Super Rugby team of the year

The Highlanders and Hurricanes produced a superb final with the Highlanders edging out their more fancied rivals with a 21-14 win.

There is no doubt that these two teams set the benchmark but who else caught our eye in this year's tournament?

Read on to find out who made our best XV from this year's tournament...

15 Ben Smith (Highlanders)

Smith played second fiddle to only one man in the ball-carrying stats for his side, and that man features on the right wing in our team. Michael Lynagh attributed the success of the Highlanders to their decision-makers at nine, 10 and 15. With Ben Smith at the back the Highlanders not only had a safe pair of hands and dogged tackling to rely on, but also possessed one of the most potent counter-attackers in the world.

With space to work with Smith did employ the boot when required, but when his decision was to run he did so effectively – finishing the season in the top five for metres made in the competition. Adding to his exploits was his desire to take the ball as first receiver, which kept opposition defences from putting the desired pressure on Lima Sopoaga.

14 Waisake Naholo (Highlanders)

Naholo topped his team’s charts for the majority of the ball-in-hand statistics. Out of all of Highlanders players the winger made the most metres, the most clean breaks, beat the most defenders and also scored more tries than any other player in the 2015 Super Rugby competition.

Naholo moved to the Highlanders from the Blues because he wasn’t getting game time, and was still struggling for a game at the Highlanders before injuries gave him his opportunity. He played his way into the All Black selectors’ minds as they halted his move to Clermont at the end of the season, which would have prevented him from being selected for New Zealand.

13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes)

The embattled Smith cut a sad picture as he thanked his side and fans for the collective effort in bringing the Hurricanes so close to a Super Rugby title. The All Black veteran has now left the club, and will join the Top 14 where he will rue 13 seasons spent with the Hurricanes with no Super Rugby title to show for it.

The man they call the Snake is the embodiment of a one-club man, and it was fitting that he bowed out as captain, pairing with All Black midfield partner Ma’a Nonu. Smith had yet another outstanding season, where he made a mockery of defences with pace to that never faded as his experience grew.

12 Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes)

When Sean Fitzpatrick spoke of Nonu ahead of the final last week he said the secret to his Super Rugby success in his final season was down to how he matured as a person. Nonu arrived on the big scene as a big hitter but was quickly found out and fell out of favour. He was tasked with learning to kick and pass better which he did on the international stage, but never seemed to recreate that form for his franchise.

But this year the All Black veteran found his best season in his last year for the Wellington-based outfit, with deft passes and clear decision-making helping to provide the ball to the lethal men out wide – Nehe Milner-Skudder and Julian Savea. It was a shame that the wrecking ball of the Wellington midfield did not win a trophy in his time with the Hurricanes, but at least he was able to give them his best before he departed. 

11 Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders)

Careful England, this man is coming to Twickenham in the opening game of the World Cup. The Crusaders winger was third in the try-scoring stats in the competition, but played in five fewer games than the eventual chart-topper; Waisake Naholo. Nadolo’s runs down the side of the field kept the Crusaders within touching distance of the play-offs as he seemed to toy with opposition wingers and full-backs, employing kicks, hand-offs and sidesteps in equal variety.

The 18-Test international will no doubt feature for Fiji in the World Cup opener in September, and with England already facing Wales and Australia in the group, the added challenge of dealing with Nadolo will not be welcome.

10 Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders)

Sopoaga was pretty far back in the pecking order for the All Black No 10 jersey at the beginning of this season, but with a championship-winning campaign alongside Aaron Smith, the former Hurricanes player has earned himself a place in the All Black squad.

Sopoaga’s ability to guide play once he had the ball from Smith played a part in the clinical attack from the Highlanders, but equally as important for a fly-half is the ability to score points with the boot, and with 38 conversions, 31 penalties and four drop goals to go with his two tries, Sopoaga became the highest points scorer in this year’s Super Rugby competition.

9 Aaron Smith (Highlanders)

You’d be hard pressed to find a better scrum-half currently playing the game of union. Smith’s lightning pass belies measured decision-making in a side that played intelligent rugby. Smith’s presence at the base of the ruck gave his forwards direction and kept defences guessing.

Smith ran with the ball less than most of the other scrum-halves, and none kicked the ball more than him, but the fact that he was still in the top five for passes made in that position shows how much ball he was given, and therefore how important his decision-making was. His interplay with Waisake Naholo when breaking blind single-handedly defeated the Chiefs in the play-off match, and helped the winger to the top of the try-scoring charts at the conclusion of the season.

1 Reggie Goodes (Hurricanes)

In the past the Hurricanes were seen as the side with the backs to do damage but lacked the forward pack to give build the platform. That all changed this season as they won 95 per cent of their scrums – the best return across the season. Goodes was a key man in that effort as he produced the best scrummaging of his career. He was also very useful around the field and his turn of pace was impressive for a big man. 

2 Dane Coles (Hurricanes)

Coles has been hugely influential for the ‘Canes this season and fully deserves his place in our side. He consistently sets the benchmark and played a vital role in the Cane’s dominance this season. With a 82 per cent return on his thrown ins – a number that should have been better after a bit of a hiccup in the final – Coles was also always a threat with ball in hand and carried well for his side.

3 Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)

Australian fans rejoiced as Kepu more than held his own in the scrum. Not only was he the least penalised prop come scrum time, but also won 27 penalties against the tightheads he came up against. Kepu’s influence was not only seen at the scrum; he was at his rampaging best with the ball in hand and made the most offloads of any prop with 10. His defence was superb as well, missing just ten tackles out of 87.

4 Luke Jones (Rebels)

Another player who is unlucky not to make his country's international squad – this time Australia. Jones was impressive in the lineout and also did the hard yards around the field. A modern day lock needs to be able to do it all and Jones fits that bill perfectly.

5 James Broadhurst (Hurricanes)

Helping set the Hurricanes platform so that their backs did what they did in this year’s tournament, Broadhurst was not only great in the set pieces but was superb with ball in hand and was immense in defence too. 

6 Elliot Dixon (Highlanders)

Dixon is one of just three Highlanders players to feature in every one of his side's games in the 2015 competition, with hookers Liam Coltman and Ash Dixon sharing the duties in all 19 games. Dixon score three tries for the Otago-based side, but it was in defence that he made his mark, with 175 tackles over the course of the year.

But it was his all-round presence that helped lead a forward pack that boasted no All Blacks to a Super Rugby title, which in turn has earned him a place in our team. He scored an all-important try on the stroke of half-time in the final against the Hurricanes, coping with the attention of four Hurricanes defenders to stretch and give his side the lead at the break.

7 David Pocock (Brumbies)

Pocock returned to Super Rugby following knee and ankle injuries that hampered him throughout the 2014 season. The Wallaby flanker made an immediate impact upon his return, earning more turnovers than any other individual in the competition.

Along with the Cheetahs' Boom Prinsloo he also holds the record for the most tries scored by a forward in the competition, as he found himself at the back of the impressive Brumbies rolling maul on more than one occasion. The Zimbabwean-born forward has been rewarded for his quick return to form with a place in Michael Cheika's Rugby Championship squad.

8 Warren Whiteley (Lions)

Warren Whiteley remains one of the unsung heroes of South Africa rugby. Admittedly unfortunate enough to play loose forward in a generation that can pick from the likes of Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger and Francois Louw, Whiteley has been far better in recent years than his two international caps suggest.

This season Whiteley made more tackles than any other player by some margin, with 231 tackles over the course of 16 games. He also impressed with ball in hand, where the Lions’ skipper worked tirelessly to link the forwards and the backs, allowing the South Africans to play the flowing, attacking rugby for which they endeared themselves to the neutrals.