)

The All Blacks veteran featured at the front of the lineout for the world champions, but his impressive stats can't be ignored. He finished joint-third for tackles won and carried the ball 37 times for 140 metres.

Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)

The man-mountain hadn't played any rugby for eight months before packing down against Argentina. He ended up playing the full 80 minutes in Durban and was the Boks' enforcer throughout the tournament. He had the most lineout wins in the competition.

Owen Franks (New Zealand)

Franks conceded only one scrum penalty in five starts in the Rugby Championship, while also managing to win more than a handful of his own. He was never really put under the pressure at scrum time, while his work around the park was also good.

Malcolm Marx (South Africa)

The bullocking hooker was magnificent throughout the tournament. Besides his tackling and aggressive carries, he also made quite a few steals at the breakdown. He is the reason why the Springboks are comfortable playing without a recognised fetcher.

Steven Kitshoff (South Africa)

It was close between Kitshoff and the All Blacks' Karl Tu'inukuafe, but the South African won it because of his tireless work rate around the park. But Stormers loosehead also scrummed well, whether starting or coming off the bench.

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