1. Beno Obano - Bath
The Bath loosehead played a crucial role in his side's narrow margin defeat of Toulon this weekend. He was rock solid in defence, making 13 tackles some of which coming at huge moments if the game. He also looked really impressive with ball in hand, carrying 6 times and even managing to smash his way over the whitewash for a try.
2. Tom Dunn - Bath
A whopping 33 tackles made from the Bath hooker in their mammoth win over Toulon. Nearly unheard of a hooker to make that many tackles and not miss one! He was obviously top tackler with that amount and a full 11 clear of second placed Charlie Ewels. Superb effort from the hooker to play the full 80, making 10 carries also.
3. Vincent Koch - Saracens
The South African tighthead prop was the standout performer in the Saracens forward pack this afternoon. He was solid at scrum time, putting his opposite number under a lot of pressure and winning several vital penalties. He carried 6 times for an impressive total of 36 metres gained and he made 7 tackles.
4. Bradley Davies - Ospreys
Man of the match Bradley Davies put in an incredible performance in his side's one-sided demolition of Northampton. He provided his hooker with an excellent option at the lineout and also managed to steal several opposition lineouts. He recorded a tackle success rate of 100% and secured two important turnovers at the breakdown.
5. Scott Fardy - Leinster
Yet another phenomenal performance from the Wallaby as Leinster edged past Exeter in the RDS. He was impervious in defence, making 10 tackles and missing none. He got through a huge amount of work at the breakdown, consistently disrupting the speed of Exeter's attacking play and securing two vital turnovers for his side.
6. Peter O'Mahony - Munster
The Munster captain put in another man of the match performance as he led his side to their first victory in Welford Road in 11 years. He was immense at the lineout, winning all 10 of his own lineouts and managing to steal two of Leicester's. He was dogged at the breakdown, consistently disrupting the speed of the opposition's attack and posed a real threat with ball in hand.
7. Francois Louw - Bath
MOTM for Bath in their gruelling win over Toulon at the Rec on Saturday night. When Toulon were pushing to find a winner, Bath needed key players to step up and Springbok Louw was outstanding in the second half. Making 19 tackles and turning over the ball twice, Louw was pivotal in the final stages to guide Bath to victory.
8. Leone Nakarawa – Racing 92
The gargantuan Fijian was used at number 8 this week for Racing, to make use of his ability to draw in defenders and offload in the tackle. He was awarded the MOTM award for his exploits, as he caused the Glasgow defence real problems on the ball. He carried 16 times for a total of 59m but his ability to beat defenders was a joy to behold. He beat 9 defenders on the day and offloaded 4 times, meaning there was only 3 instances in the game when he was successfully tackled to ground. At times it looked as if it was a tennis ball he was carrying, as he held it over his head, out of the reach of the Warriors defenders. A note for Munster's CJ Stander, who was also superb in their win over Leicester.
9. John Cooney – Ulster
For the 2nd week in a row the former Gonzaga College man takes the scrum-half position. He is really settling into life at Ravenhill well and becoming a real fan favourite as he racks up the points this season. On Friday night he managed to claim 27 of Ulster’s 52 points, scoring a try, 4 penalties and 5 conversions. He played the game at pace all night, giving his out-half quick ball from the ruck, and threatening around it as well with clever snipes. He managed to make a couple of clean breaks and rack up 50m in attack which was a significant contribution to a crucial win for his side.
10. Christian Lealifano – Ulster
The Australian will depart the emerald isle in a month’s time after building quite a reputation up North. He has put in some fantastic performances in recent weeks and on Friday night he did it again, winning the MOTM award for his top-class effort. The decreased pressure that comes with giving up the goal-kicking duties seems to have benefitted him, as he can put more emphasis on getting his dangerous backline in the game and threatening himself on the run. His kicking was a real weapon for Ulster as he turned the Quins back three on their heels and put them under pressure with some massive garreyowens. His defensive effort was also extremely impressive, as he made 9 tackles and a couple of turnovers, preventing Quins from getting back in the game.
11. Nemani Nadolo – Montpellier
As the weeks wear on it seems to be becoming increasingly apparent that there is really no way to defend the massive Fijian. He had a stormer again, making 135m, making 5 clean breaks and beating 7 defenders in the process. He got the ball rolling for Montpellier, crashing over after just 7 minutes. His run down the left and perfect offload to Paillaugue was a thing of beauty. His defence was again questionable, but if he keeps attacking the way he is I don’t think Vern Cotter will mind. A note for Ulster's Jacob Stockdale who was impressive in Ulster's win.
12. Stuart McCloskey - Ulster
The young Irishman put in a huge performance for Ulster as they smashed Harlequins for 80 minutes this weekend. He made 2 clean breaks, beating several defenders and managed to get over the line for a try. He showed great awareness to set teammates into key attacking spaces with accurate, well-timed passing throughout the game.
13. Henry Slade – Exeter Chiefs
The second centre was the Chiefs standout performer in Dublin on Saturday. His passing was majestic, hitting his wingers flat out wide, making Leinster scramble in defence to keep their visitors at bay. The ball really fizzed out of his hands, but he was also a threat on the run, making 30m and beating 3 defenders from his 14 runs. When tackled, he seemed to get his hands free time and time again, stretching the Leinster defence as he put his teammates through holes.
14. Elliot Daly - Wasps
Despite only playing 54 minutes, Daly played a pivotal role for Wasps in their win over Pool 1 table toppers La Rochelle. Finished off a 1 on 1 for his first try of the game showing great power to barge over in the corner, the second try finishing off a great team move to score in the corner. Worryingly came off with injury, here's hoping it's nothing serious.
15. Anthony Watson - Bath
Watson was a joy to watch for Bath in their win over Toulon. Was superb as he carved up the Toulon defence in the first half, weaving his way through the defence to score 2 excellent solo tries. Made a huge 116 metres going forward, beating 6 defenders in the process and making 3 clean breaks.
