Following a sensational weekend of the Autumn Nations Series, Wallabies great David Campese selects his Team of the Week.

“Firstly, I have to say what a thrilling weekend of Test rugby and what an amazing clean sweep by the Southern Hemisphere,” Campese marvelled in his review.

“Some highlights for me include the whole of the South Africa v Scotland game and I could pick any of 15 Scots in my side as they truly lived up to the ‘Braveheart tag’ that they often use to define themselves.

“Fiji were immense in Cardiff – and it shows just what a difference getting their European-based players back makes. And I wouldn’t read too much into the Irish game – they are a very structured side and sometimes it takes time to get back up to Test speed and I’m sure they’ll be a lot better next week.

“But the big headline for me is the performance of the Wallabies – the one I’ve been waiting to see that showed me a return to Aussie rugby values.

“Anyway, here’s my team of the weekend and I apologise to many teams and players, especially the Scots – there were so many high-quality performances it was untrue!”

Autumn Nations Series Team of the Week

15 Willie le Roux (South Africa): So many great displays at full-back – Tom Jordan, Will Jordan and Tom Wright but Le Roux was sensational and his cross-field kick for Makazole Mapimpi’s try was absolutely fantastic.

14 Andrew Kellaway (Australia): A brilliant opportunistic try brought Australia back into the game and Kellaway was outstanding throughout. A shout-out to Louis Bielle-Biarrey. He was targeted in the World Cup quarter-final but has emerged as a really classy operator, whilst Canan Moodie was solid as a rock for the Boks.

13 Joseph Suaalii (Australia): An absolute toss of the coin between Scotland’s Huw Jones and Suaalii, and I’d be happy with both. Jones was exceptional in defeat and I feel for the guy as he delivered a masterclass of the art of the 13 position and I felt the Scots should have had one representative in there but Australia’s new star just gets the nod.

12 Josua Tuisova (Fiji): He grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck in Cardiff and simply wouldn’t let go. A shout out to Andre Esterhuizen, huge for South Africa, and Len Ikitau, brilliant for the Wallabies.

11 Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa): The talent on the Bok wings is ridiculous but Mapimpi’s strike rate is up there with the very best. Max Jorgensen made a 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er impact for the Wallabies, whilst James Lowe worked hard for Ireland in defeat.

10 Caleb Muntz (Fiji): Really harsh on Tomás Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz who added to his growing reputation in Argentina’s win in Rome, but Muntz was the man who put Wales to the sword with 19 points. Damian McKenzie was also fantastic for the All Blacks, especially in his exit kicking, whilst Handre Pollard’s cool head kept the Boks moving forward.

9 Antoine Dupont (France): There was a moment in the Japan game where the little genius just went full-on sevens mode and he’s by a distance the best player in the world right now. Brilliant. Ben White was an important cog for Scotland, whilst Tate McDermott’s impact was key for the Wallabies.

Back-five forwards

8 Ardie Savea (New Zealand): Harsh on Harry Wilson who led brilliantly from start to finish, but Savea dragged the All Blacks home as he grew into the second half of the Test. A nod to Scotland’s Jack Dempsey, superb in defeat too.

7 Fraser McReight (Australia): I so nearly went with Rory Darge on the openside as he was relentless at Murrayfield. But McReight was game-changing for the Wallabies and his offload to win the match was something quite exceptional. Ireland were poor in Dublin, but Josh van der Flier was easily their best player. Alexandre Roumat, son of Olivier who I played against many times, had a fantastic outing for the French.

6 Chandler Cunningham-South (England): Cunningham-South was England’s brightest light in a gloomy outing at Twickenham as he grabbed two tries and delivered a tireless performance. When Pieter-Steph du Toit came on for the Boks, Scotland were rampant. But his 35-minute cameo changed the dynamic at the breakdown completely, demonstrating what a brilliant player he is. Wallace Sititi shone again for New Zealand in Dublin.

5 Jeremy Williams (Australia): He’s not a household name but his try against England crowned a brilliant 60-minute shift. Tupou Vaa’i was muscular for the All Blacks as he and Barrett got the better of the Irish lock pairing.

4 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa): Another worldie from a world-class player, one of the greats of the game. Maro Itoje might have claimed this spot with an England win had he not dropped the crucial restart whilst Matias Alemanno had a lovely cameo for Los Pumas.

Front-row

3 Thomas du Toit (South Africa): This guy is a freak. A prop with the finishing s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s of a Test winger is ridiculous. And he had a great game in the tight. England don’t have much to celebrate from this November but the improvement of Will Stuart is clear to all, whilst Allan Alaalatoa played a little cameo coming on for Australia.

2 Dewi Lake (Wales): The Welsh leader cannot be faulted as he had an absolutely exceptional personal outing, just taking the shirt off Julian Montoya and the superb Peato Mauvaka in Paris. Lake is now a dead cert for the Lions in my eyes and improves with each outing.

1 Angus Bell (Australia): Gus beat nine, yes nine, players in a fantastic all-round outing. He is the reason Australia have a competitive scrum. Jean-Baptiste Gros scored for France as he had a great outing, whilst Ox Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp gave the Springboks maximum value in the number-one shirt for 80 minutes at Murrayfield.