Super Rugby: The best and worst from the weekend

Sevu Reece. Photo / Getty

The best and worst from the latest week of Super Rugby action.

Forward of the week: Pablo Matera (Jaguares)

The blindside flanker has always seemed more of a defensive weapon than an attacking one, but his two tries in nine minutes against the Sharks in Durban dispelled that idea. The first was from an outrageous chip and chase from 40m. The second was via a run through four Sharks defenders.

Back of the week: Sevu Reece (Crusaders)

Sevu Reece. Photo / Getty

The 22-year-old Fijian is developing into a seriously good wing in Christchurch; a player who can do it all. His all-round game, including a scarcely believable offload to Mitch Drummond, earns him his place here. A shout out too to Chiefs wing Sean Wainui for his incredible footwork in a try assist against the Blues.

Rugby World Cup watch: Ma'a Nonu (Blues)

I'm nearly running out of things to say about this bloke, who will turn 37 next month and is playing as well as he ever has at Super Rugby level. Could Sonny Bill Williams' knee surgery open the door for Nonu to make the World Cup squad? For Blues fans, it's going to be fun watching him try.

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Will Jordan

The Crusaders outside back with serious pace scored his eighth try of the season when dotting down against the Highlanders. He is equal top of the competition try-scoring list with Rebel Jack Maddocks and Blues wing Rieko Ioane. And Jordan is battling to make Scott Robertson's starting line-up. That's some depth down south.

Stormers

It was difficult not to feel a bit sorry for the Stormers over the past few weeks. A tour to Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Melbourne is not easy, but after three defeats they thrashed the previously high-flying Rebels 42-15 in an incredible performance. It was a rout and it proved the Rebels probably aren't as good as they thought they were.

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Quade Cooper

Cooper, hoping to make another World Cup squad, was part of the problem for the Rebels against the Stormers. When he's good he can be very good but the same applies in reverse. Within the space of 15 minutes at AAMI Stadium, he missed a crucial tackle in a try concession, failed to make 10m with a re-start, and dropped a high ball cold, handing the Stormers another try.

Sharks

The Sharks were embarrassingly bad in losing 51-17 to the Jaguares in Durban. Fair play to the visitors, who a week before beat the Bulls in Pretoria, because their attack was on a different level, but the Sharks appeared to forget how to defend. Incredibly, they remain in fifth place on the table as South Africa's second best team.