That's all folks. The rugby internationals have come to a close following two surprising wins for England and Wales over an improving Australia and a South African team who face a tough year ahead. That can only mean one thing, it's the glorious debate about which players played better than who over the previous month and who gets the 'coveted' honour of making the "balls.ie November team of the month".
The team features 3 New Zealanders, 3 Welsh, 3 French, 2 Irish, 2 Australian, an Argentine, and a Englishman. Do you agree. Send us your teams in the comments on facebook or on twitter.
1. Marcus Ayerza (Argentina)
Argentina's record this November wasn't great, but that isn't the scrum's fault. Their impressive win over France was offset with a loss to Scotland and a poor comeback win over Italy. Ayerza has had a highly impressive November capping off a good year. The month wasn't filled with outstanding loosehead performances, and Dave Kilcoyne's showing against Georgia was probably one of the highlights.
2. Dane Coles (New Zealand)
In another position where there wasn't many standouts, Ireland struggled with the lineout compared to the rest of their play which eliminates Rory Best and Sean Cronin from the reckoning. If New Zealand had a weak point, it's that they have been relying on the dwindling powers of 35 year old Kevin Mealamu while someone took over. 27 year old Dane Coles finally assured himself of that this November, and could be a mainstay in the side for the next year.
3. Samson Lee (Wales)
When a two-time Lion tweets this about a 22 year old, he must be doing something right.
Don't mind losing my place to Samson! Some player! Got to be a Lions in '17!!
Last few scrums were epic!!— Adam Jones (@adamjones3) November 29, 2014
In reality, Samson Lee was outstanding. He has solidified the Welsh scrum, and was dominating more renowned teams. Their destruction of South Africa, yes South Africa, this weekend was amazing. David Wilson gets a token mention for his also impressive efforts, but Lee wins this position by a distance.
4. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
The IRB player of the year 2014 is probably going to get into most teams of November. His ball carrying ability and work rate endear him to all those watching and big Brodie was a nightmare for England especially when they played. He also possesses some of the softest hands you'll ever see from a big lock, and is firmly deserving of his place in this team despite it being one of the few contested picks. Both Jonny and older brother Richie Gray from Scotland were outstanding in their games over Argentina and New Zealand.
5. Courtney Lawes (England)
What a November he had. The game against Australia epitomises Lawes, and his month. 13 tackles in 53 minutes, including 2 try saving tackles and generally causing damage to opposition players, Lawes was at his physical, disruptive and hard working best. The lock was everywhere, and is frightening in this sort of form. Paul O'Connell also gets a mention for his usual self, although the lineout calling wasn't at his best, this was impressive.
6. Peter O'Mahony (Ireland)
He has really stepped up for Ireland and Munster in 2014. He looks every bit a future Ireland captain. His tackle stats for Ireland are usually low as per the gameplan, but he stepped up against Australia to record double the amount of tackles he usually did, while creating a good deal of turnover ball for Ireland throughout the month. South Africa's Marcell Coetzee was one Springbok who came through this tough month with his reputation intact.
7. Sam Warburton (Wales)
The calls for Justin Tipuric to start for Wales aren't as strong as they used to be. They still exist, but it's nothing to do with Warburton's form, which has been outstanding. Warburton shined against big opposition like Michael Hooper and Richie McCaw. Warburton was outstanding in his support play, often appearing on the shoulder of a player who made a break and allowed his teammates to get to him. His breakdown work was exceptional, as he won countless turnovers for Wales, especially when they were up against it in their own 22.
8. Kieran Read (New Zealand)
Last year's IRB player of the year had a very handy November. A good performance against England was followed up with a clinching try against Wales. Duane Vermuelen's IRB player of the year nomination came early in November, mostly for his form in the 18 months previous.
9. Rhys Webb (Wales)
There were a number of impressive performances from scrumhalves this November, in what was the second most highly contested position. Conor Murray and Greig Laidlaw were very good for their countries, with Laidlaw in particular impressing. But for me, Rhys Webb has come in for Wales and made the 9 jersey his own. His sniping and distribution were key elements in most of the good play that Wales had, and he was often not on the pitch for their last ten minute collapses.
10. Camille Lopez (France)
Back in September, I was of the opinion that the only thing stopping Ireland from coasting to first place in their World Cup pool next year would be Ireland themselves. I don't hold that opinion anymore. France had been regressing for the past two years, and the influx of foreign stars into the Top 14 has already had a negative impact on their national side. It wasn't immediately apparent for those on this island, as France seemed to save their best performances for when they played us, but the signs were there.
This November has changed my mind. An influx of nationalised overseas stars along with a coach actually selecting a good team have begun to scare me. I'll elaborate more on the other French selections in this XV, but chief among my concerns is that France now have an outhalf than can actually play. Camille Lopez is the real deal, and he got France playing an impressive brand of rugby that dispatched Fiji and beat Australia well. Dan Biggar may have been outstanding for Wales, but the threat now posed by France from Lopez means he gets in ahead of Biggar and Sexton for me.
11. Teddy Thomas (France)
As you can hear in the magnificent video above, Teddy Thomas is the next big thing in French rugby. He isn't the finished article, as he is as bad in defense as he is exceptional in attack. While it's another reason to be fearful for a French revival, you'd expect Schmidt to exploit Thomas's defensive vulnerabilities.
12. Matt Toomua (Australia)
Matt Toomua is the form player in the world. He is the leader of the Australian defense, while his attacking ability was on display against Ireland when he isolated Jack McGrath in the line to send Bernard Foley through a gap leading to Nick Phipps's very impressive second try.
13. Tevita Kuridrani (Australia)
Outside centres just aren't as good as when Brian O'Driscoll was in his pomp. With South Africa and England playing two inside centres, and New Zealand's Conrad Smith being burned as he was by Jonny May, it eliminates a lot of contenders. It's hard to include an Irish outside centre after three different selections, while Jonathan Davies only came in for the last two tests and didn't set the world alight. Tevita Kuridrani almost gets in by default, but his try against Wales displaying his pace and power shows he is a force to be reckoned with, and could be a future best 13 in the world. I'll give a mention to Scotland's Mark Bennett, who is part of the reason for people calling this the most exciting Scottish backline since William Wallace.
14. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
Two tries in two games is a great return for the Irish winger, whose willingness to chase the oodles of kicks from Sexton and Murray lead to a lot of gains for Ireland. He was directly involved in the build up to Ruddock's try against South Africa, collecting his own kick before Henshaw pinned the boks back. An absence of contenders makes this an easy choice.
15. Scott Spedding (France)
The French finally have a steady influence at fullback, which is very scary. South African born Spedding is at the centre of a lot of controversy in France, where a portion of their fans are questioning his "Frenchness" despite being visibly committed to Les Bleus. Spedding was a big reason for the French success this month, and outplayed his peers like Ben Smith, Israel Folau and Leigh Halfpenny.
