Monday 16 January 2017 18:20, UK
Twelve teams are represented in our team of the week following a gripping penultimate round of fixtures in the Champions Cup.
Irish provinces Leinster and Connacht, who registered landslide home wins over Montpellier and Zebre respectively, have two players included and so do Exeter after their impressive victory at home to Ulster.
There were also some outstanding displays from teams that were on the losing side over the weekend, including Charles Piutau and Glasgow prop Zander Fagerson.
15. Alex Lozowski (Saracens)
The 23-year-old shone in the unfamiliar position of full-back, creating two of Saracens’ three tries at Parc y Scarlets.
Great hands from Lozowski put George Earle over in the corner for the game’s opening try and he ran a brilliant line in the second half to take Owen Farrell’s pass and tee up Chris Ashton for his first five-pointer.
Lozowski was a constant thorn in the Scarlets’ side, making three breaks and beating five defenders as he made 163 metres from 15 carries.
14. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
There was an engrossing battle on the wing at Sandy Park as Nowell came up against Ulster’s Charles Piutau.
It was first blood to Piutau when his footwork bamboozled Nowell for Ulster’s second try but Nowell’s response was impressive, weaving around Sean Reidy and Piutau to tee up Michele Campagnaro on 53 minutes.
Five missed tackles won’t go down well with Rob Baxter - or Eddie Jones - but two line breaks, five defenders beaten and 108 metres from 17 carries softens the blow.
Nowell pips Chris Ashton to the No 14 shirt. The Saracen was excellent against Scarlets, constantly coming off his wing looking for work and his support lines were rewarded with two tries.
13. Michele Campagnaro (Exeter Chiefs)
Campagnaro shone on his first European start of the season and his two-try display comes at the perfect time for Italy coach Conor O’Shea.
The centre sold a dummy to break between Ireland pair Andrew Trimble and Rory Best to score his first, and ran a great support line to take Jack Nowell pass for his second.
Campagnaro made a team-high 111 metres from 11 carries which included two line breaks and he also worked his socks off in defence, making 10 tackles and winning a turnover.
He edges out Elliot Daly, who scored a fantastic individual try in Wasps’ last-gasp win over Toulouse.
12. Scott Williams (Scarlets)
The 26-year-old looks in pole position for a starting spot in Wales’ midfield after another man-of-the-match performance against Saracens.
Williams was outstanding with ball in hand and his excellent running lines were rewarded on 52 minutes when he took Aled Davies’ pass to cross underneath the posts.
The centre gained 50 metres from 10 carries and made two line breaks, while he also put in a shift in defence, making six tackles and missing none.
11. Charles Piutau (Ulster)
It’s a huge shame that we won’t see Piutau showcase his talents in the Champions Cup knockout stages. The All Black was irresistible in attack against Exeter, his footwork bamboozling the home defence as he scored two tries.
Piutau beat an incredible 11 defenders as he made 125 metres from 18 carries. Even late on, when Ulster were consigned to defeat and he was suffering from cramp, the 25-year-old continued to put his hand up and carry to the line.
10. Johnny Sexton (Leinster)
The 31-year-old ran the show on Friday night, albeit against an off-colour Montpellier side. Sexton showed great variety to unlock the visiting defence, from inside passes to a precise kicking game.
Irish fans held their breath when Sexton was rocked by Frans Steyn’s high tackle but the fly-half picked up where he left off when he returned to the pitch.
Sexton looped a pass over two defenders to put Isa Nacewa in for the first try of the night, and he made just one handling error from 28 touches.
9. Kieran Marmion (Connacht)
Marmion helped himself to two tries as Connacht took Zebre to the cleaners in Galway, directing his side around the park as they recovered from a shaky start.
The 24-year-old reacted quickest when the ball spilled out the back of an advancing Connacht scrum to dot down on 37 minutes, and he then carried to the line to send the returning Craig Ronaldson over for a try on the stroke of half-time.
Marmion was a willing support runner throughout and was finally rewarded on 55 minutes as he made a 48-metre run to the line, with Pat Lam then calling him ashore as attention quickly turned to Sunday’s crunch tie with Toulouse.
1. Cyril Baille (Toulouse)
A very strong scrummaging performance from Baille who rolled his sleeves up and really went to work on Marty Moore.
Toulouse caused Wasps plenty of problems with the likes of Baille carrying up and offloading well while he also competed hard at the breakdown.
2. Rob Webber (Sale)
Webber stood up well to the Toulon pack and found a team-mate with 11 of his 12 throws. Did the hard yards around the park with nine solid tackles and scored a try after he set up a perfect driving lineout.
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow)
A big effort from Glasgow’s pack that did not quite see them over the line against Munster. Fagerson applied plenty of pressure upfront and along with Jonny Gray was the Warriors main ball carrier.
Fagerson also did more than his fair share in defence with 11 tackles - second behind Ryan Wilson’s 13.
4. Gerbrandt Grobler (Racing 92)
The giant lock topped most of the stats against Leicester with 15 carries and 11 tackles. He was the engine driving the powerful Racing pack and got onto the scoresheet with a good try.
5. James Cannon (Connacht)
Led from the front with an excellent all-round performance. Was a key ball carrier for Connacht and performed excellently in the set-piece. Put in plenty of tackles and disrupted the Zebre breakdown at every opportunity.
6. Jack Conan (Leinster)
A stand-out performance from Conan as Leinster thumped Montpellier 57-3. Conan topped the tables in carries with 17, made the most tackles with 10 and beat eight defenders - more than anyone else in the Leinster side. On top of that he scored a hat-trick as well!
7. Jack O’Donoghue (Munster)
Munster’s win was built on their superb defence and O’Donoghue led the way with 11 tackles. Showed some great work at the breakdown as well and kept going for the full 80 minutes.
8. Teimana Harrison (Northampton)
A big game for Harrison who stepped into the shoes of Louis Picamoles. Harrison scored two tries and got over the gainline with every carry - he made 14 carries and always looked dangerous with in space.
He edges out Duane Vermeulen, who carried to good effect in Toulon's comeback win over Sale.
