Champions Cup Team of the Week - Round 5

Some cracking rugby this weekend which blew the race for a quarter final spot wide open. From Scarlets cracking win away at Bath to Racing's nail biting win at Munster, we have the tough task of picking a team of the week!

1. Nicky Smith - Ospreys

Ospreys were dominant at the scrum, forcing Saracens into giving away numerous penalties. Smith himself managed to win his side 3 penalties, 2 against Vincent Koch and a late penalty against Juan Figallo to give Ospreys the chance to draw level. Smith also defended excellently, racking up 13 tackles and missing zero. Lasted the full 80 minutes too, a great shift from the Osprey.

2. Rory Best – Ulster

The Irish captain looked hungry to end his year-long wait for a win with his province on Saturday afternoon. He led from the front all day and received a standing ovation from the Ravenhill crowd as he left the field late in the second half. As always, the hooker worked tirelessly around the field, making tackle after tackle and performing effectively at the ruck area to eliminate the threats of Gourdon, Botia and Vito at the breakdown. He scored the Irish province’s first try of the game, which stunted La Rochelle’s momentum and got his side back in the game. His lineout throwing, which is often-questioned, was on point throughout the game. A real talismanic performance by the skipper.

Luke Cowan-Dickie also had a superb performance for Exeter Chiefs, carrying hard and tackling well in their trouncing of Montpellier.

3. Rodney Ah You – Ulster

The former Irish international was quite dynamic on Saturday. He was up against a front row that was superior in size, which is a rarity for the tighthead. A standout moment of the game was when the prop barged over Alexis Bales in tight, which put Ulster on the front-foot for Stockdale’s five-pointer. The Ulster scrum stood-up to the task against the gargantuan pack of La Rochellais and that can be mostly attributed to the former Connacht man’s impeccable technique.

4. Tadhg Beirne – Scarlets

The future Munster man was shifted back into the engine room on Friday night after a stint in the number 8 position this season. He got his side off to a flyer, when he stepped the usually mercurial Anthony Watson to finish a contender for team-try of the season. He went on to make 33m beat 2 defenders from his 14 carries. Though the Scarlets fast-paced, offloading game was a joy to behold, it couldn’t have been put into effect were it not for the powerful forward’s immense work at the breakdown. Their defence was equally impressive and the lock was his side’s top tackler with an insurmountable 20. The young man could be considered in Joe Schmidt’s plans very soon.

5. Scott Fardy – Leinster

The Australian has been a revelation at the three-time champions, as he has formed a formidable partnership with Devin Toner in the second row. He managed to get over for 2 tries on Sundayafternoon as the Blues put Glasgow to the sword and secured a home semi-final in the competition. His first was well identified as he called for the ball from Luke McGrath on the undefended blindside to score. His second was a dogged effort, as he broke through the middle of a rolling maul to score. The lineout was an effective tool for the home side and Fardy even managed to cause Glasgow problems on their own throw.

6. Yannick Nyanga – Racing 92

The Frenchman was a livewire today, as he looked to get involved in the game as often as possible. He got his side off to a flyer as he drove over the line with just three minutes on the clock to put them in the lead. He went on to make 34m from his 16 carries which made him his side’s top-carrying forward. He managed to assist Dimitri Szarzewski to the try that put Racing back in front, after the two combined in a magnificent short lineout play.

Honourable mention goes to Dave Ewers who played abrasively in Exeter’s domination of Montpellier, bagging himself a try.

7. Don Armand – Exeter Chiefs

The openside flanker is our first Exeter Chief to make it into the TOTW after their thumping of Montpellier. The Montpellier back-row was kept quiet for virtually the whole game by the effective chop tackling and breakdown work of the Chiefs. The number 7 had a perfect success rate in the tackle and managed to get over for a try from close-range to round off the win.

8. Sam Simmonds – Exeter Chiefs

The young English international is a shoe-in for some game-time in the Six Nations now, after Billy Vunipola has been all but ruled out due to a fractured forearm. The number 8 caused real problems for Montpellier up against a vastly experienced, international-calibre back-row. The 23-year-old was extremely active at the breakdown, winning a number of crucial turnovers for his side. He was his side’s top ball-carrier as he made 63m from 13 carries, beating 7 defenders and scoring a try in the process.

Honourable mention goes to Wasps’ Nizam Carr, who was the standout forward in their unfortunate defeat to Quins.

9. Luke McGrath – Leinster

Though Leinster scored 8 tries on Sunday through other players, their victory was largely orchestrated by their lively scrum-half, who was awarded the MOTM award for his efforts. He made a number of breaks through the middle of the Warriors’ defence which put his tally up to 53m carried. He also had a number of try-assists, showing that he made the killer decisions of when to let the ball out and when to keep it tight. His assists for Nacewa and Fardy were particularly impressive, as he identified gaps in the defence to put his teammates through for five-pointers.

10. Johnny Sexton – Leinster

We had a lot of competition for the out-half position in this week’s TOTW but it was the Lions out-half who prevailed as he led his side to a home quarter and potential semi-final match-up in the competition. He ran the game superbly, running dangerously at the Glasgow defence and putting their back three under severe pressure from the boot. It is no coincidence that the Northern-Hemisphere’s form side has the Northern-Hemisphere’s form ten at the helm. The Irish star was extremely keen to have a cut at the Warriors’ defence and managed to get over for a try for himself just before the break.

Dan Jones, Christian Lealifano, James Lang and Marcus Smith all had fantastic performances in the driving seats for their respective clubs, so this selection could have gone to any one of them.

11. Olly Woodburn – Exeter Chiefs

Our final Chief to make it into the XV on the day is the MOTM. The speedster was a menace to the Montpellier backline throughout the 80 minutes as he beat them on the outside. He managed to get over the try-line on a couple of occasions, one of which was the finish of the weekend, as he squeezed through a couple of defenders to dot down in the corner. A total of 54m down the left wing on what wasn’t a bad day at the office for the product of the Bath academy.

Jacob Stockdale, Niko Matawalu and James Lowe also contested for the left-wing position with some fantastic performances in their own right.

12. Isa Nacewa – Leinster

The Fijian international seems to be going from strength to strength a full 4 seasons after he initially retired. Leinster will count their lucky stars every day that he came back into their side as he has been one of their most important players this season. The kiwi managed to get over the try-line twice, both after running perfect running lines, which sliced straight through the opposition defence. Though he may not have the pace that he once had, his knowledge and understanding of the game allow him to continue to tear up top-level defences. He could fill a void in any position in the backline for the Dublin-based side, which is why he is such a crucial asset to Leo Cullen.

13. Hadleigh Parkes – Scarlets

The newly-capped Welsh-international was a key part of the Scarlets’ backline that ran rampant at the Rec on Friday night. The New Zealand born centre was impossible to defend in attack, making 138m from his 18 carries. His handling, like many of his teammates, was sumptuous. It was particularly noticeable when he put Paul Asquith away down the wing for his side’s second try. He went in for his own minutes later as he ran a support line to Gareth Davies which put him under the posts. He didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, as he made 11 tackles, including one on Aled Brew which almost stopped Bath from getting in at the death.

In other fixtures, Henry Slade stood out for Exeter.

14. Josua Tuisova – Toulon

 The Fijian winger put in an incredible performance as his side cruised to an impressive victory over Benetton this afternoon. He made 3 clean breaks for a total gain of 99 metres, beating 10 defenders and scoring 2 tries. He was simply unstoppable with ball in hand as he consistently smashed his way through the opposition defence, bouncing off the would-be tacklers as he galloped downfield. He stood up in defence and made his tackles when required and was the thoroughly deserved winner of the man of the match award.

15. Rhys Patchell – Scarlets

The out-half was shifted to fullback this weekend to accommodate the young Dan Jones at stand-off. It worked a treat for the welsh side as it gave them another playmaker in the back-field. He started the move which led to Beirne’s try of the season contender with a counter attack in his own 22. He went on to assist Scott Williams to score with a deft grubber kick in behind the Bath defence. He looked to attack from every possession and seemed to prosper given the decreased pressure of not having to take the place-kicks.

Willie Le Roux and Charles Piutau put in fantastic performances for Wasps and Ulster as well but were just pipped to the 15 jersey by the young Welshman.