WXV Rising Star & Team of the Week 2023

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OLORD!!!!

[Purple 77]

This is my week, and you all get to read about it.

Round 12

Rising Star

He's a gun, and will be for the next 10+ years at the Brewers. Jacob van Rooyen (106) produced his biggest game for the year (fresh from a rest too!) to catapult Berlin from the doldrums to the highest score of the week. He just edged out Knevitt (103) for the honour too. Good.



Team of the Week

Berlin showed its true potential this week with the highest score of the week! It's just me and Jack Lukosius however that made the team, showing that we're a well oiled machine here in Germany. Dublin's Caleb Daniel takes charge alongside Christrian Petracca, in what was a fairly typical team of the week. Shoutout to Cairo's big man Kieran Briggs for what I assume was his debut appearance in the TOTW. I think just Cairo and Rome this week with multiple noms! Seoul could have had one too if it named Elliot Yeo.

D: Caleb Daniel [C] (Dublin), Tom Stewart (Cairo), Jack Sinclair (New Delhi), Nick Daicos (Rome)
M: Christian Petracca [VC] (Mexico City), Zach Merrett (PNL), Tom Mitchell (Pacific), Adam Treloar (Rome)
R: Timothy English (London)
F: Josh Dunkley (Tokyo), Jeremy Finlayson (Rio de Janeiro), Jack Lukosius (Berlin), Nicholas Martin (New York)
U: Adam Cerra (Buenos Aires), Kieren Briggs (Cairo)

Coach: Purple77 (Berlin)

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[Purple 77]

Round 13

Rising Star

He was instrumental in the upset victory over Pacific. With the second highest nomination-score of the year, Darcy Wilmot (120) has proven to be a shrewd acquisition for the Royals this year. He edged out Angus Sheldrick (104) amd Josh Weddle (80).



Team of the Week

Rome and Buenos Aires went BIG this week, and it's no wonder they dominate this TOTW. Of course, wherever iZ goes, ROB follows, but this time he's also invited Hurn and Serong. Rome features with 3 players, and everyone else with 2 or less. It was the week of the defenders, with 5 of the top 10 scorers, whilst we had to go to the 35th highest scorer to find our F4! Congrats to Sam Flanders for finding his way on what I think is his debut.

D: Dan Houston (Rome), Nick Daicos (Rome), Tom Stewart (Cairo), Shannon Hurn (Buenos Aires)
M: Zach Merrett [C] (PNL), Hugh McCluggage [VC] (Seoul), Lachie Neale (Beijing), Caleb Serong (Buenos Aires)
R: Reilly O'Brien (Buenos Aires)
F: Connor Rozee (Rome), Harry McKay (Mexico City), Joe Daniher (Toronto), Sam Flanders (Mexico City)
U: Brennan Cox (Christchurch), Brad Crouch (Rio de Janeiro)

Coach: iZander (Buenos Aires)

[Purple 77]

Round 14

Rising Star

Seemingly from nowhere, Elijah Hewett (83) salutes from his WXV debut performance, bringing Dublin's rising star nomination total to 3 for the year! He edges out Seoul's Josh Weddle (75), who has been around the mark for a few weeks now.



Team of the Week

Once again, so close to the perfect XV, with no room on the bench for Noah Anderson as the 15th man. Still, it was a very tidy team, with Luke Ryan taking that familiar C role and Shai Bolton his deputy. Will Ashcroft was the best mid - a title I think he'll be getting used to - whilst late inclusion Jack Gunston takes residence in the forward line.

A pretty typical team otherwise!

Kudos to FTC for claiming his 2nd COTW

D: Luke Ryan [C] (PNL), Steven May (Seoul), Mitch Duncan (Cape Town), Nick Daicos (Rome)
M: Will Ashcroft (Tokyo), Lachie Neale (Beijing), Jack Steele (Cairo), Zach Merrett (PNL)
R: Rowan Marshall (Toronto)
F: Shai Bolton [VC] (Mexico City), Errol Gulden (Rome), Jack Gunston (Seoul), Dustin Martin (Buenos Aires)
U: Sean Darcy (Christchurch), Luke Davies-Uniacke (Mexico City)

Coach: fanTCfool (Toronto)

[Purple 77]

Round 15

Rising Star

It's Cairo's week in Round 15, as Jaspa Fletcher (80) does Egypt proud and joins Jye Amiss as its two rising star nominees for 2023. But it would have been drastically different had Tokyo named Erasmus (126)!



Team of the Week

BIG MAX IS BACK! The bearded GOAT double-tonned and thus leads the team, with Dan Houston (176) his deputy. Tim English (173) clearly tried too hard at being Captain or even R1, so gets neither those or VC.

Some odd names in this one, especially Seoul's Bailey Scott (135) who more than doubled his average to feature in the TOTW, whilst Taylor Adams and James Worpel lifted a few standard deviations too. Oh, and Soldo! And JSOS! Probably their first appearances - good on the lads!

D: Dan Houston [VC] (Rome), Wil Powell (Beijing), Bailey Scott (Seoul), Nick Daicos (Rome)
M: Rory Laird (Pacific), Tom Liberatore (Tokyo), Taylor Adams (London), James Worpel (Rome)
R: Max Gawn [C] (Berlin)
F: Jack Silvagni (Toronto), Tom Hawkins (Beijing), Ivan Soldo (Cape Town), Sam Flanders (Mexico City)
U: Timothy English (London), Josh Daicos (Cairo)

Co-coaches: Jukes & Torp (Rome)

[Purple 77]

Round 16

Rising Star

A dirty week for Seoul, but Elijah Hollands (90) can keep his head held up high. He joins a powerful contingent of Seoul nominees with Humphrey and Mackenzie. Funnily enough, teammate Josh Weddle (56) was once again the runner-up to a nomination!



Team of the Week

A strange XV. Charlie Curnow is captain, and bloody Laverde is there too! A nice mixing of team representatives in this Jukes/Torp led side, with 2s to Rome, Tokyo, Cairo, Mexico City, and Christchurch would have been too if they picked Cal Ah Chee (140)!

D: James Sicily [VC] (Mexico City), Sam Docherty (Rome), Tom Stewart (Cairo), Jordan Ridley (Tokyo)
M: Jack Steele (Cairo), Luke Parker (Rome), Luke Davies-Uniacke (Mexico City), Lachie Whitfield (Tokyo)
R: Timothy English (London)
F: Charlie Curnow [C] (Seoul), Darcy Cameron (PNL), Jack Graham (Christchurch), Harry Sheezel (Cape Town)
U: Jayden Laverde (Berlin), Jack Sinclair (New Delhi)

Co-coaches: Jukes & Torp (Rome)

[Purple 77]

Round 17

Rising Star

Mexico City sneaks one in at the end! Congratulations to Max Michalanney (60) for fronting up in the 1s, unlike his teammates Noah Long (78) and Jack Williams (77)! Suns all around.



Team of the Week

Big kudos to Daz posting the top score of the week in PNLs last ditch attempt to make finals! Max once again put English in his place - i.e. the bench - as the two rucks led the Round 17 TOTW, which features Harrison Petty for his debut! Treloar was instrumental in Rome's idol victory, Walker for Pacific's takedown of BA, and Dale for notching a draw against Seoul.

D: Bailey Dale (New York), Nic Newman (Mexico City), Harrison Petty (Berlin), Jake Lloyd (New Delhi)
M: Adam Treloar (Rome), Matt Crouch (PNL), Christian Petracca (Mexico City), Zach Merrett (PNL)
R: Max Gawn [C] (Berlin)
F: Taylor Walker (Pacific), Errol Gulden (Rome), Charlie Curnow (Seoul), Zak Butters (New Delhi)
U: Timothy English [VC] (London), Lachie Whitfield (Tokyo)

Coach: DazBurg (PNL)