Team of the Week: Fresh start

It was a new beginning when the Rugby Championship kicked into life on Saturday, but our Team of the Week seems to be dominated by the usual suspects.

New Zealand and South Africa both secured convincing victories, and they duly make up the overwhelming majority of our side with seven All Blacks and six Springboks in the team, with Australia and Argentina squeezing in one player each.

The Bubbling Under side is pretty much identical, with seven All Blacks and six Springboks again making up the bulk of the numbers and the Wallabies and Pumas making up the numbers with one player each.

Rugby Championship Team of the Week, Round One:

15 Israel Dagg (New Zealand)

Underlined his credentials as the best fullback in the world by completely outplaying his main rival Kurtley Beale. His positional play is impeccable and few players pose such a threat when joining the backline, which was proven when he went around Beale to score a special try.

Bubbling under: Zane Kirchner

14 Bryan Habana (South Africa)

He might have been playing out of position on the right, but his resurgence on the international stage continued regardless with another energetic performance that saw him extend his Springbok try-scoring record and threaten the Pumas every time he got his hands on the ball.

Bubbling under: Cory Jane

13 Jean de Villiers (South Africa)

The Springbok captain marshalled his side's defence expertly and took the game to the Pumas midfield with some powerful running.

Bubbling under: Ma'a Nonu

12 Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)

A solid display from the high profile centre, he used his physicality to get his team on the front foot and produced a few neat touches to bring the dangerous All Black outside backs into the game.

Bubbling under: Santiago Fernández

11 Digby Ioane (Australia)

A hard-working outing from the electric wing, he had limited opportunities but looked for work and managed to make an impact when he did get hold of the ball.

Bubbling under: Hosea Gear

10 Morne Steyn (South Africa)

Responded to concerns about his goal-kicking with a flawless performance, and his accurate boot also made an impact in open play when his pinpoint cross-kick resulted in Habana's try.

Bubbling under: Dan Carter

9 Aaron Smith (New Zealand)

Provided snappy service to the backline and kept things tidy behind the forward pack, showing impressive composure up against Will Genia.

Bubbling under: Francois Hougaard

8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Argentina)

A convincing performance from the Pumas skipper who carried the ball up with gusto, tackled hard and generally led from the front under intense pressure.

Bubbling under: Kieran Read

7 Richie McCaw (New Zealand)

Another polished game from the veteran flank, he made his presence felt at the breakdown by securing some crucial turnovers and also carried the ball well as his team marched to victory.

Bubbling under: Willem Alberts

6 Marcell Coetzee (South Africa)

An all-action performance from the young dynamo who tackled his heart out, ran hard at the opposition and capped it off with his first Test try.

Bubbling under: Liam Messam

5 Andries Bekker (South Africa)

Dominated the line-outs in his time on the field and also worked hard in open play, contributing well to his team's stern defensive effort.

Bubbling under: Nathan Sharpe

4 Luke Romano (New Zealand)

Contested well in the line-outs and imposed his considerable physicality on the Wallabies up front, he seems made for Test rugby and should grow into his role with more experience at this level.

Bubbling under: Eben Etzebeth

3 Owen Franks (New Zealand)

A solid game from the powerful tighthead who gave Wallabies loosehead Benn Robinson a tough time in the scrums and got around the park well.

Bubbling under: Jannie du Plessis

2 Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)

A great performance from the veteran hooker who made a few important turnovers on top of his solid work in the set-pieces.

Bubbling under: Adriaan Strauss

1 Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa)

The Springbok scrum was never under pressure and Mtawarira's involvement in the game was clear through the number of times the crowd was able to shout his nickname Beast.

Bubbling under: Tony Woodcock

Individual selections:

Michael de Vries XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Len Kaplan XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Paul Dobson XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Jan de Koning XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Will Genia, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Quintin van Jaarsveld XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Santiago Fernández, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.