A bruising second weekend delivered statement wins and breakout performances. Scotland’s hearts broken (again) by the All Blacks, South Africa’s forwards dominated collisions, and Italy quietly produced one of their most balanced packs in recent memory.
Here’s our Team of the Week, built from the data — not just highlight reels.
🏆 Player of the Week — Niccolo’ Cannone (Italy) - 79.5
A tactician’s dream and a data analyst’s delight. Cannone’s involment carrying, rucking, lineout and talkcing delivered a memorable win for Italy.
1. Loose-Head Prop — Pierre Schoeman (Scotland) - 78.9
Scotland’s scrum cornerstone was immense against New Zealand. 16 carries most of all loose head props, #1 in carry rank, and powerful meters post-contact made him a reliable go-forward option. Added work in defense with 7% missed-tackle rate and sharp breakdown presence. Pure front-row graft.
2. Hooker — Malcolm Marx (South Africa) - 80.7
Clinical and confrontational. Marx hit 15 tackles, ranked #1 in lineout lifting accuracy, and anchored the Bok pack in Paris. Combined elite defensive work with clean ruck involvements — a true tone-setter in contact.
3. Tight-Head Prop — Shuhei Takeuchi (Japan) - 79.2
A breakout performance for Japan’s front row. Dominated the set piece and hit every defensive assignment (0% missed tackles). Strong contribution around the park, showing the kind of mobility Japan needs at Tier-1 level.
4. Lock — Niccolò Cannone (Italy) - 79.5
Cannone was the definition of controlled aggression. 11 carries, #1 in tackle rank, and #1 in contact meters (2.22 m). Also delivered in the lineout with a 3.8 accuracy grade — Italy’s best all-round forward display of the weekend.
5. Lock — Fabian Holland (New Zealand) - 74.7
A physical encounter with the Scottish on Saturday, Holland’s work rate stood out. He led second rows with 12 opposition rucks hit with 8 lineout lifts at near-perfect efficiency. Continues to grow into the black jersey.
6. Blind-Side Flanker — Tom Hooper (Australia) - 77.8
Dynamic on both sides of the ball. Ranked #1 in tackling, #1 in ruck arrival, and contributed multiple lineout involvements. Brought much-needed stability to Australia’s back-row balance. Ranked #1 in disipline at blind-side flanker.
7. Open-Side Flanker — Jac Morgan (Wales) - 74.3
Everywhere again. #2 in overall carrying key carries, #1 contact efficiency, and low missed-tackle rate. Morgan’s efficiency at the breakdown will be missed for the rest of the competition, due to injury.
8. Number 8 — Jasper Wiese (South Africa) - 78.5
The Springboks’ enforcer. Constantly on the front foot with top-ranked physicality and punishing contact meters. Added a turnover and key ruck hits to cap another power-based performance.
9. Scrum-Half — Ben White (Scotland) - 85.1
The heartbeat of Scotlands game plan. #1 in overall grading, #2 in overall passing accuracy, and unmatched tempo around the breakdown. Controlled rhythm, punished defensive lapses, and overall #1 overall kicking. A masterclass.
10. Fly-Half — Dan Edwards (Wales) - 78.3
Silky smooth runner. Distributed with precision (top-1 overall passing), exciting clean line break, and managed territory with intelligence. Orchestrated Wales’ structure with minimal errors and solid defensive reads.
11. Left Wing — Mateo Carreras (Argentina) - 73.1
Threatened every time he touched the ball. Top-3 in speed onto ball, forced defenders to overcommit, and added defensive steel with zero incomplete tackles. A spark plug on the edge.
12. Inside Centre — Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland) - 81.5
Commanding from midfield — #1 in carrying and #1 in tackling efficiency among centres. Created space for outside threats and anchored the defense with clean technique and 19 contacts forced. A complete showing.
13. Outside Centre — Max Llewellyn (Wales) - 78.6
A powerful, direct runner who complemented Edwards and Morgan perfectly. 17 contacts, top-tier physicality (1.65 m after contact), and an 81% tackle success rate made him a key link man.
14. Right Wing — Bautista Delguy (Argentina) - 77.6
Electric and clinical. Combined acceleration with secure finishing, and #1 in contact efficiency among backs. Brought defensive organization to Argentina’s edge with steady tackling and good aerials.
15. Fullback — Thomas Ramos (France) - 77.0
Flawless under the high ball (100% catch accuracy). Added 10 open-field kicks, 43 m goal-kicking, and remained perfect from the tee. The definition of reliability as France edged South Africa in Paris.
📊 Full Team Rankings — Autumn Internationals Week 2
| # | Player | Team | Position | GP | Starter/Sub | Grade | Carry | Tackle | Ruck | C-Ruck | Pass | Lineout | Kick | Discipline | Catch | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre Schoeman | Scotland | Loose-Head Prop | 1 | Starter | 78.9 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 5 | — | 23 | — | 3 |
| 2 | Malcolm Marx | South Africa | Hooker | 1 | Starter | 80.7 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Shuhei Takeuchi | Japan | Tight-Head Prop | 1 | Starter | 79.2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 3 | — | 13 | — | 5 |
| 4 | Niccolò Cannone | Italy | Second Row 4 | 1 | Starter | 79.5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 6 | — | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| 5 | Fabian Holland | New Zealand | Second Row 5 | 1 | Starter | 74.7 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 6 | Tom Hooper | Australia | Blind-Side Flanker | 1 | Starter | 77.8 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 15 |
| 7 | Jac Morgan | Wales | Open-Side Flanker | 1 | Starter | 74.3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 18 | — | 10 | 5 | 9 |
| 8 | Jasper Wiese | South Africa | Number 8 | 1 | Starter | 78.5 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 9 | Ben White | Scotland | Scrum-Half | 1 | Starter | 85.1 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 3 | — | 1 | 20 | 5 | 3 |
| 10 | Dan Edwards | Wales | Fly-Half | 1 | Starter | 78.3 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 1 | — | 7 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| 12 | Sione Tuipulotu | Scotland | Inside Centre | 1 | Starter | 81.5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | — | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 13 | Max Llewellyn | Wales | Outside Centre | 1 | Starter | 78.6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 11 | Mateo Carreras | Argentina | Left Wing | 1 | Starter | 73.1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | — | 2 | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | Bautista Delguy | Argentina | Right Wing | 1 | Starter | 77.6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 15 | Thomas Ramos | France | Full Back | 1 | Starter | 77.0 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 8 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Andrew Porter | Ireland | Loose-Head Prop | 1 | Sub | 75.0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 2 | — | 22 | — | 23 |
| 16 | Kenji Sato | Japan | Hooker | 1 | Sub | 78.8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 2 | — | 8 | 2 | 5 |
| 18 | Fletcher Newell | New Zealand | Tight-Head Prop | 1 | Sub | 77.7 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 15 | — | 1 | — | 15 |
| 19 | Dafydd Jenkins | Wales | Second Row 4 | 1 | Sub | 78.1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13 | — | 5 | 8 | 9 |
| 20 | Kanji Shimokawa | Japan | Open-Side Flanker | 1 | Sub | 76.2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 4 | — | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| 21 | Lorenzo Cannone | Italy | Number 8 | 1 | Sub | 77.0 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 17 | — | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 22 | Fin Smith | England | Fly-Half | 1 | Sub | 77.5 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 7 | — | 4 | 1 | 13 | 13 |
| 23 | Darcy Graham | Scotland | Right Wing | 1 | Sub | 76.0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 4 | — | 13 | 11 | 6 | 2 |