Australian teams finally broke their duck in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman as the Reds overcame the Chiefs.
Whilst plenty of players from this win certainly boost their Wallabies hopes, there were plenty of performances across the country that would have pleased Dave Rennie and the rest of the coaching staff.
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Rugby.com.au looked at the top ten performances from Australian players as they press for selection.
1.Marika Koroibete (Last Week: 8)
No one in Super Rugby more deserved to bag a double than Marika Koroibete, who finally broke his try-less run in the Rebels loss to the Highlanders.
Koroibete has continued to influence the game despite the scoring drought, taking a number of bruising hit-ups off his wing as he ran for 86 metres.
After a tough season, it was nice to see him burst through and score twice, with some lovely build-up play from young guns Carter Gordon and George Worth setting him up.
He remains the form winger out of the Australian Super Rugby sides.
2. Harry Wilson (Last Week: 3)
Wilson’s emergence as the ace in the Reds pack has been wonderful to see throughout Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
He set the tempo early as he broke through the Chiefs defence in the opening minutes, allowing them to get on the front foot.
Wilson’s work rate is something to marvel at as he recorded double-figure tackles and runs during the win, along with earning a crucial turnover as well.
3. Izaia Perese (Last Week: NR)
Perese has been the revelation of 2021 for the Waratahs and Australian Rugby.
Returning after his short stint with the Brisbane Broncos, Perese has all of a sudden shot into Wallabies contention with a series of brilliant performances, arguably producing his best against the Crusaders.
It takes a special player to reach double-digit tackle busts against one of the best sporting clubs in the world and his barnstorming try over winger Leicester Fainga’anuku was incredible to see,
With Hunter Paisami still finding his feet as he returns from injury and Matt To’omua still getting used to inside centre, Perese is making a strong case for himself for selection in July’s squad.
4.Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (Last Week: NR)
This was Salakaia-Loto’s best game for 2021 by a long margin.
Often overshadowed by Tupou and their back-row trio, Salakaia-Loto showed why many consider him to be a leader of the future as he dominated the Chiefs pack.
With the Reds crumbling in the last ten minutes, the Wallaby produced the game-winning tackle to secure the win and avoid a potentially humiliating result for the side and Australian Rugby.
It came at the perfect time as leading contenders make their push domestically and internationally for selection at lock come July.
5.Filipo Daugunu (Last Week: NR)
The combination of Daugunu and Suliasi Vunivalu was electric to see on Saturday and needs to continue.
Daugunu just edged out his Fijian counterpart as he reminds selectors of his talent, running for an incredible 133 metres off 13 carries.
This was his best game by far as he broke tackles at will, giving coaches at club and national level plenty of things to think about heading into the next month.
6. Angus Bell (Last Week: 2)
Whilst he was put under significant pressure, Bell passed his test against the Crusaders with flying colours.
For the most part, his scrummaging held up against the might of the defending champions as his ball-running ability continues to be an asset for the struggling Tahs.
With Dave Rennie putting significant value on having a mobile pack, another double-digit performance in terms of carries and tackles does his hunt for a permanent Wallabies spot no harm
7.Tate McDermott (Last Week: NR)
Another Red that produced his best performance on Saturday as the young halfback looks to cement his spot in the matchday 23.
McDermott was immense as he provided perfect service to his back-line, typified in his crash ball to Isaac Henry for the second try.
The ability to take the line on and still deliver whilst getting smacked by Damien McKenzie is something that has been lacking throughout Trans-Tasman as it proved to be a game-changer.
8.Tom Banks (Last week: 5)
Another typical performance for Banks who was the best on ground for the Brumbies during their thumping Blues loss.
Banks and flyhalf Noah Lolesio looked dangerous whenever they touched the ball despite being behind a pack that was dominated by their NZ counterparts.
He once again led the game in metres (57m off seven carries) whilst breaking three defenders as he continues to tighten his grip on the Wallabies fullback position.
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9.Toni Pulu (Last Week: NR)
Pulu made up for lost time following his red card as he attempts to earn another Wallabies recall.
He was the only Force player to look dangerous during the 37-point loss, producing 9 runs for 107 metres along with seven tackle busts.
Despite the showing, he finds himself well down the pecking order after the emergence of Vunivalu, Wright and Daugunu over the past 12 months.
10. Rob Valetini (Last Week: 1)
Another work-horse performance from Valetini and probably deserves to be higher, although that speaks to the quality of Australian play from this week.
Returning to flanker, he was one of few Brumbies forwards to consistently get over the advantage line as he led the side in carries.
Whilst he once again put a big shift in defence, he fell off a couple of tackles throughout the match, although wasn’t the only one to do so in the 28-point defeat.
