Waratahs duo Michael Hooper and Israel Folau join four Rebels in R10 team of the week

MICHAEL Hooper and Scott Higginbotham led the way for the Tahs and Rebels in R10 but how many of their teammates made our team of the week?

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 19: Michael Hooper of the Waratahs looks on prior to the round 10 Super Rugby match between the Waratahs and the Bulls at Allianz Stadium on April 19, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

THE Super Rugby season powered on over the Easter weekend with a couple of thrilling encounters played out across round 10.

The action kicked off on Friday as the Hurricanes continued their recent resurgence before the Rebels kicked a trend of recent narrow defeats as they turned the tables on the Force.

The Waratahs and Crusaders were then forced to grind out victories in Sydney and Hamilton, respectively.

Check out our R10 team of the week below!News_Rich_Media: Melbourne Rebels snapped Western Force's winning streak and gained revenge over their Aussie counterparts with a 22-16 win at AAMI Park.

1.Loosehead Prop - Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks) put in another barnstorming performance for the Sharks in their win over the Cheetahs, making nine runs (61m), one linebreak, four tackle busts, one offload and two tackles.

2.Hooker — Japanese international Shota Horie (Rebels) makes the team of the week for his solid display in the Rebels’ win over the Force. Horie made one linebreak, 11 runs (56m), four tackle busts, two offloads, and five tackles. News_Image_File: Shota Horie put in an energetic display from the Rebels on Friday.

3.Tighthead Prop — Owen Franks (Crusaders) showed why he is one of the premier props in world rugby with his defensive effort against the Chiefs making 12 tackles.

4.Second Row — Jeremy Thrush (Hurricanes) did a mountain of work for the Hurricanes in their win over the Blues, making seven runs (32m), two tackle busts, six lineout wins (including 1 steal) and 15 tackles.

5.Second Row - Luke Jones (Rebels) makes the team for the second consecutive week and is one of the form second-rowers in the competition. Jones made the most runs of any lock this weekend with 16 (79m) and also finished the game with two tackle busts, 14 tackles, and four lineout wins including one steal.

6.Blindside — Jean Deysel (Sharks) is another player who makes the team for the second week in a row. Deysel scored a try and was incredibly busy against the Cheetahs, finishing the game with 16 runs (54m), four tackle busts, one linebreak, one linebreak assist, two offloads and nine tackles.

7.Openside — Michael Hooper (Waratahs) showed why he’s considered one of the best No.7s in world rugby with his man-of-the-match performance against the Bulls. Hooper made the most metres by any backrower in the round with 93 and also made 10 runs, one linebreak, two tackle busts, one pilfer, one forced penalty and six tackles.

8.No.8 - Scott Higginbotham (Rebels) got the points over Ben McCalman in the audition for a Wallabies jersey and was the stand No.8 of the round. Higginbotham scored his third try of the season and is now number two on the Rebels all-time try-scoring list. He finished the game with 14 runs (63m), one linebreak, three tackle busts, two lineout wins, and seven tackles. News_Image_File: Higginbotham’s try gave the Rebels the breathing space they needed.

9.Halfback — TJ Perenara (Hurricanes) is one of a number of Hurricanes to make the team of the week. Perenara grabbed his third try of the season and also chipped in with two runs (13m), one tackle bust, one offload, a pilfer and six tackles.

10. Fly-half - Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) helped his outside backs run riot against the Blues and looks to be firming as the All Blacks No.10 in the absence of Aaron Cruden for the June Test series. Barrett scored 14 points, and made six runs (33m), one try assist, two linebreak assists, one offload, one tackle bust and 11 tackles.News_Image_File: Beauden Barrett (L) continues to be a standout for the Hurricanes.

11.Left Winger — Julian Savea (Hurricanes) is in near unstoppable form. The All Blacks winger grabbed his third five-pointer of the season and set up another of the Hurricanes’ five tries. Savea made 10 runs (85m), one try assist, one linebreak, six tackle busts, two offloads, and two tackles.

12.Inside centre - Alapati Leiua (Hurricanes) is breaking through opposition defences with ease, making 10 linebreaks in his past five matches. Leiua made 10 runs (95m), one try assist, two linebreaks, five tackle busts, and five tackles against the Blues. Fantasy Super Rugby gold!

13.Outside Centre - Tamati Ellison (Rebels) has been a rock in the midfield for the Rebels and his partnership with Mitch Inman is a major reason why the Melbourne side are conceding on average eight points less per game than in 2013. Ellison made seven runs (41m), three tackle busts, two offloads, one pilfer and 11 tackles.

14.Right winger — Damian de Allende (Stormers) has been a rare shining light for the Stormers this season, consistently being one of their best each week. De Allende was instrumental in helping the Stormers end a five-match losing streak with their win over the Cheetahs on the weekend, chipping in with nine runs (63m), one try assist, one linebreak assist, one linebreak, one tackle bust, and seven tackles.

15.Fullback — Israel Folau (Waratahs) cannot stop scoring tries and has already notched up nine tries in 2014, just one behind the Waratahs’ season try-scoring record held by Peter Hewat (10) set in 2005. Folau helped the Waratahs to their first win over the Bulls since 2005, making nine runs (85m), one linebreak, one linebreak assist, three tackle busts, four offloads and one tackle.News_Rich_Media: Israel Folau again proves the Waratahs magic man leading them to a crucial victory over the Bulls