Premiership Team of the Week: ‘Man on a mission’ boosts England hopes while ‘X-factor’ Marcus Smith finds ‘confidence’ again
Following the conclusion of round 17 of the Premiership season, here is the latest 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.
The play-off chasers are slowly being whittled down now as we head towards the final round of the regular season, with Saracens’ defeat to Northampton Saints seeing their fate taken out of their control, while vital wins for Sale Sharks and Gloucester have changed the picture yet again. Elsewhere, Bath remain clear at the top, having already secured a home play-off tie.
Without further ado, here is our 15!
eToro Premiership Team of the Week
15 Santi Carreras (Gloucester): Argentine full-back Carreras gave Gloucester fans another reminder of how much they will miss him next season with a remarkable attacking display in their win over Newcastle Falcons on Friday. The back made a whopping 22 carries for 78 metres at Kingston Park, and also made two linebreaks and beat three defenders. To round off a strong night, he slotted two conversions. Bath fans must be salivating at the thought of him donning the Blue, Black and White next season now, but he’s still clearly doing the business in Cherry and White.
14 Tommy Freeman (Northampton): The bench might have stolen the headlines in Northampton’s win over Saracens, but Freeman played a huge role as well. His powerful carrying and desire to get involved whenever he could helped the Saints get into vital field position, and he again stood up in those big moments for his side. The latest in a long line of top-quality displays, too. Joe Cokanasiga also impressed for Bath, as did the returning Tommy Wyatt for Exeter.
13 Max Ojomoh (Bath): His introduction off the bench injected new life into Bath’s win over Leicester Tigers on Saturday, and that should prick the ears of Steve Borthwick ahead of his England summer tour selection. The centre’s powerful running and eye for space opened the floodgates at The Rec and let his Bath teammates pour through to run riot in those final exchanges. He was only on briefly, but boy oh boy did he steal the show.
12 Seb Atkinson (Gloucester): The rise of the English out-and-out 12 was on full display this weekend, with Sale’s Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Harlequins’ Ben Waghorn both impressing, but we’ve gone for Gloucester’s Atkinson after his huge attacking exploits. He was a man on a mission at Kingston Park on Friday night, making 26 carries for 78 metres, two linebreaks and beating five defenders. His stock has soared this year and, after this performance, he seems more than likely to be involved with England in some capacity this summer.
11 Cadan Murley (Harlequins): There were some good wings on display at The Stoop this weekend, with Paul Brown-Bampoe impressing yet again, but we’ve just got his opposite number Murley ahead of him. The England international is looking back to the player that got the call-up for the Six Nations squad after a tough spell out with injury and this was showcased perfectly in his try. He led the way for his side ball-in-hand too, with 13 carries for 140 metres.
10 Marcus Smith (Harlequins): Again, splitting hairs here between George Ford, Finn Russell and Smith, but we’ve just – and we mean just – got the Harlequins man ahead this weekend. He seems to be finding his confidence once again, probably fuelled by the relief of making the Lions squad, and that is helping him have those X-factor moments we all know he can have. His try was something special, as he danced around four Exeter defenders, but he just looked to be playing with a smile on his face again and that’s when he’s at his best.
9 Ben Spencer (Bath): We so very nearly went with Danny Care on his final outing at The Stoop, and Will Porter and Raffi Quirke both impressed, but Spencer was a sight to behold on Saturday. The scrum-half once again was the mastermind behind Bath’s win, effortlessly pulling the strings with some really intelligent play. His combination with Russell continues to bring the best out in both of them, and it bodes well for Friday’s Challenge Cup final to see him at this level.
8 Alfie Barbeary (Bath): While a lot of the focus goes onto Bath’s bomb squad, the industrious work of Barbeary helped set the tone in their win over Leicester. As always, he made himself regularly available for work in the tight with nine carries for 32 metres and he got himself about in defence too. Another incredibly physical outing from the back-rower.
7 Josh Kemeny (Northampton): Henry Pollock is dominating talk within the Northampton back-row this year, as he should considering his remarkable form, but Kemeny has been quietly brilliant this year and he finally got some time under the spotlight on Saturday. The former Wallabies flanker, who catches the eye every time he pulls on the Saints jersey, worked his absolute socks off against the Saracens back-row and grabbed a deserved try for his efforts.
6 Ted Hill (Bath): Six was again a tightly fought area, with Alex Coles and Hanro Liebenberg both impressing as well, but Hill showed why there are calls for him to be in the England squad again this summer. He showcased just what an all-round talent he is in the win over Leicester, with impactful work in the tight and matching Adam Radwan for speed out wide too.
5 Maro Itoje (Saracens): We’re running out of compliments for Itoje this season, in all honesty, but he was yet again remarkable despite the loss. His work at the breakdown was key to their early success, leading the way with four turnovers and, as always, he got himself about in defence. Charlie Ewels was also in good touch for Bath.
4 Rusi Tuima (Exeter): While former Chief Jonny Hill gave a good account of himself for Sale, current Chief Tuima slots into our team. The England hopeful was at his marauding best at The Stoop, showcasing the form that got him into Borthwick’s extended squad last season and nabbing a tidy try for his efforts. If he continues like this he could get himself on the plane to the Americas.
3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks): A good weekend for English tightheads, with Will Stuart and Joe Heyes both playing well, but Sale’s Opoku-Fordjour continued his delightful form of late in their win over Bristol. Aside from his scrummaging, which is always good, he really put himself about around the park with 10 carries to his name and got stuck into tackles too.
2 Tom Dunn (Bath): On another day this could easily have been Sale’s Tadgh McElroy, but there was a lot to like about Dunn’s performance. He again gave them a really solid platform at the lineout, got heavily involved in the battle up-front and to round things off sold Freddie Steward a dream with that ridiculous dummy.
1 Tarek Haffar (Northampton): What a cameo from the Leicester Tigers-bound prop. His introduction lit the touchpaper for the Saints’ heroic comeback, changing the fortunes of the scrum and consistently getting his hands on the ball too. His tries were also very classy. Beno Obano put in yet another strong shift as well.
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