Team of the Week

The last big weekend of European rugby pool play and the British & Irish Cup is now past us. It wasn’t the prettiest, as happens when you play rugby in January, but there are some bright spots as far as Americas players are concerned, so here’s our picks for this week’s select side.

1 – Marcos Ayerza (Leicester) Won’t soon forget the bump-off from Jonathan Danty, and to be fair it wasn’t his best ever match. He did do alright in the arm-wrestle against Rabah Slimani in the scrum, so that’s just about enough to make the side this week with alternatives hard to come by.

2 – Martín García Veiga (Jersey) Came on in the final quarter and made an impact as he helped spur a come-from-behind win against Doncaster, with Fautua Otto’s crossing on the final play of the match.

3 – Gastón Cortes (Bristol) Another good game as his side felled Scarlets in the British & Irish Cup. Busy in defense, a couple strong carries, and solid in the scrum.

4 – Brett Beukeboom (Cornish Pirates) Good form continues as the Pirates pillaged the Welsh at Old Deer Park. Nothing flash, put his head down and did the dirty work for a dominant forward pack.

5 – Leandro Cedaro (La Rochelle) Much better performance from the Italo-Argentine. Strong on the carry, and more then useful in the lineout, pinching two throws from Worcester.

6 – Cam Dolan (Cardiff Blues) Not the toughest opposition he’s ever faced, but you can’t penalise him for playing well. Heavily involved as a link man including two line breaks, and dominant in the lineout.

7 – Justin Blanchet (Bedford) Strong in the tackle as usual, and got involved with ball in hand more this week. Quality 80 minute performance as the Blues defeated Scarlets Selects.

8 – Aaron Carpenter (Cornish Pirates) Another game as skipper, another try, another win in the bank. Doing all the right things and leading the charge for the Pirates at the moment.

9 – Agustín Ormaechea (Mont-de-Marsan) Man-of-the-match performance as Montois took the spoils over visiting Montauban. Controlled the game from the base with slick distribution and accurate kicking.

10 – Benjamín Urdapilleta (Castres) Returned to the starting lineup after several weeks out with injury and led the team to a strong win over Pau. Two penalty goals and a conversion to go with strong defense and a nice mix of running and passing to keep the defense honest.

11 – Horacio Agulla (Bath) Didn’t get the win against Toulon, but he was busy with several strong runs and accurate defense. Nearly scored on a half-break and it set up a try for Anthony Watson.

12 – Juan Pablo Socino (Newcastle) Big part of a confidence-boosting win for Falcons over Brive. Hard run up the middle set up a try for Alex Tait, his passing and kicking game created space for the outside backs.

13 – Marcelo Bosch (Saracens) Not often you get a European win over Toulouse at their headquarters. Not the most expansive game ever but the Pumas centre was solid on both side of the ball.

14 – Sam Blanchet (Bedford) Let’s make it a double! Powerful presence on the wing, frequently coming inside for work and a fine outside break for a try late in the match.

15 – Martín Bustos Moyano (Bayonne) Three penalty goals to counter Felipe Berchesi’s efforts for Carcassonne. Good coverage at the back as his side picked up an important win.