Three-time British & Irish Lions tourist Will Greenwood has selected four SA-born players in his English Premiership team of the season.
Ahead of the final round of the 2021-22 campaign, with the fourth and final playoff spot still up for grabs, Greenwood selected a form XV for The Telegraph.
On picking former Lions fullback Tyrone Green, who missed the back end of the season for Harlequins with injury, yet still leads the pack for most running metres, Greenwood wrote: “If there was a category for causing chaos on the counter-attack, he would lead the way.
“Was rarely out of my team of the week in the first four months of the season. Fearless in the air or in the tackle and then dipped in car wax on the counter-attack. Absolutely lethal.”
Greenwood also singled out Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen as an obvious pick: “Andre the Giant was the first name on my team sheet. Gargantuan for Harlequins in the midfield. Gainline dominator.
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“If Andre plays, Quins can beat anyone. But so much more than just a big man. Soft hands, great offloader, nice kicking game, chop tackling, choke tackling, jackal specialist.
“This kid has everything. Andre creates so much space for those around him, demanding the attention of two, if not three, tacklers every time he carries.”
World Cup-winning Bok prop Vincent Koch of Saracens and former Vodacom Bulls and Junior Springbok Hanro Liebenberg, who now captains Leicester Tigers, also make the cut.
“[Liebenberg] played some early games at eight and was man of the match on multiple occasions,” Greenwood wrote. “Slipped back into the six jersey when Jasper Wiese came back and Hanro picked up where he left off. Right at the heart of the Leicester surge to the top.
“Koch does everything on a rugby field and gets the nod by his sheer volume of contribution to the team.”
Greenwood’s XV:
15 Tyrone Green (Harlequins)
14 Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester)
13 Fraser Dingwall (Northampton)
12 Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins)
11 Nemani Nadolo (Leicester)
10 George Ford (Leicester)
9 Danny Care (Harlequins)
8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
7 Ben Earl (Saracens)
6 Hanro Liebenberg (Leicester)
5 Elliot Stooke (Wasps)
4 Freddie Clarke (Gloucester)
3 Vincent Koch (Saracens)
2 George McGuigan (Newcastle)
1 Ellis Genge (Leicester)
