Japan produced arguably the shock of the round with a 27-10 victory over Italy, Wales saw off Fiji 39-24 and Scotland emerged from a remarkable 47-38 shootout in Argentina.<\/p>\n
South Africa then rounded off the action by putting England to the sword, running out convincing 45-21 winners at Ellis Park.<\/p>\n
There were standout performances across all six matches, but only 15 players could make our side.<\/p>\n
Here is the\u00a0RUCK Nations Championship Team of the Week.<\/p>\n
Back-three:<\/p>\n
15. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)<\/p>\n
Rescued Ireland with a fantastic tackle on Joseph Sua\u2019ali\u2019i, preventing the former rugby league star from potentially putting the Wallabies 31-12 ahead.<\/p>\n
That intervention proved crucial as Ireland remained in the contest and eventually edged a thriller, with Keenan then going over for one of their second-half tries.<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s comeback simply would not have been possible without his contribution.<\/p>\n
14. Will Jordan (New Zealand)<\/p>\n
Despite New Zealand being down a man early on, Jordan needed just one opportunity to make his mark.<\/p>\n
The prolific winger finished brilliantly from Beauden Barrett\u2019s looping long pass before following Luke Jacobson down the right touchline to grab his second late on.<\/p>\n
Clinical, ruthless and once again decisive.<\/p>\n
11. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)<\/p>\n
Marked his 50th Springbok appearance in style by skinning Cadan Murley to score during South Africa\u2019s devastating opening blitz.<\/p>\n
Kolbe was also brilliant in the air, made several excellent defensive reads and contributed from the kicking tee.<\/p>\n
Centres:<\/p>\n
13. Rory Hutchinson (Scotland)<\/p>\n
Silky smooth as always.<\/p>\n
Hutchinson\u2019s running game caused Argentina problems throughout, but his step inside the drifting defence before firing out a pass for Sione Tuipulotu\u2019s try was simply outstanding.<\/p>\n
The Northampton Saint then powered over for a try of his own before half-time.<\/p>\n
12. Joe Hawkins (Wales)<\/p>\n
Hawkins continues to establish himself as Wales\u2019 first-choice inside centre and produced another impressive display against Fiji.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old was outstanding defensively, making 12 tackles in the first half alone, while his growing partnership with Eddie James is starting to look like the real deal.<\/p>\n
There was one questionable kick in behind after Wales had built pressure, but otherwise this was another assured display.<\/p>\n
Half-backs:<\/p>\n
10. Matthieu Jalibert (France)<\/p>\n
As always, Jalibert was central to France\u2019s fast-paced attacking game and kept New Zealand guessing with his mixture of running and kicking.<\/p>\n
He concluded the match with a surprisingly powerful finish, bursting through Ardie Savea to keep France\u2019s hopes alive and showcasing another side to his game.<\/p>\n
9. Cam Roigard (New Zealand)<\/p>\n
Named player of the match after providing quick, sharp service and keeping the All Blacks attack flowing at a relentless tempo.<\/p>\n
Roigard showed excellent support play to score just before half-time before grabbing a second following brilliant work from his centres.<\/p>\n
His sniping runs continued to cause France problems after the break.<\/p>\n
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