After a second round which saw Argentina and the Springboks gain revenge over the All Blacks and Wallabies respectively, here’s our Rugby Championship Team of the Week.

There is a distinct Latin American feel around our selections after Los Pumas’ historic performance in Buenos Aires – their first-ever home win over New Zealand.

Team of the Week

15 Juan Cruz Mallia (Argentina): An absolute rock at the back, nailed a key long-range penalty and swapped in and out of the 10 role with Santiago Carreras. Aphelele Fassi made a couple of errors, but his big left boot and his aerial game are maturing nicely for the Boks.

14 Bautista Delguy (Argentina): Magnificent in the restart and aerial contest, the flyer from ASM Clermont Auvergne had an evening to remember. Corey Toole showed exactly why Australians are so excited about this young prospect as he looked a complete Test player despite the Wallabies’ defeat.

13 Jesse Kriel (South Africa): Skippered the team towards the end, had a fantastic duel with Joseph Suaalii and shone on both sides of the ball in an all-court performance. Lucio Cinti is unlucky to miss out for Los Pumas, whilst Billy Proctor was one of the better All Blacks players on a dismal evening for them.

12 Santiago Chocobares (Argentina): Absolutely tireless in carry and brilliant in defence, the world-class Toulouse centre showed precisely why he’s so highly rated in Top 14 circles. Damian de Allende partnered Kriel well in the centres and is our runner-up, whilst Len Ikitau hammered the Bok defence all afternoon in Cape Town.

11 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa): He might not have got on the scoreboard, but his work off Pollard’s kicking was an absolute feature of the rounded South African performance. Mateo Carreras misses out by a whisker in a brilliant backline display by the Argentinian three-quarters.

Handre Pollard edged out

10 Santiago Carreras (Argentina): There really is a hair between our two choices this weekend but given Carreras came off the bench and delivered a match-winning performance and nailed some crucial goal kicks, we feel he just takes the nod off the superb Handre Pollard, who demonstrated exactly why he’s a double world champion in a wonderfully assured display for South Africa.

9 Gonzalo Garcia (Argentina): Ponderous last weekend, phenomenal this, the young scrum-half is a key cog in Los Pumas’ wheel. Grant Williams and Tate McDermott both contributed well for South Africa and Australia, respectively.

Comment: ‘Far from exceptional’ Springboks ’cause alarm’ despite Handre Pollard’s efforts

8 Simon Parker (New Zealand): Despite the loss, Parker stood up heroically in defeat and offered a lot of muscle for New Zealand as he hammered 20 tackles and four dominant carries in a high-quality display. Joaquin Oviedo was another Puma who impressed, whilst Bobby Valetini did everything he could to change the fortunes of the Wallabies, especially in the second half.

7 Juan Martin Gonzalez (Argentina): A truly world-class performer these days, athleticism defines Gonzalez, and his shift in the lineout and loose rebalanced the Argentinian back row. Our runner-up, oddly, is another Puma – the immense, brooding figure of Marcos Kremer, who trotted on the pitch and ran through walls to add real impact for his team.

6 Pablo Matera (Argentina): Our Player of the Round. When Matera fires, Los Pumas pull off their big wins, and he fired like a cannon all evening, carrying 18 times and grabbing two key turnovers in a truly world-class display. Marco van Staden added a lot for the Boks in terms of his breakdown work, and we’re still in awe of that steal in the first half!

Outstanding all-round second-row

5 Pedro Rubiolo (Argentina): Massive around the park, brilliant in his maul defence and a reliable lineout option, the big man put his marker on the All Blacks, for whom Fabian Holland shone in defeat. A word too for Ruan Nortje, brilliant for South Africa, to add a real selection dilemma for Rassie Erasmus and his backroom team.

4 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa): He trotted on and simply delivered excellence all around the pitch, especially in his carrying work. A lovely piece of aerial work too, as he added massive impact. Nick Frost is our runner-up, a player key to the Wallabies moving forward into the Rugby World Cup. A shout-out to Guido Petti, one of the most athletic men in rugby, who was key in pressuring the All Blacks lineout off the Argentina bench.

3 Thomas du Toit (South Africa): Narrowly steals the shirt from try-scorer Fletcher Newell, Du Toit’s tireless carrying and defence defines his mobility for South Africa. A word too for Argentina’s Joel Scalvi, who carried like a tank for Los Pumas off the bench.

2 Julian Montoya (Argentina): The old warhorse was a thorn in New Zealand’s side all evening, controlling ref relations, hitting his jumpers and smashing the ball up all evening, as he overshadowed Codie Taylor’s cap century celebrations. Malcolm Marx was much improved in his lineout throwing for South Africa, too.

1 Ox Nche (South Africa): Massive in the scrum and a key man in the breakdown work too, as his subterranean clearing and stealing was a real feature of his performance. Angus Bell added a lot of impact for the Wallabies, and it’s a mystery as to why he’s not starting for them.

READ MORE: World Rugby rankings: The impact of the Springboks’ win and All Blacks’ defeat