Team of the Week

Despite a decent spread of Americas players in the European finals they didn’t quite shower themselves with glory. The Jaguares lost and with only the Pro D2 left to look for players it’s a scrappy selection this week, but one we’ll have to live with. Next week we’ll have a new group of players to file through as PRO Rugby debuts on the weekend.

1 – Carlos Muzzio (Mont-de-Marsan) Gave his opposite a beating in the scrum and put in a good shift in the loose. Leicester Tigers won big but Marcos Ayerza had a rough day against Rabah Slimani so misses out to Muzzio.

2 – Agustín Costa Repetto (Tarbes) Part of a massive forward effort in the upset win over league leaders Lyon. Accurate with his throwing and put on plenty of heat in the scrum.

3 – Ariel Castellina (Colomiers) Only his fourth start of the season but the old Puma made it count. A couple barreling runs kept his team on the front foot and his scrum work was top drawer as ever.

4 – Guido Petti (Jaguares) Not overly noticeable going forward but put himself about in defense. A big game at the lineout winning the vast majority of his team’s throw-ins.

5 – Jebb Sinclair (London Irish) Big effort in the trenches as Exiles gave Harlequins an almighty scare but couldn’t quite close it out. Solid in the set piece and linked well in the loose.

6 – Tomás Leonardi (Sunwolves) Decent match at no8 in a losing cause. Carried and defended well, so we’ll take him on the flank for this team.

7 – Rodrigo Báez (Jaguares) A strong secondary target in the lineout, and also contributed a few decent carries. Big game in defense putting in a boat load of tackles.

8 – Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais) Won’t be pleased with Morne Steyn, that’s for sure. A very good game from the captain who deserved more than what his team game him.

9 – Martín Landajo (Jaguares) Handed a freebie to Brad Shields but then skinned him on a break to call it even. Otherwise he had a decent game, keeping the defense honest and providing quick service.

10 – Shane O’Leary (Connacht) A mixed bag, but it was always a big ask for him to start such a big game with so little match preparation. Cross kick to Robbie Henshaw made one try, swift distribution contributed to a couple others. Connacht were still winning when he came off.

11 – Juan Imhoff (Racing 92) Quick thinking snagged him a intercept try in the early moments that proved crucial in the huge win over Toulon. Mostly involved in kick coverage otherwise, but big plays are often enough to get you a look-in on this team.

12 – Ignacio Mieres (Dax) One of the better players in the black jersey. Disrupted the Biarritz midfield in defense and added eight points with the boot.

13 – Matías Moroni (Jaguares) No real contenders this week, so Moroni gets the nod for a couple big plays. His intercept try gave the team the lead for a short time, and he also won a turnover in defense. A shame he never really saw the ball otherwise.

14 – Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz) Winding down his time at Biarritz in top form. Notched another signature long-range breakaway try in the win over Dax.

15 – Chris Wyles (Saracens) Pounced on a loose ball to score an opportunist try. Another who didn’t get a lot to do otherwise but is good enough to move into the fullback spot this week.