Investec Champions Cup Team of the Week: ‘Scrumptious’ Antoine Dupont ‘sends alarm bells ringing’ as Marcus Smith ‘back to his best’
Antoine Dupont (left) and Marcus Smith (right) both feature in the Team of the Week!
Following the conclusion of round four of the Investec Champions Cup, here is the latest Planet Rugby Team of the Week.
Following big wins, Toulouse, Bath and Glasgow Warriors lead the way in selection, but there were some really strong performances right across the premier competition this weekend.
Without further ado, here is our Investec Champions Cup XV!
Investec Champions Cup Team of the Week
15 Thomas Ramos (Toulouse): Took a starring role in his side’s demolition of Sale Sharks this weekend, in almost every aspect. His playmaking skills in the backfield was crucial in getting Toulouse’s attack firing, but he also offered his own threat ball-in-hand too with 73 metres from 12 carries. Was also automatic off the tee, slotting 11 conversions. Marius Domon wasn’t far behind.
14 Joe Cokanasiga (Bath): Has gone under the radar for a while now, but this was a proper explosion from the powerhouse winger. Always seemed to make things happen for his side in attack, in particular when floating off his wing in that midfield channel, tallying 124 metres from 10 carries in the process. His brace was just reward for a fine effort, which could put him back in the England discussion. Kyle Steyn was again impressive for Glasgow, while Eduardo Todero also dazzled for Northampton.
13 Juan Ignacio Brex (Toulon): A good weekend for Top 14 centres, with Castres’ Vuate Karawalevu impressing against Munster, but Italian international Brex gets the nod here. The ever-classy back took a starring role for his side in their win at Kingsholm, adding some serious punch to their midfield with consistent gainline carries, but backed that up with some strong defence as well.
12 Max Ojomoh (Bath): Put on a masterclass in inside centre this weekend, with a fabulously complete performance. His playmaking skills, likely improved from his brief spell at fly-half, really came to the fore, acting as that crucial link to the likes of Cokanasiga and grabbing an assist in the process, but then injected his typical punch ball-in-hand too with 76 metres from eight carries. He’s been building really nicely across the year, but he certainly picked a good weekend to drop this display with the England squad announcement fast approaching. Jurenzo Julius and Bryn Bradley both had fine outings for the Sharks and Harlequins, too.
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11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux-Begles): Toulouse’s Matthis Lebel held this shirt on Saturday evening, but Bielle-Biarrey’s hat-trick display sees him leapfrog into our team. The Frenchman was once again electric ball-in-hand, playing a crucial role in their counter-attacks that drove them to victory over Bristol with 77 metres and two linebreaks from just six carries, and always found himself in the right place at the right time to grab a try.
10 Marcus Smith (Harlequins): This was Smith at his very best, which will do him the world of good looking towards the rest of the season. He just seemed to have the bit between his teeth once again, getting Quins’ attack firing on all cylinders and then adding his typical carrying threat on top to take his team to victory. Pleasingly kicked well off the tee too, which will again do his confidence no harm at all. Bordeaux’s Matthieu Jalibert was a close second.
9 Antoine Dupont (Toulouse): A simply scrumptious display from the Frenchman, dropping a performance that will send alarm bells ringing ahead of the Six Nations. He was utterly mesmeric at times against Sale, both with his distribution and in the carry, making an eye-watering 134 metres from 14 carries, beating seven defenders and bagging a brace for his troubles. Just makes rugby look so easy when he plays like this. Glasgow’s George Horne also caught the eye, while Lucas Friday continues to excel for Harlequins.
The forwards
8 Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors): He will likely be feeling pretty sore this morning, but that’s the result of a night of hard graft against Saracens. A lot of Glasgow’s win came via interventions from Dempsey, with the Scotland international throwing himself into the battle up-front and simply dominating proceedings with 15 tackles, 12 carries and two turnovers. It was also a good weekend for English number eights, with Alfie Barbeary, Alex Dombrandt and Ben Earl all going well.
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7 Jeandre Rudolph (Bulls): It takes some doing to play just 15 minutes and win Player of the Match, but that’s exactly what the mightily impressive Bulls back-rower did. He just looked incredibly hungry when he entered the pitch, winning a team-high two turnovers alongside five tackles and 17 metres ball-in-hand, which in turn gave his team that extra boost to get over the line against Pau. Rory Darge and Charles Ollivon also caught the eye.
6 Baptiste Delaporte (Castres): A mega defensive shift from the back-rower, just when his side needed it most. He consistently found himself as the spearhead of Castres’ gritty efforts on that side of the ball against Munster on Saturday, tallying 21 tackles for his troubles, which in turn helped lay the foundations for their victory. Jack Kenningham and Matt Fagerson also tracked well.
5 Emmanuel Meafou (Toulouse): The powerhouse lock looked back to his best this weekend, which is never an easy thing to deal with for an opposition. Trucked really well in the tight, giving Toulouse consistent front-foot ball as a result, and fronted up well in defence too. Sharks man Corne Rahl can feel hard done by, though.
4 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors): Has really come on since the British and Irish Lions tour this summer, and proved that this weekend with a monstrous effort. Just threw his body around with almost blatant disrespect for his own safety at times, notching a healthy 13 tackles in the process, and got heavily involved in the breakdown battle too. Guido Petti also had a fine evening on Sunday.
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath): Another supremely powerful outing from the ever-impressive tighthead. Tore through the Edinburgh pack at scrum-time, got heavily involved in the loose and grabbed a nice try for his troubles. What more could you ask for? Zander Fagerson and Vincent Koch deserve a mention as well.
2 Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors): Has emerged as a real force for Glasgow in recent weeks, and this felt like another huge step towards senior Scotland selection. The immensely powerful hooker was a real thorn in Saracens’ side all evening on Sunday, winning three turnovers alongside a tally of 18 tackles and four carries, and also nailed his work in the set-piece. Tom Dunn again impressed for Bath.
1 Simon Kerrod (Harlequins): La Rochelle do not come off second-best in the scrum very often, but Kerrod seemed to have their number on Sunday with a relentless effort. He consistently got the better of Uini Atonio in that department, which then set the tone for his side’s impressive win. Beno Obano continued his good run of form for Bath as well.
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