Premiership Team of the Week: ‘Unstoppable’ England hopeful Paul Gustard’s star player while ‘outstanding’ Fin Smith edges Test linchpins to fly-half jersey
It’s the turnaround point of the Premiership season and we’re joined by ex-England, Harlequins and now Stade Francais coach Paul Gustard to select the Team of the Week.
For the second season in a row we have partnered with?eToro, the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby, to bring you a best XV from every?Premiership?round, each one chosen by a famous face from the world of rugby.
“My overriding thought after Round 10 is what a game of rugby that was at Franklin’s Gardens. The Premiership product is thriving with attack at its core and that’s great to see,” Gustard observed.
“Given the England squad is set to be named on January 14, there’s some big players putting their hands up at exactly the right time and there’s going to be some selection headaches of the right nature – through competition – for Steve Borthwick and his coaches. I particularly enjoyed the performances of both Saints half-back and of course big Tom Willis for Sarries, players demanding to be picked on form and fitness, which is exactly what you want.
“Anyway, without further ado, here’s my team of the week.”
eToro Premiership Team of the Week
15 Santi Carreras (Gloucester): I love the way he combines with Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe, sometimes as a first receiver, sometimes breaking into the line. Freddie Steward also impressed me for Tigers, whilst Orlando Bailey really shone in his new position for Bath.
14 Max Llewellyn (Gloucester): Two tries for big Max and he’s been crucial in Gloucester’s turnaround. Bath’s Joe Cokanasiga was brilliant with ball in hand but I wonder if his aerial skills are good enough for the Test arena.
13 Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints): If England go with Alex Mitchell at nine and Fin Smith at ten which is quite possible, then you have to consider Fraser inside him at 12, although he played at outside centre on Sunday. Ollie Lawrence might have been in hot water for his shoulder charge, but he was brilliant with ball in hand too.
12 Luke Northmore (Harlequins): By the same logic as Fraser Dingwall, Northmore is also in the England mix if they go with Marcus Smith at ten. It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. A shout out to Rory Hutchinson who was superb for Saints, and Seb Atkinson, consistent again for Gloucester.
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers): Big Ollie has always known the way to the try-line and is there or thereabouts in terms of Test radars but there are other options. Josh Hathaway demonstrated his gas again for Gloucester, and Tommy Wyatt impressed for Chiefs in defeat with a brace of tries.
10 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints): Absolutely outstanding and one of his best performances to date for Saints. Does he have enough gas at the highest level? I suspect we’ll find out in the Six Nations at some point. Finn Russell was great for Bath too, and both Handre Pollard and Marcus Smith put in high quality showings for Tigers and Quins.
9 Tomos Williams (Gloucester): Has to be the signing of the season! Absolutely brilliant and the main reason Gloucester are turning things around. Potentially the Lions nine, although Alex Mitchell also had a good outing for Saints. A word for Ivan van Zyl, incredibly consistent for Saracens.
The forwards
8 Tom Willis (Saracens): Absolutely unstoppable and my player of the week. I raved about him when he came to the Top 14 and I think that really toughened him up as a carrier. Alfie Barbeary‘s carrying stats were immense in defeat for Bath and Olly Cracknell had another big game for Tigers. Lastly, I have to shout out my old mate James Chisholm for his drop goal attempt at Newcastle! The fine will be big!
7 Sam Underhill (Bath): Sam will be fuming re the last minute penalty he conceded, but it was his bench impact that turned the game around. Tom Pearson, Lewis Ludlow and Ben Earl also enjoyed strong outings for their respective clubs.
6 Josh Kemeny (Northampton Saints): If Tomos Williams is the signing of the year, Kemeny isn’t far behind. A big man with a lot of power, he was exceptional for Saints. Jack Clement had another intelligent outing for Gloucester, whilst Juan Martin Gonzalez shone once more for Saracens.
5 Harry Wilson (Saracens): A great signing for Sarries from Doncaster Knights, Wilson is really upping his game in the Premiership. Harry Wells went well for Tigers, and Charlie Ewels was outstanding in Bath’s turnaround period at Saints. Lastly, England will be waiting on Alex Coles‘ HIA as he’s key across the back five for Borthwick.
4 Maro Itoje (Saracens): Simply brilliant. He is so consistent and his game is always evolving. Freddie Thomas had a big day for Gloucester, whilst Quinn Roux went a big 80 minutes in defeat for Bath. Cameron Henderson needs a mention for his try-scoring day with Tigers.
3 Will Stuart (Bath): Will is becoming an outstanding tighthead working alongside a quality operator in Thomas du Toit, who also impressed when he came on. Against them, Trevor Davison held up impressively well and he may very well be Stuart’s understudy during the Six Nations.
2 Jamie George (Saracens): 300 up for Jinx! I’ve worked with the guy many times and he’s simply an outstanding pro and person. Curtis Langdon hit 22 tackles and missed none in a great display for Saints, whilst Julian Montoya keeps putting in quality performances for Tigers.
1 Rhys Carre (Saracens): Wales must find a way of selecting this guy. He’s sorted his scrummaging out and is a force of nature in the loose. A shout out to Bevan Rodd at Sale in defeat; nobody doubts Bevan’s brilliance around the park, but he’s banged on a stone or so and his scrummaging is all the better for it.
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