Premiership Team of the Week: David Campese hails Gloucester star for ‘igniting rout’ but ‘Lions shoo-in’ misses out
Following the conclusion of Round 15 of the Premiership season, Wallabies legend David Campese joins us to select his Planet Rugby 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.
Without further ado, here is Campese‘s 15!
eToro Premiership Team of the Week
15 Santi Carreras (Gloucester): A fantastic display of individual talent in a wonderful team effort. Freddie Steward also impressed me for Leicester Tigers, whilst Joe Carpenter continues to shine for Sale.
14 Adam Radwan (Leicester Tigers): There’s simply no substitute for gas – that adage is as old as the sport itself and Radwan was sensational in grabbing an electric hat-trick. I love what Christian Wade brings to the game and he was outstanding in Gloucester’s efforts.
13 Chris Harris (Gloucester): Four years ago, Harris was the Lions starting Test centre. I don’t think he’ll make it this time around, but there’s many worse that Andy Farrell could select. Outstanding in defence, superb in attack. Connor Doherty lives off scraps for Falcons but he grabbed two despite Newcastle’s loss while Cam Redpath might have got the place but for his yellow card.
12 Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints): He started at 13 and finished at 12 in another glue performance. Whatever side he plays in benefits from his rugby intellect and he still might make the Lions plane to Australia. Both England hopefuls, Seb Atkinson (Gloucester) and Luke Northmore (Quins) got on the scoresheet in good individual performances.
11 Arron Reed (Sale Sharks): He may well have scored the try of the season as he showed blistering pace to get around Saracens. Tigers’ Ollie Hassell-Collins is my runner-up for two superbly taken efforts and I was also impressed with Louie Hennessey-Booth who demonstrated the depth at Bath.
10 Ciaran Donoghue (Bath): Given how brilliant George Ford was for Sale, it says all about Donoghue that he gets in my team on his Premiership debut. And he’ll rival Reed for the try of the season too! One word about Ford – if the Lions want the best rugby brain at 10, then they simply have to take him. He makes all around him look better – the mark of a great fly-half. For me, a Lions shoo-in.
9 Tomos Williams (Gloucester): The hardest pick of the week. Alex Mitchell was sublime for Saints and he’ll be on Qantas QF002 come June. There’s little doubt Williams will be seated alongside him and I pick the Welshman because he ignited the Gloucester rout of Exeter which may yet see his team qualify for the play-offs. Jack van Poortvliet also impressed in his Tigers outing.
Wales star ‘deserves’ British and Irish Lions recognition after ‘outstanding’ season
The forwards
8 Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints): The Gardens will rue the moment the big man leaves. Huge once again, despite a cracking afternoon for his opponent, Sarries’ Tom Willis. Ruan Ackermann proved a point to Exeter about perceived soft underbellies in a superb personal outing.
7 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks): TC is still the benchmark for English and British flanks. Abrasive and suffocating is standard, but he’s improved his support game no end. Lewis Ludlow needs a shout out for a great skipper’s knock for Gloucester, whilst Henry Pollock and Sam Underhill demonstrated England’s depth at seven for Saints and Bath. A word for Falcons Cam Neild – one of the shrewdest signings of the season and a man who just kept going when things fell apart around him.
6 Hanro Liebenberg (Leicester Tigers): Massive shift from a really underrated player – he scored in Tigers’ demolition of Harlequins. Jack Clement continued his try-scoring efforts for Gloucester and might yet get an England call-up for the Americas tour.
5 Alex Coles (Northampton Saints): One of the most improved players of the season, he’ll surely get an extended run for England in the summer. Another Test hopeful, Ben Bamber, was huge for Sale and showed how much he’s developed in terms of skill-set.
4 Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers): A Lions Test lock elect, I suspect. A superb mix of grunt and intellect, Chessum takes the other lock place. A shout out to Charlie Ewels and Arthur Clark for crucial performances for Bath and Gloucester.
3 Will Stuart (Bath): Absolutely minced the Falcons scrum in a picture perfect technical display although I was tempted to pick the great Dan Cole just for his last minute touch finder against Harlequins!
2 Jack Singleton (Gloucester): A 23 minute hat-trick! Wonderful stuff from the former England man. Luke Cowan-Dickie was in muscular form for Sale Sharks and Julian Montoya is still the player that sets the hooking standards in the Premiership. Outstanding.
1 Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks): If Rodd continues his improvement trajectory in his tight work then there’s little doubt he’ll be a Test superstar, such is his brilliance around the pitch. Nicky Smith put in a great shift for Tigers and a big shout out to Gloucester’s Jamal Ford-Robinson for his try-scoring effort and a great post-match interview in a cowboy hat!
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