Team of the Week

A busy week of European action to go with the British & Irish Cup and a full slate of Pro D2 means there were plenty of players to pine over, but perhaps less competition than there should have been. Look for a couple new names below.

1 – Marcos Ayerza (Leicester) Came on early in the second half of a blow-out over Treviso in dreadful conditions, but still managed to do a job. Big hit on Cherif Traore was a highlight.

2 – Martín García Veiga (Jersey) Rock solid on the front lines against a very respectable Dragons Select side. Accurate at the set piece and right in the middle of two tries that came from rolling mauls.

3 – Gastón Cortes (Bristol) Absolutely mullered poor Ben Leung in the scrum as the Scarlets Selects fell in the B&I Cup. Cortes was so dominant he sent his opposite to the bin for repeat collapses, and then to an early shower as Leung was replaced immediately following.

4 – Manuel Carizza (Racing 92) Not quite as individually prominent as in weeks past, but still a big cog in the machine that steamrolled Scarlets. It really is a wonder he didn’t get the call for the World Cup given the form he’s been in for his club.

5 – Mariano Galarza (Gloucester) One of his side’s best in a sluggish victory over La Rochelle. Strong defensively and made a mess of the opposition’s lineout.

6 – Justin Blanchet (Bedford) A good 80-minute performance as the Blues took it to Ulster Ravens in the B&I Cup. Has an unquenchable thirst for making tackles.

7 – Sam Underhill (Ospreys) Wearing no6 but effectively a second openside, the 19-year-old was outstanding in the big win over Clermont. Looks likely to opt for England, but the Ohio-born star-in-the-making should be getting hourly text messages from John Mitchell to try and sway his allegiance.

8 – Robert Barbieri (Benetton Treviso) Spurred on by the chance to face his former club, the Italo-Canadian was easily the best of his middling side from the back of the scrum. Carried strongly and put in a solid shift in defense.

9 – Nicolás Vergallo (Tarbes) An opportunistic try from a messy scrum put Tarbes on the ascendency on the half-hour mark. Dictated play as Bayonne struggled to compete against a dominant forward pack.

10 – Ignacio Mieres (Dax) Scored all 18 points against Béziers with six penalty goals, only to see a last-gap try in the 79th minute cost his side a victory. An injury time shot sailed just wide but overall it was a strong effort that probably deserved a better result.

11 – DTH van der Merwe (Scarlets) His team were ravaged but the Canadian still found a way to the try-line following up Mase Paulino. Scarlets strategy should probably to just give him the ball and see what happens. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

12 – Juan Pablo Socino (Newcastle) It might seem a strange choice after Falcons were embarrassed in Russia, but it wasn’t Socino’s fault. The Argentine centre was one of few to show any glimpses of class, running strongly and distributing well.

13 – Marcelo Bosch (Saracens) Earned plenty of go-forward as Sarries dominated Ulster at Allianz Park. Spot on in defense, he wasn’t a game breaker but almost came away with a statistically perfect afternoon.

14 – Juan Imhoff (Racing 92) Played on the left wing but we’ll take him on the right this week. A brilliant performance going forward with two tries and oodles of metres as the form side in Europe slaughtered Scarlets at Yves-du-Manoir.

15 – Martín Bustos Moyano (Bayonne) A one-man show against Tarbes, scoring all 10 points for his team with a penalty, try, and sideline conversion. Outside break nearly created a second try with time expired.