Springbok power and the rise of Feinberg-Mngomezulu

HOW about this for a fixture that would rival a World Cup final — the British and Irish Lions versus a Rugby Championship Dream Team?

- MIKE GREENAWAY

We know it bothers the north that, of the 11 World Cups to date, the southern hemisphere has bagged 10 of them. Will the north ever add to that sole triumph of England’s in 2003?

Of course, the Lions don’t feature France or Italy, so how about a Six Nations Dream Team up against their Rugby Championship counterparts?

The southern hemisphere tournament has just finished, and what a thriller it was. Picking the best 15 from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa is both a selector’s dream and nightmare, given how closely matched the sides were.

I mean, who would you pick between Ardie Savea and Pieter-Steph du Toit for the No 7 jersey?

So, bearing in mind that I could pick two evenly matched Championship teams — and that this selection is based purely on form in the latest Championship — I’m going to publish and be damned!

Rugby Championship Dream Team

15 Juan Cruz Mallía (Argentina) — I’m immediately going to get into trouble for leaving Will Jordan out, but the contribution of the brilliant Toulouse fullback was staggering. No player made more metres with ball in hand than Mallía. Only two others across the Championship beat more defenders than him.

14 Max Jorgensen (Australia) — If eyebrows were raised in New Zealand for my fullback choice, I’ll have to duck for cover in South Africa. What, no Cheslin Kolbe? Look, it was close, but while “Chessie” did some brilliant things in attack, he also had his share of blunders, including an “own goal” against the Pumas in Durban and another seven-point gift at Twickenham when he threw a Hail Mary pass. Jorgensen, the 21-year-old face of the Wallabies’ revival, impressed with his physicality in contact, ability to ghost past defenders, and prowess in the air.