Ten clubs are represented in our team of the week, which includes Wallaby great George Smith and hat-trick heroes Gael Fickou and Josua Tuisova.
15. Robbie Henshaw
Henshaw made an impressive return to Connacht colours as they went top of the Guinness PRO12 with victory over Treviso at the Sportsground.
Named at full-back, the 22-year-old ran a great line late in the first half that should have resulted in a try for John Cooney, and he touched down shortly after the resumption when he showed great hands to pick up the ball up off the deck and beat two defenders out wide.
Henshaw was impressive throughout with ball in hand. The Athlone native beat nine defenders as he made 156 metres from his 23 carries, while he also made five tackles in defence and forced a turnover.
14. Josua Tuisova
All eyes were on Quade Cooper at the Stade Felix Mayol but it was Tuisova who stole the show as he surged to the top of the try-scoring charts with a second-half hat-trick against Montpellier.
The Fijian was teed up by Cooper and his half-back partner Joanthan Pelissie for his opening two tries, and he completed a 16-minute treble when he claimed Anthony Floch's grubber kick and raced downfield.
13. Elliot Daly
Irrespective of who is in charge of England come the Six Nations, they won't be able to ignore Daly if he maintains this form.
The Wasps centre boomed over two 56-metre penalties - and another from 46 metres - during the first half against Gloucester, and he was also heavily involved in the game's first moment of real quality, running a great line to take Charles Piutau's pass and set up Christian Wade for the opening try.
Daly's defensive performance was also impressive during his 62 minutes of action, much to the delight of Wasps head coach Dai Young.
"Elliot did the simple things well," he said. "He drew people, put others into space and his kicking was excellent."
12. Gael Fickou
New France coach Guy Noves was at the Stade Ernest-Wallon to watch his former side and he would have been impressed by the performance of 21-year-old Fickou.
The talented centre made just one start at the World Cup, scoring a try in the win over Romania, and he looked intent on impressing Philippe Saint-Andre's successor as he bagged a hat-trick against Grenoble.
Fickou broke the deadlock on 12 minutes and added two more after the interval, latching onto Toby Flood's perfectly-weighted grubber for Toulouse's sixth try and then profiting from a Grenoble handling error to race downfield and score his third.
11. Eli Walker
The Wales wing bagged a double as the Ospreys picked up a much-needed win against Zebre at the Liberty Stadium.
The Ospreys had lost five of their opening six PRO12 games but another defeat never looked likely as they ran in six tries, Walker scoring one in each half.
One of the many Wales backs to have their World Cup hopes dashed by injury, Walker scored his first try of the season on 26 minutes when he barged over in the corner, and he came off his wing just after the hour mark to grab his second.
10. Gareth Steenson
The Irishman scored all 19 of Exeter's points as they defeated Leicester to move into second place in the Aviva Premiership.
The fly-half made the bold decision to kick an early penalty into touch but it paid dividends as he stretched for the line following a catch and drive. He added the extras and kicked two penalties to put his 13-3 ahead at the interval.
Steenson beat three defenders from his five carries while also making five tackles, and he kicked two late penalties to secure a third successive victory.
9. Sebastien Bezy
The Toulouse scrum-half crossed for two tries in nine first-half minutes as they fired a warning shot at Saracens ahead of Saturday's crunch Champions Cup opener.
Bezy crossed in the corner on 22 minutes after Louis Picamoles peeled off the back of a powerful scrum, and he sandwiched a Toby Flood effort by scoring to the right of the posts after a sweet offload from Christopher Tolofua.
Bezy made three breaks and beat four defenders, while also completing six tackles as Grenoble were punished for sending a weakened team to the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
1. Mako Vunipola
Vunipola put in a terrific shift in defence as Saracens ground out a 12-6 win over Northampton at Franklin's Gardens.
The England prop made all 10 of his tackles and also carried effectively as the Premiership champions maintained their winning start to the season.
The concession of a scrum penalty will frustrate the 24-year-old but it fails to overshadow an impressive outing, one of few highlights in what was a truly forgettable contest.
2. Dave Heffernan
Heffernan made a huge impact on his first appearance of the season as Connacht clinched five successive wins for the first time since 2002.
The 24-year-old made 18 tackles against Treviso, the joint-highest along with Andrew Browne, while nine of his 10 lineout throws found its intended target.
Heffernan was forced to return to the pitch after replacement Tom McCartney injured himself in the act of scoring but his levels didn't drop, making a total of 12 carries and gaining 38 metres.
3. Mike Ross
Ross picked the perfect time to score his first try in two and a half years as Leinster ended Scarlets' unbeaten run at the RDS.
The Ireland tighthead burrowed over from close range on 44 minutes for his second ever try for the province, and once again formed an integral part of Leinster's scrum as they won all six of their own put-ins.
4. Leone Nakarawa
The fantastic Fijian once again caught the eye as the PRO12 champions picked up their second successive victory. Nakarawa scored the opening try from Glasgow's first serious visit to the Cardiff 22 when he stretched out an arm from the base of a ruck.
The 27-year-old was also involved in the Warriors' second. Although his basketball pass didn't go to hand it still resulted in a try for Taqele Naiyaravoro.
Nakarawa made four offloads in total but also put in a shift in defence, making 11 tackles, and he formed part of a well-oiled Glasgow lineout, claiming four throws at the front.
5. Jonny Gray
Gray was appointed Glasgow captain last week after signing a new three-year deal and he led from the front at the Arms Park.
The Scotland lock was outstanding in defence and made a whopping 19 tackles, missing none. He also carried 11 times, mainly as a one-out runner, and claimed the Warriors' fourth try with seven minutes remaining from a pick and go.
6. Dave Ewers
Sky Sports pundit Stuart Barnes described Ewers' performance against Leicester as 'exceptional' and we're in agreement.
The Exeter back row was at his ball-carrying best, making two breaks and beating four defenders as he gained 33 metres from his nine carries.
Chiefs team-mate Julian Salvi says Ewers is 'a special player' and a first England cap could be on the cards for the 25-year-old in the Six Nations.
7. George Smith
The Wallaby legend continues to show no signs of ageing as he produced a man-of-the-match performance in Wasps' crushing win over Gloucester.
The talismanic openside played the full 80 minutes and made a team-high 15 tackles, while also forcing two turnover.
Smith was denied his first try in Wasps colours as referee Ian Tempest went underneath the posts for a penalty try, but he was effective with ball in hand and made some strong carries.
8. Alex Tulou
The 28-year-old touched down twice in nine minutes as Castres dragged themselves away from the foot of the Top 14 table with a bonus-point win over Racing.
Leading by four at half-time, Tulou put daylight between the sides when he burrowed over from close range, and he then raced through for his second after Racing failed to deal with a Castres maul.
Tulou was replaced on the hour mark, with Castres' third win of the campaign secured. They travel to French rivals Pau in the Challenge Cup on Saturday night.