An alright weekend of Super Rugby from a kiwi point of view; mind you, what would Australia give for an “alright weekend” at the moment?  The Highlanders were simply better than the Blues, the Crusaders got over the Sunwolves eventually while the Chiefs had their clash with the Reds won by halftime.  After a two week absence due to Commonwealth Games commitments, Radio Sport Rugby Editor Nigel Yalden returns, caffeined to the max & Tim Tam-ed to the eyeballs to present his NZ Form Team of the Week:

1 Karl Tu’inukuafe (Chiefs) put in a really nice shift in his first Super Rugby start.  He was solid in the core roles and industrious around the field; yet another player stepping up when opportunity presents itself

2 No real obvious standout in this position for me this weekend but feel that Liam Polwart (Chiefs) was good with and without the ball where as other options were good in one aspect but no so much the other

3 So good to have Owen Franks (Crusaders) back on the field and he was straight back to his efficient best.   He scrummed powerfully – doesn’t he always – hit rucks, tackled accurately, ran good carry lines and lifted well in a 50 minute effort that would have bought a grin to Steve Hansen’s face, superseded only by the beaming smile emitted by Mike Cron.

4 Behind the incumbents of Whitelock and Retallick, there is a real scrap developing for the other two locking spots in the All Blacks and Jackson Hemapo (Highlanders) continues to put forward an industrious, robust, confrontational and untiring case for inclusion following another strong outing on Friday night 

5 Brodie Retallick (Chiefs) continues to be extraordinary.  When I watched the Chiefs vs Reds game for a second time, I tried to focus on him alone, which wasn’t hard as if he wasn’t in the action, he was rarely far from it

6 Shannon Frizell (Highlanders) combined a high work rate with pace, power and skill – that wrap-around ball that led to the Hammington try was just delightful – to be a standout.  The three tries were a by-product of his impressive all round play within the overall team effort – Forward of the Week

7 Dillon Hunt (Highlanders) was just relentless against the Blues, tackling anything that ran at him carrying the ball and complimenting his team-mate on attack with great support work.  Sam Cane (Chiefs) delivered another top level effort in Brisbane

8 Sorry but I got nothing here as I was very unimpressed with the play of the number eights over the weekend & don’t feel anyone warranted being chosen.

9 Can see why Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Chiefs) got an invite to the All Blacks camp in Wellington this weekend.  As was pointed out to me by someone with a very (very) good knowledge about such things, his pass is always right where the player receiving the ball wants it.  He also is a great organiser and tenacious competitor; all attributes on display in Brisbane at the weekend

10 With Aaron Smith not starting, Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders) appeared to be even bossier in controlling the game for the Highlanders.  He made some great reads and whilst not an overt performance, he pulled the strings in a manner befitting someone with his experience and talent 

11 Rieko Ioane (Blues) can’t be faulted for his efforts to help his struggling, injury hit side.  Virtually all of his touches were positives one for the Blues as illustrated by his stats of 18 carries for 110 metres gained, 8 defenders beaten, 5 clean line breaks & 3 offloads; seems to be at his best when given a licence to rove around a bit.  Opposing left wing Tevita Li (Highlanders) continued his good season on Friday night as well

12 Michael Little (Sunwolves) … alright, calm down, I know he does play for an NZ franchise, however it must be said that’s a travesty in itself.  Ryan Crotty (Crusaders) was the best & most consistent of a solid group of NZ second fives this weekend, so shout outs to  Tei Walden (Highlanders) TJ Faiane (Blues) and Johnny Fa’auli (Chiefs) too

13 Rob Thompson (Highlanders) is a shining example of the insane level of depth New Zealand rugby has in midfield at the moment.  He is going from strength to strength this year, on the back of having elevated his game in 2017 & showed that yet again at Eden Park.  He wouldn’t look out of place at international level yet realistically is probably seventh in the pecking order at the moment – Back of the Week

14 It wasn’t the best weekend to be a right wing as things just didn’t seem to flow their way but I thought Waisake Naholo (Highlanders) made the most of his limited opportunities

15 Charlie Ngatai (Chiefs) & Ben Smith (Highlanders) bring intelligence, experience and subtlety to the fullback position - two quality performances by two quality players over the weekend

Selection criteria: Must play for an NZ franchise but does not have to be eligible for All Blacks

**NIGEL YALDEN IS RUGBY EDITOR FOR RADIO SPORT & NEWSTALK ZB