Premiership Team of the Week: ‘Magnificent’ Maro Itoje caps perfect week while Handre Pollard proves he is the ‘master of close margins’

Whilst Round 16 of the Premiership failed to confirm the final three qualifiers for the play-offs, it all but saw Gloucester eliminated from the race, with Saracens’ crushing of Newcastle Falcons putting heat on the three sides above them.

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.

Bristol’s win against Bath almost certainly ensures qualification whilst Sale’s loss to Leicester means that their Friday night game against the Bears this coming week is a crucial fixture for both teams.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s our Premiership Team of the Week.

eToro Premiership Team of the Week

15 Josh Hodge (Exeter Chiefs): Chiefs may have stuttered and futtered but the quality and pace of their full-back has been a feature of their season to date. He takes the shirt off Bristol’s Rich Lane and Tigers’ Freddie Steward, both of whom had strong showings for their respective clubs. A word too for the peerless Alex Goode – 400 games old on Saturday. What a shift!

14 Rodrigo Isgro (Harlequins): The Puma is one of the finest aerial players in the world and when he’s not causing havoc in the skies, he’s scoring tries along the runway. Two scores sees him in on the right wing, just edging out the claims of Leicester’s Adam Radwan, a man in an amazing run of form since moving clubs.

13 Rob du Preez (Sale Sharks): It might not have been the result he wanted but Du Preez grabbed two tries in a memorable personal outing. Bears’ Benhard Janse van Rensburg must be a candidate for MVP of the Premiership as once again the South African bristled with power and aggression in a thumping display. Elsewhere, Saracens’ Elliot Daly celebrated his third Lions tour with a classy showing in his favoured outside centre position.

12 Rekeiti Maasi-White (Sale Sharks): Given Sale lost at Tigers, it seems almost fraudulent to put both centres in but Maasi-White demonstrated once again his appetite for the physical as he put down a marker for the England summer tour. His opposite number Joe Woodward matched him blow for blow in a thriller of a fixture.

11 Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers): A really hard call on the left wing given Phil Brown-Bampoe‘s excellence for Exeter Chiefs, and Cadan Murley‘s Quins hat-trick, but context is all – and Hassell-Collins brace ensured that Tigers’ run-in to the play-offs remained intact.

10 Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers): The master of close margins got his team over the line again as his pinpoint kicking saw Leicester over the line. Once again Pollard enjoyed a magnificent duel with his old foe, George Ford. A shout out to Saracens’ Fergus Burke, superb at the StoneX and Chiefs’ Harvey Skinner, strong against Saints.

9 Ivan van Zyl (Saracens): If there was an award for the most unsung overseas signing, Van Zyl would walk in. Another try-scoring outing for the scrum-half, who sneaks into our side ahead of Harlequins’ Will Porter and Tigers star Jack van Poortvliet.

The forwards

8 Ben Earl (Saracens): Massive and muscular, the Lions eight elect thundered around the StoneX in party mood, grabbing two tries in another great display. Bristol’s Viliame Mata and Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt were both close, but Earl is our man this week.

7 Juan Martin Gonzalez (Saracens): The Puma grabbed a memorable hat-trick as once again he defined athleticism in another brilliant performance, making him our player of the week. Will Evans and Fitz Harding both shone for Quins and Bristol respectively, with Richard Capstick also offering a muscular presence for Exeter.

6 Emeka Ilione (Leicester Tigers): Two vital tries from the promising replacement were crucial at Mattioli Welford Road and sealed the win. Jack Kenningham has been on fire since his injury return and was the third part of a brilliant Quins back-row effort.

5 Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers): Now a Lion, Chessum pushed his claims for a Test place in a celebration of his selection. Bears’ Joe Batley might be one of the options to replace him for England short term, with Jonny Hill another potential candidate enjoying a strong outing for Sale.

4 Maro Itoje (Saracens): Tries, record wins, Lions captaincy. Not a bad week for magnificent Maro as his season just gets better and better. Is there any point in nominating a runner-up? Irne Herbst might be worth a mention as he underlined what Quins will miss when he leaves next season.

3 Ollie Streeter (Harlequins): If a lad can prop at Premiership level at the age of 18 he deserves recognition and that’s precisely what we’ve done. Joe Marler reckons he’s one to watch and that’s good enough for us. Sarries’ Alec Clarey has filled a big hole in their front-row and is another that deserves recognition.

2 Theo Dan (Saracens): A rumbustious display from the England hooker saw him just squeeze out his England colleague Jamie George. Luke Cowan-Dickie may have been the only one of Steve Borthwick’s hookers to get selected for the Lions and he too scored for Sale Sharks.

1 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears): Another massive 80 minute shift from the newly selected British and Irish Lion, Genge just gets better with every outing. His two England understudies, Fin Baxter and Bevan Rodd both impressed for Quins and Sale, with Saracens’ Eroni Mawi also having a decent game.

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