Summer Tours

Summer Internationals Team of the Week: George Ford shows class in 100th Test appearance

by
Charlie Elliott
7 July 2025

The Summer Internationals started on the weekend, with plenty of northern hemisphere teams heading down south and playing against some of the biggest names in rugby.

France‘s heavily rotated side put in a valiant performance against the All Blacks, with plenty of positives to take despite the 31-27 loss they suffered.

Meanwhile, England shocked Argentina with a dominant performance on George Ford‘s 100^th Test appearance.

Here, Charlie Elliott goes through his Team of the Week from this weekend, which excludes the British and Irish Lions.

15 Theo Attissogbe (France)

Attissogbe was outstanding in France’s valiant defeat against the All Blacks.

He ran 80 metres, beat four defenders, and stayed in control under pressure.

With Thomas Ramos resting, he took the chance to stand out. His speed and decision-making helped turn defence into attack.

Much has been made of Les Bleus’ supposed lack of quality on this tour of New Zealand, but the fullback showed that there is plenty of depth at Fabien Galthie’s disposal.

14 Jiuta Wainiqolo (Fiji)

Wainiqolo made an early impact, using his speed and strength to test the Wallabies defence in the first 15 minutes.

He didn’t hesitate to take the Wallabies defence on, backing himself from deep in the field. Just before half-time, he showed quick footwork to step past a couple of defenders and offloaded to Salesi Rayasi, who finished well in the corner.

In the second half, with momentum slipping away, Wainiqolo broke free again.

Starting from his own half, he beat several defenders and offloaded to Lekima Tagitagivalu, who scored.

Every time he touched the ball, he looked threatening. He was Fiji’s most dangerous player.

13 Josua Tuisova (Fiji)

Tuisova lined up at inside centre and played a direct, physical role against the Wallabies, regularly breaking tackles and making ground on first contact.

While he had a couple of rushed clearing kicks under pressure, he held his own alongside Iosefo Masi in a solid midfield pairing.

He began the second half with a key moment, winning a turnover penalty after Max Jorgensen was tackled.

Tuisova stayed involved throughout the match, consistently looking for work and carrying the ball with intent.

Over 80 minutes, he made 12 carries and was one of Fiji’s most reliable and hard-working players with ball in hand.

12 Len Ikitau (Australia)

Ikitau may have been on the losing side when he came off the pitch after 65 minutes against Fiji, but he can hold his head high after a very strong performance in Newcastle.

The centre was a ball-carrying machine and made 14 carries in his 65-minute stint, which was the most out of anyone on the field.

Also solid defensively, he did very well.

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (South Africa)

Took a while to get going but once he started meeting the pace of the game, he was very difficult to stop.

Scored a quality try in which he found a gap from midfield and burst ver, then at the other end made a miraculous try-saving tackle to stop Simone Gesi from crossing the line.

Had two key moments on either side of the ball, which warrants a place in this team.

10 George Ford (England)

Stepped up in his 100^th international appearance and marked the milestone with a game to remember.

Scored 15 points from his boot which included a very well-taken drop goal that had shades of the 2023 World Cup.

Under immense pressure, he kicked well and controlled the tempo of the game, something essential for any fly-half to do.

9 George Horne (Scotland)

Another that took a little while to get going, once he was firing, he outplayed the Māori All Blacks and was tough to stop.

Did well with his box kicks and managed to gain 80 metres from a quick-tap penalty that was smartly done, while also getting on the scoresheet with two tries.

He was in the right place at the right time to get some crucial involvements, showing a lot of guile in the process.

1 Ox Nche (South Africa)

While the substitute forwards didn’t have the desired effect for Rassie Erasmus’ side against Italy, the starters really did a job.

Nche was part of a front row which had the better of the Azzurri in the first period, continuously pushing their opponents backwards and winning some deserved penalties.

2 Jamie George (England)

Played the full 80 which was a good vote of confidence from Steve Borthwick, after a consistent game in which he threw typically solid lineouts and worked hard.

His experience was hugely necessary in a relatively inexperienced team and both him and Ford were clearly the loudest two on the pitch.

As the only centurions at Borthwick’s disposal, they both really stepped up to the plate leadership-wise.

3 Wilco Louw (South Africa)

Louw was just as good as Nche and did the basics required from a prop to an extremely high level.

He won’t steal any headlines, but he did the basics of scrummaging, carrying and disrupting to a high level.

4 Cameron Henderson (Scotland)

Put in a very solid shift at lock, with lots of lineout wins and some physical play all-round.

Was the man that Scotland continuously aimed for from set pieces and collected them well aerially, whilst also stealing one from a Māori All Blacks lineout.

Another that may not steal any headlines but was hugely underrated.