Team of the Week

It was all domestic action this past weekend with the European club competitions in high gear. Also getting a look was the RFU Championship, the Spanish Liga Heineken, the URBA Top 12, and an historic match in Halifax between the Ontario Arrows and the New England Free Jacks.

1 – Anthony Parry (Free Jacks) Threw the match commentary for a loop by switching jerseys before the match, but he will get his due in the end. Parry looked fit and hungry in the loose for New England and scored not just the first try but the first two tries in Free Jacks history. Ontario’s Rob Brouwer is unlucky to miss out after his strong game.

2 – AJ Quattrin (Arrows) One of his best games in an Arrows shirt. Accurate in the set piece and very physical around the pitch. One thumping tackle on Ronan McCusker was particularly memorable. Martín García Veiga was a try-scorer again for Barcelona and New England’s Diego Maquieira had a fine game in the loose both in defense and on attack.

3 – Tom Dolezel (Arrows) Ontario crushed New England in the scrum and Big Tom was a big part of that. Answering the call to fill in with Cole Keith away on Canada duty, the veteran also got around the pitch well with several effective carries into heavy traffic.

4 – Brett Beukeboom (Cornish Pirates) His team came up short against an inspired Bedford side but the captain did his share of battling. Managed to get through a full 80 minutes and remains in good form ahead of Canada’s fast-approaching World Cup Qualifiers.

5 – Tom van Horne (Arrows) Take your pick of the Ontario locks. The Arrows tight five had their way with the Free Jacks in the first half with both captain Mike Sheppard and the try-scorer van Horne very prominent in all facets. Myles McQuone made a positive impact for New England in the second half.

6 – Evan Olmstead (Auckland) Has made an outstanding contribution to the side down the stretch, securing his spot in the run-on side and will now play in the Mitre 10 Cup final against Canterbury this weekend. Olmstead was excellent in the Semi Final win over Wellington and must be getting a long look from the Blues selectors for a potential Super Rugby deal.

7 – Benito Paolucci (CASI) A graduate of the Pumitas u20 program, the 22-year-old captained his side to victory over Lomas. He didn’t get his name on the score sheet but he was all over the pitch, crashing into defenders and feverishly supporting his teammates at the breakdown.

8 – Federico Ruiz (Regatas) One of the form loose forwards in the URBA over the past three seasons but he hasn’t been rewarded with international recognition since playing for the Argentina u18s in 2014. Ruiz made up for a yellow card with two tries and a dominant performance in the big win over CUBA.

9 – Juan Manuel Lescano (Ordizia) One of the form halfbacks in Spain, the Argentina XV export directed his team to a crushing win over Aparejadores. Scored one try and kept the pace too high for his opponents to hold the gainline.

10 – Will Hooley (Bedford) It’s never easy to win at the Mennaye, especially against a confident Pirates side who are in the top third of the table. Hooley kicked superbly for the Blues both from hand and the tee, from which he gathered 12 points. Valentín Cruz was deadly for Ordizia, scoring an impressive 22 points from nine successful shots at goal.

11 – DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors) Scored an early try against Cardiff Blues and followed it up with a handful of line breaks. In cracking form at the moment, a great sign for Canada with the Repechage just around the corner. Chile’s Franco Velarde scored for Barcelona in the close defeat to Alcobendas.

12 – Patricio Fernández (Clermont Auvergne) With no standout inside center we’ve shifted Fernández to a position we think he could excel in. ASM crushed Timisoara with the Argentine kicking a perfect 10 from 10 conversions and in complete control of the Clermont attack. Will he get the call for Los Pumas?

13 – Andrew Coe (Arrows) Has largely been considered a fullback up to now but the UBC star looks very much at home in the midfield. Coe scored two tries against the Free Jacks, the first a classic outside break and the second a wonderful display of footballing skill.

14 – Santiago Cordero (Exeter Chiefs) Once again it was the left wingers who stood tall so we’ve draft Cordero to the right. He was superb again for the Chiefs, scoring a try in a close loss to Castres. On the other side of the pitch Taylor Paris was an attacking force for the French champions.

15 – Cooper Coats (Arrows) Playing on home turf the exciting prospect landed five from six shots at goal, some at very challenging angles. Also finished off a try and created the second for Coe. Could be a very savvy addition to the Arrows for the MLR season.