Team of the Week

Amidst the off-field excitement we almost forgot that there was some on-field excellence from this past weekend. The European Champions and Challenge Cup had first consideration of course but there were also players in the Pro D2, British & Irish Cup, and California Cup to watch out for. The American competition enters the spotlight this week with four players selected for their contributions in Round 3 of the six-week season.

1 – Mason Pedersen (Belmont Shore) Having been tested on both sides of the scrum, the 20-year-old looks to be settling in at loosehead for the time being and looks to be improving with each outing. Enjoyed a solid outing in the scrum against heavyweight Tasi Toilolo and had enough gas in the tank to get his name on the try-scoring sheet in the big win over Old Aztecs.

2 – Travis Moscone (Olympic) A mobile and athletic hooker, the former UCal Golden Bears rake has been a bright spot for a struggling Olympic side in the opening rounds of the California Cup. Moscone scored a try against league leaders Life West to give the scoreboard a more respectable look.

3 – Paddy Ryan (Newcastle) Added to the European roster and though he only had a 25-minute run against Lyon, he managed to impress with a number of carries and some solid defense. Should start to see more game time with Falcons nursing a few injuries.

4 – Tyler Hotson (Richmond) Helped set the platform for a remarkable 20-12 win over Nottingham, a team who had beaten Richmond by 40 points just a week earlier and had in fact fielded a stronger side on the weekend. Hotson added strength to the scrum and experience to the lineout as Richmond recorded just their third win since the first of September.

5 – Nick Civetta (Newcastle) Getting more game time and is putting in some consistent shifts. Against Lyon he had a couple effective carries and along with second row partner Calum Green controlled the lineout. Has made clear progress since joining Falcons in the pre-season.

6 – Adam Lee (Richmond) The rugged Argentine flanker put in several big hits in defense in the excellent win over Nottingham. More than happy to get stuck into the dirty work while his back row mates Tom Sargeant and Harry Edwards were allowed to rumble and pillage in the loose.

7 – Todd Clever (OMBAC) A late addition to the OMBAC starting lineup, the Eagles captain wasted no time getting re-acquainted with his club’s attacking mindset. Three tries later and Old Mission Beach were back in the picture for the final, with the veteran flanker pleased to have helped work out new co-operative deal between OMBAC and Austin Huns to take part in the competition.

8 – Cam Dolan (Cardiff Premiership Select) Stepped in to lead the side when Ethan Lewis went down injured and he never let his side down despite coming up short to Ulster ‘A’ in their British & Irish Cup tilt at Sardis Road. Big fend put him into the corner for a try and his intercept against the run of play put Ben Jones away for another score.

9 – Agustín Ormaechea (Mont-de-Marsan) Back in the starting lineup and Uruguay’s favorite scrumhalf made all the different with his quick thinking and sharp service. Continues to be among the best halfbacks – if not the best – in the Pro D2, and one can’t help but feel he should be plying his trade in the Top 14.

10 – Sebastián Poet (Charente) There is suddenly lots of competition for the spot with Benjamín Urdapilleta and Connor Braid both performing well, but Poet cannot be denied his marvelous effort for the SA XV. An individual haul of 21 points included four penalty goals and the match-winning try that he converted himself to hand Charente a 26-25 win over Colomiers.

11 – Horacio Agulla (Castres) A wonderful take in the end zone of Urdapilleta’s cross-kick with oustretched arms saw the former Puma touch down in the corner for a first half try. Came off his wing and carried with good effect in the win over Montpellier.

12 – Juan Pablo Socino (Newcastle) A fine season continues for the Argentine center, who landed his fifth and sixth tries of the season for Falcons as they blasted Lyon at Kingston Park on Saturday. Socino’s burst through the line also created a score for Zach Kibirige, and he stood in at first receiver to make another for Tane Takulua.

13 – Max Paronelli (Belmont Shore) Honorable mention to Thretton Palamo whose defense helped Bristol to a second win over Pau, but it’s the attack-minded Paronelli who gets the nod after his two-try performance against Old Aztecs. The hard-running center earned top reviews for his work on both sides of the ball as Shore eye up a run at the final in the New Year.

14 – Takudzwa Ngwenya (Brive) It was a bit of a field day for the Eagles flyer who danced his way through Russian club Enisei STM on his way to two tries on Friday evening. It brings his total to five tries in eight matches for Brive this season. Not a bad return for a 31-year-old who doesn’t seem to have lost much if any of his trademark acceleration.

15 – Matt Evans (Cornish Pirates) There are good days and there are not-so-good days and Evans somehow managed to have both for Pirates on Sunday. A top-class first half saw him score one try and cause great distress in the London Irish defense, but then a knee injury saw him carried off early in the second half with club and country fans both deeply concerned for the well-being of their star fullback.