Monday 18 February 2019 14:41, UK
With the return of Super Rugby plus jam-packed schedules elsewhere, individuals from both hemispheres combine to make up our latest Team of the Week.
From debutants making waves to wise old heads, our latest XV has a little bit of everything! Take a look at the team below and don't forget to vote for the player that you think stood out the most...
15. Matt Gallagher (Saracens)
The strength that Saracens have in the full-back position is second-to-none and Matt Gallagher's outing on Saturday proved that the club's reserves run deep.
The 22-year-old, who is a previous World Rugby U20s Championship winner, thoroughly deserved his man-of-the-match award as he delivered the goods on home turf.
The full-back combined together all the facets you need - solidity under the high-ball, good defensive work and being a potent threat in attack.
Gallagher's father John won the 1987 World Cup with New Zealand and he, alongside so many watching, will have greatly enjoyed his son's work.
14. Ollie Thorley (Gloucester Rugby)
This Cherry and White winger played with an 11 on his back but forgive us for shifting him across...
On Friday night Thorley was the talk of the town as Gloucester toppled Exeter Chiefs at Kingsholm. The back's stats give you a strong indication of his impact; 136 metres made, 15 carries, seven defenders beaten and five clean breaks.
From excellent aerial skills to power and pace, he certainly put his best foot forward and will continue to do so back in England's camp.
13. Braydon Ennor (Crusaders)
Super Rugby returned on Friday morning with the defending champions edging out the Blues at Eden Park and another man who took an opportunity presented to him was their outside-centre.
Braydon Ennor was faced with the prospect of an incredibly experienced player opposite him - Ma'a Nonu - and his performance ignited social media.
Ennor regularly broke the Blues defensive line, kept his council in defence and was instrumental in creating opportunities using his searing pace. At just 21 years old he's one for the now, and for the future too.
12. Piers Francis (Northampton Saints)
Northampton Saints 67... Sale Sharks 17.
If you'd not seen that full-time result yet then do not adjust your screens, it is correct. Chris Boyd's Saints side ended Sale's five-game unbeaten Premiership run and they did so in outstanding style.
Nine tries over the course of the 80 minutes had Saints' home fans grinning from ear to ear as their team opened up.
Piers Francis was making his return from injury and made his presence felt throughout, most notably setting up one of Cobus Reinach's two tries with an offload of the highest order.
11. Rosko Specman (Bulls)
If you've watched the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on Sky Sports then you'll be very familiar with the name Rosko Specman and you'll be familiar with how he lights up a rugby field.
The former Blitzbok has ignited the World Series for years and his athleticism is out of this world.
For some, just having a solid debut for a new side is enough, but not for Specman as he introduced himself by scoring twice through jinking and flying all over the park.
His acceleration is mind-blowing, he's tenacious and hungry for work. Specman has set a high bar for himself but it's one that you expect him to live up to.
A word also for Bath's Joe Cokanasiga who played a full 80 at the Rec and bounced instantly back after a long injury lay-off.
10. Enzo Selponi (Perpignan)
Whenever you ask players about facing their former sides or teams that they had an affinity to, they'll tell you that it makes the heart beat a little faster and sharpens the mind a little more.
For Perpignan's fly-half Enzo Selponi, who was born in Montpellier and used to ply his trade there, his sharpened focus produced the goods at the weekend.
Away from home Selponi kicked eight from eight, his game management steered the ship exactly as it should and his overall productivity went a long way towards Perpignan securing their first win of the Top 14 season.
9. Cobus Reinach (Northampton Saints)
Reinach's excellent form means that he's been a regular member of our team of the week and when it came to the battle of the two South African scrum-halves at Franklin's Gardens, Reinach got the better of Faf de Klerk.
This season the livewire has put his foot on the accelerator and not looked back. The 29-year-old's distribution provides the pace that Saints require and his own pace is sublime.
Reinach is another who comes from a sporting family, his father sprinted for South Africa, and he's fast becoming one of the Premiership's most prolific try-scorers with eight so far. Only Jonny May has scored more [9].
Before we move into the pack, a moment must be taken to appreciate the work of Danny Care at The Stoop. From beginning to end he showed his class, Care put an exceptional kicking game on the park, played with tenacity and created a gap from nothing for his second-half try.
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Sticking with Saturday's match at The Stoop, Joe Marler was another who showed the fruits of his considerable experience during Quins' 47-33 win over Worcester.
The home side had the bonus point in the bag after 34 minutes but just before the break the Warriors were pressing hard.
With a penalty to them the visitors decided to take a scrum in pursuit of the platform for points and it proved to be a bad call. Why? Well, Marler and his fellow forwards folded them in half and won the penalty against the put-in.
2. Anaru Rangi (Rebels)
In the words of Sky Sports commentator Rupert Cox, 'He's got cult hero written all over him'.
Anaru Rangi capped the start of the new Super Rugby term with his second ever try in the competition as the Rebels got the better of the Brumbies.
Rangi's try-scoring moment came eight minutes into the second half when he showed outstanding power to brush off three defenders and dot down.
3. Carlu Sadie (Lions)
While Tyrel Lomax was impressive for the Highlanders, Carlu Sadie's performance against the Jaguares secures him the final spot in our front-row.
Sadie coupled a big display at scrum-time with defensive solidity making 10 tackles and missing none. He added three turnovers to his 60 minutes of work as the Lions recorded their first ever win in Argentina.
4. Ultan Dillane (Connacht Rugby)
Connacht had to come from behind in order to secure victory as the Cheetahs pushed them hard at The Sportsground.
In their engine room, the 25-year-old produced a man-of-the-match performance and one that was built on nailing his positional fundamentals. Dillane made 18 carries and nine tackles alongside pulling his weight at the set-piece.
5. Lood de Jager (Bulls)
Starting the new season at home with a 40-3 victory is exactly the way to lay solid foundations for the new term and that's exactly what the Bulls did.
We spoke earlier about the electric Specman in their back-line and in the pack their powerful captain led by example.
De Jager disrupted the Stormers set-piece, made more tackles than any other man on the park [15] and provided some calming words to his team early on which helped them to settle.
6. Marnus Schoeman (Lions)
We're heading back to the match in Argentina for the first of our back-row unit... enter stage right Marnus Schoeman.
Schoeman was instrumental as his side turned around a 13-5 deficit after half-an-hour at the Jose Amalfitani Stadium.
He had an eye for a score and used his power to provide a much-needed hat-trick for the Lions. It was the only Super Rugby hat-trick of the weekend and a prime example of yet another player grabbing a personal opportunity with both hands.
7. Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
The 32-year-old returned to the Gallagher Premiership for the first time since knee surgery in October and had a stormer for Harlequins.
Robshaw was clearly enjoying being fit again and attacked the match with vigour. His trademark work-rate saw him make more tackles than any other player [17] and on top of that he delivered some pivotal turnovers.
With England's back row looking settled, the Harlequin knows that he'll need to reach the high notes in order for Eddie Jones to re-introduce him into the international mix and that's exactly what he did on Saturday afternoon.
8. Akira Ioane (Blues)
If you have Duane Vermeulen or Northampton Saints' Tom Wood in your XV then there's no arguments from us because both were exceptional for their respective sides. However, we've opted to hand this week's eight jersey to Akira Ioane who looked so dangerous with ball in hand.
Again, it's time for the stats to do the talking; Ioane notched up 100 metres (a number only surpassed by his full-back), made 20 carries (leader of the pack), he beat four defenders and put in seven tackles.
The back-row forward looked incredibly powerful but also retained his pace and engine. In all, the quality of his outing was befitting of his 50th appearance for the Blues, the only thing that he missed out on was a W.
