Team of the Week

Our weekly selection is back after a week away on account of insufficient numbers. The European numbers were a bit stronger this week but the performances weren’t so flash. On the outskirts of European thoughts is the Italian Eccellenza, an ever-improving standard of rugby that is now bolstered with several top Argentine players. We’ve borrowed a few from that competition and also included a heavy dose of Americans from the California Cup which returned after a couple weeks off for the holidays.

1 – Titi Lamositele (Saracens) Came on early after Richard Barrington was sent off in the 11th minute and put in by far his longest shift of the season. Went to work on the heavy lifting and did well with his only offensive carry proving decisive – a try in the 74th minute to make it a draw with Exeter against the odds.

2 – Agustín Costa Repetto (Colomiers) Almost back to full cylinders again, his team pulverised the Bourgoin pack at the Stade Michel Bendichou. In the middle of one pushover scrum try and battered his way through two defenders for a try of his own from the back of a maul.

3 – Leandro Assi (Biarritz) Honorable mention to Gastón Cortes who had an excellent 20-minute cameo for Bristol against Northampton. Assi gets the nod for his overall contribution in the win over Dax, with a sneaky bit of obstruction close to the line opening the door for Elvis Levi to rumble over.

4 – Tai Tuisamoa (OMBAC) Veteran presence led the way in the big win over Life West. Huge work rate from the big man with his athleticism also on display in the lineout.

5 – Lucas Edwards (Old Aztecs) Despite only one win from four, Aztecs have shown plenty of guts and rapid improvement in their first run in a top-flight competition. Edwards has been one of the form locks in the competition, scoring his third try of the season in the win over Olympic on Saturday.

6 – Kyle Peterson (Olympic) Leggy flanker who is always among the most active on the pitch. Has been a good addition to the Olympic pack in the past two games and came away with a try in the loss to Aztecs on the weekend.

7 – Zach Bonte (Life West) The former UCLA star and Junior All-American was a standout in the tough match against OMBAC. Covered a huge amount of ground, proved a useful lineout target, and was rewarded with a try for his efforts.

8 – Todd Clever (OMBAC) Moved to the back of the scrum this week and showed his strength in the contact area. Also prominent in the lineout and notched a late try to make it four in two games in the California Cup.

9 – Mike Te’o (Belmont Shore) Lined up in the midfield but we need a halfback and with Devereaux Ferris not eligible for the Eagles we’ll draft in the versatile Te’o. Dangerous as ever with ball in hand and scored a try that gave shore a vital bonus point to keep their final hopes alive, if only just.

10 – Juan León Novillo (Calvisano) Another great game and this time we’ve kept him in his proper position. His man-of-the-match performance against Fiamme Oro saw him score 24 points with one try, five penalties, and two conversions in the 29-22 win.

11 – Chris Wyles (Saracens) Had to be on his toes defensively with Saracens down a man for virtually the entire match. Class as ever with his positioning and made the most of limited attacking opportunities.

12 – Juan Ignacio Brex (Viadana) Highly rated and once touted as a future Puma, at 23 years of age he still has some time on his side. Showing tremendous form with two more tries in the win over Piacenza bringing his total to six in just seven games.

13 – Nicolas Coronel (Lazio) The Pumas 7s export dotted down twice in the narrowest of defeats to Reggio on Saturday. Coronel has been once of the outstanding attacking backs in the Eccellenza this season, a group heavily populated by Argentines.

14 – Blaine Scully (Cardiff Blues) The Blues didn’t have a great day against the Warriors but Scully showed up and did his job. Capitalised on a Glasgow error to race away for a score and never shirked a tackle on a busy night.

15 – Kalei Konrad (OMBAC) Another player who can cover multiple positions, Konrad started in the midfield but with no obvious fullback to choose we’ll shift him to the back. Six successful kicks at goal for 15 points brings his total to 42 in four games, just one shy of Belmont Shore’s Andy Jackson for the top spot on the California Cup scoring tables.