Team of the Week

What a week for rugby in the Americas! We had players involved across competitions in France, the UK, in Super Rugby, and in a world first the USA. Had the other PRO match been broadcast we might have had four American teams to choose from… sorry Denver, see you when you get to California.

1 – Marcos Ayerza (Leicester) Dan Cole had some problems but Ayerza did his job in the scrum. Stern defense and even got in a couple offloads as Tigers felled the Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.

2 – Ray Barkwill (Sacramento) Wasted no time endearing himself to the Bonney faithful. Top work in the set piece and never far from the battle in the loose.

3 – Olive Kilifi (Sacramento) Doesn’t concede bulk to opponents often, but got the best of Maka Tameilau in the scrum anyway. Earned hard yards on slow ball and was rewarded with a try from a pick-and-go.

4 – Pablo Huete (Bayonne) Played a key role in a dominant pack effort against Tarbes. Strong in the lineout and always a short ball option off the ruck.

5 – Rodrigo Capó Ortega (Castres) Enormous defensive presence from the old warhorse. Smashed anything that came near with a ball and led his team to a fine victory.

6 – Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Toulon) Wasn’t involved much ball-in-hand, but was arguably the best defender on the field. A full 80 minute effort from the old master.

7 – John Quill (Sacramento) Has put himself straight back into the shop window for Eagles contention. A man-of-the-match performance both with his carrying and his constant presence in the tackle area.

8 – Facundo Isa (Jaguares) Not a great day for Los Jaguares but their abrasive no8 certainly put his hand up. A huge number of effective carries and a sneaky try around the back of a maul.

9 – Tomás Cubelli (Brumbies) Another good day at the office for the Pumas halfback. Mixed up his play nicely with several darts around the fringes and some high quality tactical kicking.

10 – Benjamín Urdapilleta (Castres) Four penalties and three conversions for 18 points in the win over Grenoble. Cross kick ended in a try for Alex Tulou, and brilliant chip and gather put Maritino Nemani away. An outstanding game for the left-footed Argentine.

11 – Lucas Caneda (Provence) Perfect support line and offload put Sonny Cecot in for a try early in the second half. Pounced on a loose ball and showed his pace to sprint half the field for his own score to wrap up the win over Bourgoin.

12 – Juan Pablo Socino (Newcastle) Helped the Falcons to a critical win over London Irish to all but secure their spot in the Premiership next season. Ran hard and his distribution kept the Exiles defense guessing.

13 – Nick Blevins (San Francisco) The ‘Canadian Wall’ had a memorable first outing in PRO Rugby. Nice offload off the deck created a try for Siupeli Sakalia, and put in some big hits, particularly that one on Rashad Harbor.

14 – Matt Evans (Cornish Pirates) Harbor gets an honourable mention for some excellent footwork and a try-saving tackle, but Evans squeezes in once again. Scored yet another try just after kickoff against the Welsh and threatened with each touch of the ball.

15 – Garrett Brewer (Sacramento) We can’t let him off the hook entirely for a soft tackle attempt on Volney Rouse, or the one-handed try that wasn’t… but the good outweighs the bad this week. Scored a terrific grab-and-go try in the first half and added some very nice tactical kicks from the back.