Team of the Week

Close to a full weekend of European club action means we can actually throw together a reasonable team this week. Lots of players – particularly in Pro D2 – didn’t have a great week but a few did put their hands up, including a couple newcomers to our weekly selections.

1 – Marcos Ayerza (Leicester) Much improved after the disaster against Saracens last weekend. Strong at the set piece and made several tackles around the fringes.

2 – Agustín Costa Repetto (Tarbes) Nabbed an opportunist try off the back of a skew lineout throw, he was in a rambunctious mood against Colomiers. Seems to be enjoying his rugby at the age of 33.

3 – Lucas Martínez (Castres) A great lump of a prop in the classic mold, the uncapped Argentine made his run-on debut a winning one. A big scrum earned three points in the first half, and he even made an unlikely line break from a nice support line.

4 – Cameron Pierce (Pau) A lively performance though his side came up short against Castres. High work rate in the in the loose as a support player and tackler, and a primary target in the lineout.

5 – Manuel Carizza (Racing 92) Continues a rich vein of form, featuring heavily in the middle of an overwhelming forward effort against Glasgow. Rewarded with a try from a driving maul at the death.

6 – Jebb Sinclair (London Irish) Powerful and committed performance, particularly in defense. Big hit in the opening seconds set the tone and scored a key turnover soon after.

7 – Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Toulon) Superb man-of-the-match performance from the skipper. Four turnovers, a lineout steal, running, passing, tackling, he did it all – and damaged ribs in the process.

8 – Sergio Parisse (Stade Français) Yet another captain’s performance as Stade embarrassed Munster in Paris. Showing no ill-effects from the thigh problem that laid him low during the World Cup.

9 – Agustín Ormaechea (Mont-de-Marsan) Charge-down try just after the break proved vital to his side’s narrow win over Provence. Vocal and decisive as he organized his forwards well.

10 – Sebastián Poet (Tarbes) Didn’t get the win but kept his side in the game with his trusty left boot. Scored eight points before coming off after an hour.

11 – DTH van der Merwe (Scarlets) No tries this week but plenty of metres racked up with ball in hand. Right up there among the best wingers in Europe at the moment.

12 – Juan Pablo Socino (Newcastle) Another who stood out in a losing effort. Powerful in contact and a fine distributor. Still bizarrely ignored for the kicking duties.

13 – Ciaran Hearn (London Irish) Has made an immediate impact in the Premiership. Strong running set a target for the forwards and rock solid in defense in a massive win for the Exiles.

14 – Juan Imhoff (Racing 92) Not many chances going forward, but still managed some go-forward and made a couple nice offloads. Made several tackles in defense.

15 – Martín Bustos Moyano (Bayonne) Lined up on the wing but effectively a second fullback against Aurillac in the cold and wet of Stade Jean Daugier. Covered well and helped his team to a one-point win.