Premiership Team of the Week: David Campese backs George Ford for Lions selection after ‘utterly breathtaking’ performance

With Round 12 of the Premiership season now behind us after returning from its Six Nations break, here is David Campese’s Team of the Week.

For the second season in a row we have partnered with eToro, the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby, to bring you a best XV from every Premiership round, each one chosen by a famous face from the world of rugby.

Derby week is always something I relish when watching the Premiership. We saw some incredible performances, notably Quins’ second-half showing to see off Saracens, and Bath’s brilliant showing against Gloucester. And for a back like me, the Bristol versus Exeter match was a barrel of entertainment, something I enjoyed greatly.

Without further ado, here is my selection.

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15 Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks): Sale youngster Carpenter has really come of age this season, and that was on full display on Friday night in his side’s win over Newcastle. His try was something out of a video game, but he was just sensational across the game with some lovely attacking flourishes. Leigh Halfpenny can feel very hard done by here though after his performance against Saracens.

14 Jack Bates (Bristol Bears): It takes a lot to stand out in this Bristol Bears backline, but winger Bates did exactly that. His hat-trick will take all the headlines, but he just found himself right at the heart of their breathless attack with three linebreaks too. Paul Brown-Bampoe had a strong outing in a losing cause for Exeter as well.

13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears): South African powerhouse Janse van Rensburg oozes class whenever he plays, and he was at his very best against Exeter. He yet again showed why he is so important to this free-flowing Bristol attack, with his punch in the carry blended perfectly with his deft handling. Oscar Beard put in a good day’s work too for Quins.

12 Max Ojomoh (Bath): I’m cheating slightly here, given he lined up at 13 this weekend, but Ojomoh was simply brilliant in his side’s win over Gloucester. He came up with some proper highlight-reel flourishes to get his backline firing and also notched a try for his efforts. England caps are certainly in his future. Ben Waghorn was a proper handful for Quins too and James Williams was also in good touch.

11 Nick David (Harlequins): A lot of Harlequins’ win can be put down to the work of David, which sees him just edge out Will Muir into this selection. His work in the air really helped fuel their comeback against Saracens, and he managed to notch two linebreaks and led the way for metres made across the match with 86.

10 George Ford (Sale Sharks): Utterly breathtaking from the Sale 10 this weekend, which has made Alex Sanderson believe he should go on the Lions tour and I agree. His assists were sublime, especially the Dupont-esque kick out to Carpenter and as we’ve come to expect he just guided his side around brilliantly in the win. Jamie Benson deserves some flowers as well for his fantastic cameo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

9 Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers): A strong weekend for English nines, with Ben Spencer and Harry Randall putting in quality performances, but Leicester’s Van Poortvliet just edges ahead of them after his stellar outing. He just seemed incredibly refreshed back in a Tigers shirt and as a result, found himself right at the heart of his side’s win, but is his passing Test standard? The jury is still out.

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The pack

8 Alfie Barbeary (Bath): Despite the brain fart just before half-time, Barbeary made a real statement against Gloucester. The number eight was incredibly industrious in his side’s win on Sunday, making 12 carries for 76 metres and matching that with five tackles and one turnover in defence. Viliame Mata was also very impressive for Bristol.

7 Guy Pepper (Bath): Another strong weekend for English flankers, with Will Evans making a strong impact for Quins too, but we couldn’t omit Guy Pepper from this side after his try-scoring performance against Gloucester. The Bath flanker just got stuck into every facet of the game on Sunday, notching 10 tackles, three turnovers and eight carries in the win. You feel he’s really putting his hand up for England selection now as well.

6 Hanro Liebenberg (Leicester Tigers): Leicester’s Liebenberg was immense as his side romped to victory in the East Midlands derby. His three intercepts were a remarkable feat by themselves but on top of that he made a real impact in the tight with nine carries for 52 metres. Jack Kenningham continued his fine form of late in Quins’ win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Martin Moloney was excellent for Exeter in defeat.

5 James Dun (Bristol Bears): While he might not have been the headline grabber in his side’s victory, Dun did all the ugly stuff behind it. He worked his socks off in defence with 16 tackles to his name and winning one turnover, and also got involved in the attack too with six carries. Stephan Lewies and Charlie Ewels also gave strong performances.

4 Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks): The former rugby league man has really begun to find his feet at this level now, and that was on full display on Friday. His 12 tackles really helped Sale get the better of things up front against Newcastle, and overall just showed a maturity we’ve yet to see from him. Quinn Roux was also very solid.

3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks): A tough call between him and Bath’s Thomas du Toit, but Opoku-Fordjour just edges his way into our team after his showing against Newcastle. He was very dominant both in the scrum and around the park too, but this was yet another showing of why he is seen as England’s long-term front-rower – whatever side he’s on.

2 Tom Dunn (Bath): While Gabriel Oghre was impressive for Bristol at Ashton Gate, I’ve opted for the ever-classy Tom Dunn at hooker this weekend. He again put in the tough graft in the tight with five carries and five tackles to his name, but he also gave consistent clean ball from the lineout too which helped his side build a solid platform to attack from.

1 Beno Obano (Bath): Exceptional again from Obano, who really helped his side get the upper hand against Gloucester. His scrummaging was a big part in their early dominance, winning penalties at crucial times, and around that he made himself known around the park with nine carries and six tackles. Wyn Jones helped his side get the better of Saracens’ scrum early on.

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