PREM Rugby Team of the Week: Latest ‘generational talent’ emerges while England star’s ‘authoritative’ display pricks Steve Borthwick’s ears
Noah Caluori scored five tries for Saracens on Saturday.
Following the conclusion of round four of the PREM season, here is the latest Planet Rugby Team of the Week!
The weekend’s action got underway on Friday night, as Northampton Saints and Bristol Bears took the spoils over Newcastle Red Bulls and Gloucester, respectively.
Those games set the bar high for Saturday’s matches, but they certainly lived up to the billing as Leicester secured a dramatic win over champions Bath, while Saracens put Sale Sharks to the sword at the StoneX.
Rounding off the action, Exeter Chiefs thumped Harlequins to continue their strong start to the campaign.
Without further ado, here is who made our PREM XV this weekend!
Planet Rugby’s PREM Team of the Week
15 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints): He might be eyeing a move to 13, but full-back brought the best out of him on Friday night. Freeman was a real point of difference for his side in their win over Newcastle, notching 138 metres from 16 carries as well as grabbing a try. Josh Hodge wasn’t far off this side either.
14 Noah Caluori (Saracens): The Saracens winger was a man-possessed at the StoneX, dropping arguably the best individual performance in recent PREM history. Alongside his five, yes five, tries, he notched an eye-watering 233 metres from 17 carries while beating 13 defenders in the process. Around that, his work in the air was also superb. A generational talent, who will only get better. Edoardo Todaro also impressed, again.
13 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs): This is the Henry Slade Exeter fans know and love, dropping a real authoritative performance in the win over Harlequins. His tally of 23 points went a long way to securing the victory on Sunday, but around that, he also notched a fine assist to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and played a lovely role in their new-look attack. This will also have alerted Steve Borthwick ahead of the Autumn Nations Series. Rory Hutchinson was a close second.
12 Owen Farrell (Saracens): Another strong outing from the four-tour Lion, who continues to excel back in North London. Be it through his kicking game or general distribution, his fingerprints were all over the win on Saturday. Joseph Woodward also impressed for Leicester Tigers.
11 Kalaveti Ravouvou (Bristol Bears): If you ever needed a reminder of how beautiful rugby can be, just watch Ravouvou’s highlights, and he added some more clips to that on Friday night. The Fijian back is such a key weapon in this Bristol attack, showcased by his 64 metres from just four carries. He also nabbed a brace for his efforts. Olly Woodburn made a good return to action for the Chiefs on Sunday, too.
10 Sam Worsley (Bristol Bears): A very strong weekend for fly-halves, with Fin Smith, Harvey Skinner and Fergus Burke all going well, but the Bears youngster showed incredible maturity to get his side over the line on Friday night and earns a spot in this side as a result. He was also automatic off the tee, slotting seven conversions.
9 Charlie Bracken (Saracens): Another young half-back who showed experience way beyond his years this weekend, and rightly earns a spot in the side as a result. His desire to play at speed galvanised the Saracens’ attack, combining expertly with Burke, but he also had the composure and leadership skills to boss his pack around. Stephen Varney continued his excellent start to life at Sandy Park too.
8 Tom Willis (Saracens): The news surrounding him this weekend was all about his exit for the Top 14, but on the pitch, he was exceptional. Yet again, he carried like he was angry at the ground, notching 18 carries for 75 metres while beating nine defenders. His defensive work was also outstanding, grabbing three turnovers. Saracens and England will really miss him next year. Greg Fisilau can feel hard done by to miss out.
7 Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs): The England international was a one-man wrecking ball in his side’s win over Harlequins, deservedly winning Man of the Match for his efforts. His impressive tally of 12 tackles and one turnover doesn’t even tell the full story, as his efforts in the breakdown also boosted Exeter and helped them dominate the battle up-front, providing the platform for the win in the process. Fitz Harding also impressed again for Bristol.
6 Olly Cracknell (Leicester Tigers): We’re cheating here slightly, given he played with eight on his back, but we couldn’t omit the maurauding Welshman from this side. Cracknell has been a seriously consistent force for the Tigers in recent seasons, expertly filling the gap of Jasper Wiese in the process, and Saturday was another example of that. Across his shift, he notched 20 carries for 52 metres, beating three defenders in the process, and backed that up with eight tackles and a turnover in defence. Superb day’s work. Leicester’s actual number six, Hanro Liebenburg, was a close runner-up.
5 Alex Coles (Northampton Saints): One of the harder choices this weekend, with Dafydd Jenkins also in fine touch for Exeter once again, but we’ve just got Coles pipping him into the side. While Saints showcased all their lovely attacking qualities in the win at Kingston Park, Coles’ gritty efforts around the park helped lay the foundations for the win, posting a team-high 12 tackles in the process.
4 Maro Itoje (Saracens): Yet another totemic display from the victorious Lions skipper, who marked a special occasion with a special display. Itoje excelled in every facet of the game on Saturday, with his steely efforts playing a major role in their mammoth win over Sale. It was also nice to see some flashes of attacking class too, to go alongside his traditional workrate and defensive prowess, with him notching 12 carries for 33 metres. Pedro Rubiolo also left a mark.
3 Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers): A good weekend for English tightheads, with Afolabi Fasogbon going well despite Gloucester’s loss, but Heyes’ work in the scrum gets him into this side. The Leicester man has already proved himself as one of the most improved scrummagers in the game right now, but that all came to a head on Saturday as he took Beno Obano to the cleaners. Around that, he also chipped in with some nice efforts in the loose.
2 Gabe Oghre (Bristol Bears): Jamie Blamire was so close to making it (spoiler alert) an all-Leicester front-row this weekend, but Oghre’s brace on Friday night was a key part of Bristol’s win. Around his try-scoring exploits, he also notched 17 tackles and nine carries for 36 metres in a classy all-round display.
1 Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers): Ethan Burger was so close to working his way into this team after a tasty outing for the Chiefs, but Wales international Smith was utterly ridiculous at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday. He simply tore through Will Stuart in the scrum, pushing the Lions Test star back at a rate of knots we haven’t seen for some time, and he grabbed a nice try for his efforts too.