Heineken Cup: Team of the Week
Now that the dust has settled across Europe, Planet Rugby thought it was only right to dish out some praise to the star men of the semis.
Now that the dust has settled across Europe, Planet Rugby thought it was only right to dish out some praise to the standout men of the semi-finals.
In a mesmerising round of Heineken Cup rugby, Toulouse and Perpignan were brushed aside to set up a final between Leinster and the Saints.
Northampton's fine 23-7 victory means they are still on track to become the first side to claim the European crown and go unbeaten in the process.
Leinster meanwhile showed their class in an absorbing second-half display in Dublin, using their physicality up front to knock reigning champions Toulouse off their stride and progress to their second Heineken Cup final in three years.
The net result is a mouth-watering showdown at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, May 21, with Leinster already at 4/9 favourites.
So then…let's see who earned their PR stripes.
Heineken Cup – PR's XV of the semi-finals:
15 Ben Foden (Northampton) – Faultless on Sunday and was the catalyst of all things good coming out of the Saints back-line. Deserved his early try and improved from there.
14 Chris Ashton (Northampton) – Although not as busy as he would have liked, Ashton was a threat whenever he touched the ball. He also put in a very nice kick out of hand too.
13 Jon Clarke (Northampton) – One of the unsung heroes for such a long time at Franklin's Gardens, Clarke capitalised well to get over for a score, running intelligent lines all day.
12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster) – A solid performance to get the better of Clement Poitrenaud. A mention for Irishman James Downey, who was very strong for the Saints on Sunday.
11 Adrian Plante (Perpignan) – Probably the only USAP player to put his hand up. Plante was busy and deserves this reward for a decent showing, unlike his wing partner…
10 Jonathan Sexton (Leinster) – Controlled the game for his side and keeps out Stephen Myler in our pivot role. An exceptional back-row performance did help out Sexton a tad.
9 Lee Dickson (Northampton) – This guy is so vital to the Saints as he makes them tick. He now must surely have a big opportunity of making Martin Johnson's World Cup squad.
8 Louis Picamoles (Toulouse) – The toughest selection came at number eight where Jamie Heaslip and Roger Wilson stood tall. But…Picamoles was too good and deserved a score.
7 Phil Dowson (Northampton) – Hailed as the man-of-the-match by Stuart Barnes and rightly so. Dowson's link work pushed his name further up the ranks at club and international level.
6 Sean O'Brien (Leinster) – He seems to have made all of my Team of the Week selections and again this week had another stormer. At 6, 8 or this week 7, he is consistently superb.
5 Leo Cullen (Leinster) – It was extremely tough to leave out Christian Day of Northampton but for his leadership and general play, Cullen gets the nod as our number five.
4 Courtney Lawes (Northampton) – Physicality, intelligence and speed were shown by Lawes as he shows just why he could be England's long-term four. A real athlete.
3 Brian Mujati (Northampton) – Mike Ross was solid for Leinster but the form of Mujati during 2010/111 has to be recognised. He is much-improved from his time at the Stormers.
2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton) – Richardt Strauss' line-out let him down at times and so our hooking jersey goes to Hartley, who was a thorn in the Perpignan front-row all day long.
1 Soane Tonga'uiha (Northampton) – The best loosehead in England. Enough said.
By Adam Kyriacou
Twitter – @PRAdam_Kyriacou