Another high-scoring weekend of domestic rugby has given several British & Irish Lions hopefuls a platform to showcase their flair in a fight to make Andy Farrell’s squad on May 8.
The Premiership produced another try fest of a weekend as the race for play-off places heats up while the United Rugby Championship (URC) saw some promising results from the home nations.
It was a great weekend for Scottish selection hopefuls, with resounding wins in Glasgow and Edinburgh no doubt drawing Farrell’s attention.
And the Welsh contingent showed up in their numbers as they lean on their domestic form following another Six Nations wooden spoon.
British & Irish Lions Team of the Week
15 Blair Murray (Scarlets): Murray backed up his Six Nations form with a try and many key touches on his return from a calf injury in a Scarlets win that keeps their URC play-off hopes alive. Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse) was heavily involved on the wing in the side’s Top 14 rout over Pau.
14 Darcy Graham (Edinburgh): Teammate Ben Vellacott described Graham as “a magician” as he scored a flying try of his own and was central in several others. The 38-5 Edinburgh win was his first domestic outing since the Six Nations as he picked up from where he left off in his pursuit of a red Test jersey.
13 Stafford McDowall (Glasgow): McDowall keeps knocking on Farrell’s door with his consistent performances for Glasgow. He was effective in both attack and defence in his side’s 42-0 nilling of the Lions. Elliot Daly (Saracens) threw a bullet of a pass to set up a try in the corner and showcased his versatility when moving into the midfield.
12 Tom Jordan (Glasgow): Jordan has shone both domestically and for his country in the absence of Sione Tuipulotu and was defensively instrumental in his side’s URC shutout of the Lions attack. Farrell may see him as a like-for-like replacement should the Scottish captain miss out.
11 Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks): Roebuck’s finishing combined with his aerial ability helped him lead Sale to a crucial Premiership win over Northampton. He touched down twice in the first half, demonstrating his raw pace that would suit conditions Down Under.
10 Jack Crowley (Munster): It’s been a rocky period over the last few months for Crowley, who would have had a constant eye on a red jersey. Taking a back seat behind Sam Prendergast in the Six Nations has meant he’s had to wait until now to show his prowess at 10 for Munster with a try and 15 points against Connacht. Finn Russell (Bath) had another flashy performance against Harlequins as he looks to nail down the Lions 10 shirt.
9 Tomos Williams (Gloucester): It was his no-look basketball pass to set up Seb Atkinson in Gloucester’s thumping of Bristol that made the headlines. But it was again Williams’ dynamic running game and support lines that showed why he’d be such an asset with that style of play in Australia. Craig Casey (Munster) linked up with Crowley to get the side’s backline firing in the URC.
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The forwards
8 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints): He lived up to the hype and played himself into an England shirt, could Pollock go one better as he continues to show his class in losing causes for the Saints? His winger-like line break followed by a chip and chase score went viral and Farrell will have a raised eyebrow with the different, fast paced style of play that the back-rower brings that would suit Australia on paper.
7 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks): You know the story, Curry was a nuisance around the breakdown on his first Sale appearance since the Six Nations. But it was his fruition in attack that was equally impressive, highlighted by his collection of a kick and tidy offload to Roebuck to score.
6 Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh): I though Ritchie had a good Six Nations and he’s backed it up with maintained domestic form in Edinburgh’s win over the Dragons. He was up to his usual tricks at the rucks, burrowing away and playing a major part in the Dragons’ 14 conceded penalties.
5 Maro Itoje (Saracens): His side looked fired up in their weekend win over Leicester Tigers and Itoje is taking his leadership to new heights as he carries his side’s charge. Saracens look to be peaking at the right time as Itoje’s leadership and consistency on the pitch seems to be swinging the Lions captaincy pendulum in his direction.
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4 Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs): The Lions side will need leaders, and vocal squad members and Jenkins is absolutely that. He was everywhere for the Chiefs in their narrow victory over Newcastle on Saturday afternoon as he commanded the lineout for his side. Men many years his senior look up to him and he has all the qualities that a young tourist needs.
3 Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors): Fagerson came off the bench and immediately looked at the races for Glasgow as they dominated the scrum throughout the second period. They won 100% of their set-piece against the Dragons and while he’ll unlikely be an option to start at tighthead for the Lions, Farrell will be desperate for dependable options to bring muscle off the bench.
2 Jamie George (Saracens): Another man who may benefit from Saracens’ perfect time for form is George and his leadership. The been there done that experience of George shone in their victory at Welford Road. He was as accurate as ever at the set-piece and his precision will be on the Lions’ radar on a tour where every small mistake will be punished.
1 Pierre Schoeman (Glasgow Warriors): Schoeman carries and scrummages hard and he displayed this by the bucket load in his side’s victory over the weekend. He was a key part of the side’s 100% win rate at scrum time and will look to build a dependable axis with Fagerson that they both will impress in the run-in to the climax of the URC season.
READ MORE: Premiership play-off race: Who has the edge and will Mark McCall’s European gamble pay off?
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/british-irish-lions-team-of-the-week-magician-darcy-graham-dazzles-in-urc-while-premiership-starlet-lives-up-the-hype
