15. Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon)
It comes as no surprise that Halfpenny was eerily accurate with the boot. He was certainly allowed plenty of practice as Toulon were breathtakingly good at times, running in eight tries. Halfpenny landed nine of ten kicks at goal, his final effort rebounding off the right upright.
14. Juan Imhoff (Racing Metro)
Treviso couldn’t handle the Argentine wing, 147 metres ran, 6 clean breaks, 8 defenders beaten and two second half tries to round of an impressive Sunday evening.
13. Jonathan Joseph (Bath)
If Sunday was a final audition to impress Stuart Lancaster who names his Six Nations squad on Wednesday, Joseph nailed it. He finished one devastating break in the first half, and created the match winner with a magnificent break of his own on 70 minutes.
12. Ian Madigan (Leinster)
This weekend felt like the confirmation of a changing of the guard at Leinster in some respects, Madigan preferred to D’Arcy in the centre, and Mike Ross out of the squad altogether. Madigan kicked 15 points and pulled the strings as Leinster wrapped up the bonus point before half time in a seven try win against a pitiful Castres.
11. DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors)
Their inability to score a crucial fourth try leaves the Scots on the brink of another premature European exit, barring a miracle in Bath next week, but they were good value for the win against Montpellier with their Canadian flyer scoring a hat-trick.
10. George Ford (Bath)
Ahead of a massive couple of months for the young English out-half, Ford orchestrated Bath’s superb 4 try win in Toulouse. He recovered from a potentially costly intercept, and made a crucial try saving tackle on Yannick Nyanga with the score at 18-25.
9. Joe Simpson (Wasps)
One of the most improved players of the season, Simpson shocked Quins with a second Wasps try which put the visitors 0-17 ahead and a relentless defence of that lead leaves the Coventry based side with destiny in their own hands going into the final weekend.
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
We can only speculate as to what Billy Vunipola had for breakfast on Saturday morning. If anyone knows, or could find out then please share. With Ben Morgan facing a spell on the side-lines Vunipola rediscovering his mojo will be a welcome boast for Stuart Lancaster ahead of the internationals.
7. Steffon Armitage (Toulon)
Another Toulon entry, and not the last, Armitage scored the first of three hat-tricks in total this weekend, is that a first for European rugby stats gurus? On another weekend Baths Francois Louw merits a place but you can’t ignore Armitage in this kind of form.
6. James Haskell (Wasps)
Haskell played on the openside in Wasps vital win at Quins, but he’s impossible to leave out after making a mammoth 28 tackles. Stuart Lancaster could do worse than pick a back-row of Haskell, Armitage and Vunipola, no?
5. Bradley Davies (Wasps)
The forgotten man of the Welsh second-row, Bradley Davies was another to put in a huge shift against Quins. Not quite matching the superhuman efforts of Haskell but 17 tackles is a massive effort from the engine room.
4. Sam Dickinson (Northampton Saints)
In the midst of a second row crisis at Saints it required Sam Dickinson to plug the hole in the second row and he tore into the Ospreys pack at every opportunity with a man of the match performance.
3. Martin Castrogiovanni (Toulon)
80 minutes against a below strength Ulster pack, Castrogiovanni scored Toulon’s fourth try in the corner after which the double European Champions let rip scoring a further four tries in the second half including one scored by Mamuka Gorgodza which for interplay between backs and forwards may not be bettered this season, it even featured a loop from Castro.
2. Dimitri Szarzewski (Racing Metro)
Sean Cronin had been pencilled in here before Dimitri Szarzewski stole the limelight with our third hat-trick of the weekend, certainly not a bad response from the 79 times capped hooker having been left out of the initial French Six Nations squad.
1. Nick Auterac (Bath)
A second half substitute in Toulouse, Auterac will have done his growing reputation no harm at all. With the French giants just beginning to awaken the replacement front-row twice defended scrums 5 metres from their own line which killed the game.
By David Blair
Follow Dave on Twitter: @viscountdave
12 replies on “European Rugby Champions Cup Team of the Week: Round 5”
Strong team.
The 3 changes I’d make:
* Loosehead, Mullan with the Wasps front row did an impressive display of power, winning 2 adverse scrums; adding 16 tackles. Not too bad for a prop.
* I’d replace Parling, who had a decent game, with Ball from the Scarlets – who made his presence felt. 11 tackles, a powerful presence in open game (40 meters run for 3 defenders beaten, 1 offload, 1 clean break), 4 lineout balls and no own scrum lost.
* Fullback, we all have a liking for Halfpenny and especially its boot, but Lapeyre from Racing Metro showed us much more in what we like to call open Rugby – 2 tries, one assist, 2 clean breaks & 2 defenders beaten. Well done !
Hatricks against an enfeebled Ulster and Treviso, or was it Bucharest, or the blind school, don’t deserve credit.
“Can’t ignore Armitage in this kind of form”
I wonder if Lancaster can.
Would you bet your mortgage against him ignoring it?
Sorry, but I still can’t see Lancaster picking Armitage. A back row of Wood, Haskell and Vunipola, and naming someone else as the captain? Maybe Haskell himself? Being the captain at Wasps has rejuvenated him this season. Just saying!! He outplayed Robshaw at the weekend, and is in the form of his life. Imagine the go forward ball we’d get with him and Vunipola together!
Also I think Ashton is a little unlucky not to get the 14 shirt. He was all over the pitch on Saturday, and scored two great tries against Munster, not those giants of European Rugby Treviso, but Munster!! “Treviso couldn’t handle the Argentine wing”! Treviso can’t handle playing rugby at this level, let alone one Argentine winger.
Haskell, Armitage and Vunipola. With Burrell at 12, Joseph at 13 and Wade at 14.
Picking on form – this is a crazy, revolutionary idea. Can’t see it taking off!
Haskell, Armitage and Vunipola wouldn’t work. One of Englands best strength is our line out and none of those are strong jumpers.
Things like that are way too important to be ignored. Wood or Robshaw type needs to be in.
Plus Armitage is a pointless conversation still in my opinion. The principal of not picking players abroad is correct – the “exceptional circumstances” clause is so ambiguous that it is nearly impossible to speculate what it means.
Croft? Haven’t seen how he’s been playing lately, but as a back rower/lineout jumper, there’s not many better.
Agree on Armitage. We have other people who can play at 8, so give them a chance.
Massive Croft fan. I think I had on here yesterday that I’d love to see a Croft, Haskell, Vunipola back row – much similar in its style to the current Wasps back row. Haskell allowing the other two to do what they do best!
He has had a few niggles though since his big injury so hasn’t had much of a run of games. Be interesting to see if he gets picked tomorrow, SL has always picked him when he has been fit.
Sanchez Sanchez Sanchez!! How can you leave him out at 10??! He was in imperious form & ran the show behind an admittedly dominant pack.
No Ulster players? Come on they scored four tries and got a bonus point away to the European champions!!!!