Centre Jamie Roberts has been named in the number 12 shirt for the prestigious New Zealand Herald newspaper’s Rugby World Cup team of the week.
He is paired with South Africa’s Jacque Fourie in a team containing five Irishmen, four South Africans, two Argentinians, one Frenchman, one Samoan and one All Black alongside him.
The team was selected by the Herald sportswriters who have watched all the pool games so far in the competition.
The newspaper also wrote a back page article in honour of the Wales star under the headline: The Centre Igniting Red Dragons.
The newspaper also named Wales winger Shane Williams as scorer of one of the two tries of the week after he crossed against Samoa.
The Herald wrote: ”This was by far and away the most significant try of the weekend. Replacement Leigh Halfpenny had to retreat to regather, as he went down on the ball three Samoan blueshirts descended upon him, he wriggled free and hared down the left flank, in-passed to Jonathan Davies who was left with a simple draw and pass….Williams was on hand to scoop up the friendly bounce and race across.”
Williams shared the Try Of The Week accolade with All Black Ma’a Nonu who was honoured for crossing against Japan.
But the Wales player who made the front page of Tuesday’s news section of the New Zealand Herald was scrum half Mike Phillips.
He was photographed alongside a headline which read; ”Top 10 Hottest Cup Men.”
Phillips was named as Number 1 in the line up of rugby’s so called “hunks” in a list selected for the newspaper by the staff of New Zealand Women’s Weekly.
They said of Phillips: ”An absolute stand out for the top of the list, this gorgeously groomed, hairy-chested Welshman wearing one of the competition’s hottest jerseys could grace any modelling campaign.
“Known as the Welsh Becks after dating singer Duffy, he is the man most of the New Zealand Women’s Weekly staff would like to have sing them to sleep.”
The top ten list in full
1 Mike Phillips (Wales) 2 Thierry Dusautoir (France) 3 Richard Kahui (All Blacks) 4 Sonny Bill Williams (All Blacks) 5 Ed Fairhurst (Canada) 6, Kahn Fotuali’I (Samoa), 7 Ben Foden (England) 8 Max Evans (Scotland) 9 Gonzalo Canale (Italy), 10 Richie McCaw (All Blacks).
