Steven Kitshoff (Gallo Images)
Four Springboks have cracked the nod in Super Rugby’s ‘Team of the Decade’ based on away performances.
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With the tournament currently suspended due to the coronavirus, organisers felt fit to pick a team featuring players they feel performed well on the road.
The South African players picked are prop Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), hooker Malcolm Marx (Lions), lock RG Snyman (Bulls) and centre Jan Serfontein (Bulls).
The remainder of the team features eight players from the New Zealand and three from Australia (No 8 Amanaki Mafi played for the Rebels and Sunwolves in the Australian Conference).
The pack has players from eight different teams, including World Cup winners Kitshoff and Marx. Between them the duo made 506 tackles, with Marx gaining an average of 23m per game in that stretch – the most of any tight-five forward to play at least 20 away games.
The lock pairing of Snyman and the Chiefs’ Brodie Retallick won 301 lineouts between them – Snyman made 162 carries from his 25 appearances, while Retallick crossed for eight tries, made 487 tackles, and 336 carries from 53 games on the road.
Serfontein, who played for the Bulls between 2013 and 2017 before joining Montpellier in France, made 10-plus carries and 10-plus tackles in a game from inside centre on five occasions.
All Blacks and Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie was named as the Away Team Player of the Decade. He has scored 20-plus points in an away game on seven occasions since debuting in 2015 – more than any other player – and has been directly involved in 24 tries in his last 18 games away from home (10 tries, 14 try assists).
Super Rugby away from home Team of the Decade:
15 Damian McKenzie, 14 James Lowe, 13 Charles Piutau, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
STAT ATTACK??????????????????
Away Team of the Decade!
Something different – We’ve crunched the numbers and this is what the stats say… Marx, Retallick, Barrett, Piutau and more…
Player of Decade and full story https://t.co/Rrhtij2HjD #SuperRugby25years pic.twitter.com/QskYOOxSEg— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby) April 29, 2020
– Super Rugby
