PREM Rugby Team of the Week: Marcus Smith ‘proves a point’ while England hopefuls takes ‘giant stride’ towards Test selection
Marcus Smith (centre), Anthony Belleau (right) and Nathan Jibulu (left) were among the best performers in the PREM this weekend.
Following the conclusion of round three of the PREM season, here is the latest Planet Rugby Team of the Week!
The derby weekend got underway in the North West as Sale Sharks hammered Newcastle Red Bulls in another show of dominance.
That set the tone for Saturday, which saw Bristol Bears edge Exeter Chiefs in an Ashton Gate thriller, while Northampton Saints and Bath secured bragging rights over Leicester Tigers and Gloucester with bonus-point wins.
Rounding off the action, Harlequins powered past London rivals Saracens to get their first win of the new campaign.
Without further ado, here is who made our PREM XV this weekend!
Planet Rugby’s PREM Team of the Week
15 Tom de Glanville (Bath): He’s already edging closer towards an England call-up, and this was another giant stride in that direction on that front. His work ball-in-hall played a key role in Bath’s win, notching 65 metres from his eight carries while also beating four defenders, and grabbed a nice try for his efforts. Leicester’s Freddie Steward also impressed in a losing cause.
14 Anthony Belleau (Northampton Saints): After two weekends in the honourable mentions category, the Frenchman finally cracks our XV. Northampton were going well anyway, but his fine brace turned the notch up another level, while also making a mark around the park with eight carries for 87 metres. Given he only featured for 35 minutes and played out of position on the wing, this is some doing. Henry Arundell is incredibly unlucky to miss out, though.
13 Will Joseph (Gloucester): A really tasty display in defeat, and enough to beat out Sale’s Rob du Preez into this side as a result. His mazy, explosive running caused Bath all sorts of bother, notching 85 metres from just nine carries while beating eight defenders, and bagged himself a try as a result. Another who is working his way up the England pecking order.
12 Ollie Lawrence (Bath): We’re slightly cheating here, given he wore 13 against Gloucester, but we couldn’t ignore Lawrence this weekend. The England back continues to look the part on his return to the field, acting as a driving force in this high-powered Bath system. Across his shift, he notched 10 tackles, two turnovers and seven carries for 29 metres. Bristol’s Benhard Janse van Rensburg was a close second.
11 Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks): A delightful attacking performance from Roebuck, whose stock continues to rise exponentially. He was a menace ball-in-hand, making 13 carries for 120 metres, and got the rewards for that with a fine hat-trick. Around that, his work in the air and even chopping and changing to slot into the 13 channel showed his all-around skillset. Edoardo Todaro wasn’t far off.
10 Marcus Smith (Harlequins): He’s been forced to chop and change between 10 and 15 in the past year, but he proved a point with a deliciously mature performance in his preferred position. It was just a very complete display, unlocking Saracens both ball-in-hand and with the boot. That sort of performance is a show of what he can do when fully backed to play fly-half. Finn Russell and Fin Smith also impressed upon their return to PREM action.
9 Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints): Another returning Lion in this XV, as Mitchell again proved his value within this Saints side. He was such a threat around the ruck, both with his desire to play at speed but also with his sniping ability; notching a team-high 11 carries for 52 metres in the process. Bristol’s Kieran Marmion wasn’t far behind.
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8 Sam Dugdale (Sale Sharks): A good weekend for number eights, with Callum Chick and Tom Willis also going well, but Dugdale makes the cut this weekend. The Sale man was a proper rock in their pack, doing all that nitty-gritty work to allow the rest of the side to flourish, reflected in his 11 tackles and one turnover.
7 Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints): Again, a tough call here given the work of Sam Underhill at the Rec, but Pearson just slots in ahead. The Saints man was a one-man wrecking ball at times in the derby win over Leicester Tigers, on both sides of the ball. In defence, he notched a game-high 16 tackles, and backed that up with five carries for 34 metres ball-in-hand too. A shoutout for PREM debutant Tristan Woodman too.
6 Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears): This was a real captain’s knock from Harding, who played a key role in Bristol’s win over Exeter. He led from the front on both sides of the ball, making 17 tackles and carries while also nabbing two turnovers, which just set the tone for his side’s gritty efforts. Ernst Van Rhyn also left a mark.
5 Ewan Richards (Bath): Johann van Graan said ahead of his selection it was just a case of ‘next man up’ after Charlie Ewels’ injury, and Richards certainly fitted the bill. The young lock threw himself into everything in a fine effort, making eight carries for 45 metres and beating four defenders in the process. His brace was just reward for his efforts. Dafydd Jenkins was also at his classy best for Exeter in defeat.
4 Guido Petti (Harlequins): Ben Bamber held this shirt for the whole weekend, until Petti dropped a masterclass. The Los Pumas star, who was making his PREM debut for his new employers, was simply totemic in every department, taking the fight to Saracens at every turn and helping Quins win the battle up front. That told in his numbers, too, making 11 tackles, eight carries and beating two defenders.
3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks): For the third week in a row, Opoku-Fordjour cracks the Team of the Week. The Sale man was again super strong in the scrum, and backed that up with some nice efforts around the park too with nine carries to his name. He’s just in marvellous form right now, which bodes well for England in the Autumn Nations Series. Trevor Davison also impressed on his return for Northampton.
2 Nathan Jibulu (Sale Sharks): Edging out Sale teammate Luke Cowan-Dickie and Bath’s Tom Dunn into this team is Jibulu, who played like a man possessed at times on Friday night. His desire to get involved in the attack was something to behold, reflected in his tally of 56 metres and four defenders beaten from just seven carries, and he backed that up with some proper steely efforts in the tight too. This move has suited him to a T, and it has helped him climb up the ranks towards an England call-up.
1 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears): The world-class loosehead hit the ground running on his return to the PREM. His work helped Bristol grind Exeter’s stubborn defence down, notching 10 carries and seven tackles in the process. Fin Baxter continued his good personal form as well.
