With the Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies on a bye, there were several standouts in Round Nine of Super Rugby Pacific.
This was highlighted by the Western Force's dominant win over the Highlanders on their return home.
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Meanwhile, the Melbourne Rebels pushed the Crusaders all the way whilst the under-strength Waratahs were no match for the Blues.
With this in mind, Rugby.com.au has selected the best from the Australian sides for round nine.
1 Tom Robertson (Western Force)
Robertson continues to do his hopes of a World Cup call-up little harm.
He looked energised from his time in Wallaby camp, dominating former Force prop Jermaine Ainsley at set-piece time.
He also delivered crucial hit-ups at key moments of the game, including breaking multiple tackles to seal the win.
2. Alex Mafi (Melbourne Rebels)
Mafi shrugged off any injury concerns from the Blues defeat to deliver a reliable performance.
He caused the Crusaders troubles with his carry and was perfect with his eight throws at line-out time
3. Santiago Medrano (Western Force)
Medrano is one of the form tightheads in Super Rugby, powering the Force home.
He provided a solid contribution at defensive time with 12 tackles and a key turnover.
This coupled with a solid night at scrum time saw him edge out Sam Talakai
4. Josh Canham (Melbourne Rebels)
Josh Canham is quietly emerging as one of the key players of the future for the Rebels.
The lock does a lot of the dirty work but continues to step up with Matt Philip on the sidelines.
He showed great Rugby smarts to get his foot in the way of a Crusaders pass and dive on the loose ball, setting up Brad Wilkin’s opener. Canham then came up with a great pilfer as the Crusaders threw everything at their line late in the first half.
5. Jeremy Williams (Western Force)
Williams has relished the extra leadership bestowed upon him, stepping up for the Force
The former Waratah narrowly missed out last week but was too hard to ignore after yet another tireless effort.
He stole a key line out whilst he carried the ball with a real intent to get over the advantage line.
For this, he earns selection over teammate Felix Kalapu, equally as dominant.
6. Josh Kemeny (Melbourne Rebels)
Kemeny set the tempo with a ruthless display of defence.
His hit to set up Vaiolini Ekuasi was textbook, allowing the Rebel to race away for a long-range try.
7. Brad Wilkin (Melbourne Rebels)
Wilkin is a work-horse and showed why he was singled out for praise by Eddie Jones with another strong showing.
He was everywhere for the Rebels, leading the tackle count with 18.
Wilkin also showed off his Rugby IQ with his nice dummy and dive over to keep the hosts in the fight.
8. Michael Wells (Western Force)
In a week where all three Australian number eights stood out, Wells just holds out Ekuasi and Harris for selection.
Wells might not be as flashy as the other two but it's the work you don’t see that he excels at and ultimately proved the difference in the win.
He didn’t miss a tackle from his 13 attempts, constantly took the ball over the advantage line and kept the fast-paced offence flying with a pair of nice offloads.
9. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa (Western Force)
Fines-Leleiwasa was a nightmare to handle for the Highlanders.
He flew across the park to catch them napping especially in the first half with a couple of nice darts in open play.
The scrumhalf had three tackle busts to go with four offloads as he steered them around the park perfectly in the absence of Gareth Simpson.
10 Bryce Hegarty (Western Force)
Hegarty proved the difference for the Force on his return from a back complaint.
The step past the fullback for the opener was a thing of beauty and set the tempo for the upset.
However, it’s his kicking game that was the shining light, controlling field possession and territory with a series of pinpoint strikes. He was also perfect from the tee to contribute 18 points, outscoring the Highlanders by himself and earning selection over Carter Gordon
11. Manasa Mataele (Western Force)
Mataele ensured his 50th game will be one of the remember.
He produced two try-saving tackles as the Highlanders went on the attack, flipping momentum after a slow start to the second half.
The winger finished with a game-high 105 metres to go with six tackle busts, three clean breaks and a well-earned try
12. Joey Walton (NSW Waratahs)
Walton was the shining light in a disappointing night for the Waratahs.
His work on defence shone through as he looked to limit the effectiveness of Harry Plummer and Rieko Ioane.
13. Sam Spink (Western Force)
Spink has become a reliable contributor to the Force’s backline.
He put his hand up for a number of key carries to get the attack firing, with his partnership with Hamish Stewart starting to form nicely.
Spink also produced some key moments in defence, earning a pair of turnovers.
14. Monty Ioane (Melbourne Rebels)
Ioane tried to will the Rebels home in a tireless performance, too hard to ignore.
His 11 carries for 73 metres were full of quality, time and again breaking defenders to get the Rebels on the front foot.
This included four tackle busts and two clean breaks, earning the nod over Dylan Pietsch, who was solid for the depleted Waratahs
15. Chase Tiatia (Western Force)
Tiatia delivered one of his best games for the Force.
He sparked numerous attacks, most notably the break that put Manasa Mataele over just before the break.
This coupled with his efforts to stop Marino Mikaele-Tu’u scoring a certain try was enough to earn his place over Andrew Kellaway, who continues to shine for the Rebels
