Following another enthralling weekend of United Rugby Championship (URC) action, here is the Planet Rugby Team of the Week for Round 13.
With every game remarkably tight – the Stormers’ 29-17 victory over the Scarlets the only match with more than a four-point margin – it is very evenly spread with 11 out of the 16 teams represented.
It was one of the great rounds in the URC as only the Stormers, Dragons, Sharks and Leinster have two representatives, with the other nominees taken from seven other sides.
URC Team of the Week
15 Jack Walsh (Ospreys): There was plenty of competition for this position with Warrick Gelant (Stormers), Geronimo Prisciantelli (Zebre Parma) and Huw Anderson (Dragons) all outstanding for their respective sides, but Walsh takes the position after an impressive display with ball in hand. The talented full-back made 81 metres, three line breaks and claimed a remarkable four assists as the Ospreys sealed a thrilling 43-40 victory over Connacht.
14 Sebastian Cancelliere (Glasgow Warriors): Perhaps tough on Sean O’Brien, Daniel Kasende and Finn Treacy, who were all excellent for Munster, Ospreys and Connacht respectively, but Cancelliere continues to shine for Glasgow. The Argentinian star is a constant threat on attack but his all-round game is exceptional as he does the basics very well.
13 Wandisile Simelane (Stormers): The Cape Town outfit were certainly fun to watch on Saturday and the centre was very much at the heart of their attacking performance. Simelane has always been highly regarded but he has never quite lived up to the hype. However, he has found some form this season as he saw off the Bulls’ match-winner David Kriel to take his spot in the team this week.
12 Aneurin Owen (Dragons): We are big fans of the Connacht powerhouse Cathal Forde, who must surely be close to a full Ireland call-up – he was a ‘development player’ in the 2025 Six Nations – but Owen put in an excellent all-round showing despite the Welsh region’s loss. The centre was powerful in contact, carrying well through traffic, while he was also a menace on defence, winning a few turnovers.
Impressive returns
11 Paolo Odogwu (Benetton): After almost four months out it was fantastic to see the wing back in action and terrorising defences. Quite frankly, Edinburgh could not deal with Odogwu and the English-born Italian international marked his return with a try and an assist in their victory over the Scottish side. Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Alessandro Gesi (Zebre Parma) and Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks) were also in contention, but Odogwu deserves his selection.
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers): You wouldn’t have known that the Springboks’ breakthrough star in 2024 has barely played since last September. Featuring in his first game since December 28, Feinberg-Mngomezulu finally made it past half-time for the Stormers this season as he guided them to an important victory. Rassie Erasmus will certainly be delighted and the Springboks boss will hope he builds on this magnificent comeback game. Dan Edwards and Josh Ioane had a good battle in the Ospreys v Connacht clash, but the Stormers playmaker was the standout.
9 Rhodri Williams (Dragons): So unlucky to be on the losing side after the Newport-based outfit produced their best performance for some time, especially in the first half. George Horne was a standout for Glasgow but Williams was very lively at Rodney Parade, scoring a try and setting the tempo nicely from scrum-half.
8 Siya Kolisi (Sharks): Another position where several players could have made the team, with Munster’s Gavin Coombes, Cardiff’s Alun Lawrence and Glasgow’s Jack Mann all impressing, but Kolisi continues to star for the Sharks. The Springboks skipper is thriving at number eight and touched down twice in the triumph over Zebre.
Defensive effort
7 Will Connors (Leinster): Leinster’s chop-tackler supreme was scything down big Bulls forwards with regularity as a second-string side came so close to emerging victorious in Pretoria. Connors was named the player of the match for his efforts in the narrow defeat and he saw off competition from Benetton’s Manuel Zuliani and Paul Boyle of Connacht.
6 JC Pretorius (Lions): Was compared to former Springbok Heinrich Brussow, who at his best was one of the elite jackallers in the game. Pretorius was incredibly effective in the Welsh capital on Friday as he constantly spoiled Cardiff ball at the breakdown, but in the end it was not quite enough to take his side to victory.
5 RG Snyman (Leinster): Was once again off-load central as an understrength Leinster gave as good as they got. Snyman added both experience and quality to the Irish province’s pack as they went toe-to-toe with the Bulls bruisers. The 30-year-old himself is a former Bulls star and on his return to Loftus Versfeld showed just what he can do in both the loose and set-piece. Thomas Ahern of Munster was next best.
4 Josh McNally (Cardiff): Quite the shift from the lock on Friday, especially in defence, as he made 18 tackles – only second in the game behind Lawrence’s remarkable tally of 29. McNally also carried hard in the closer exchanges in what was a physical performance from the former Bath and London Irish forward.
3 Wilco Louw (Bulls): Very tough on Ulster’s Scott Wilson, who was their match-winner and added to his burgeoning reputation in the narrow victory over the Dragons, but Louw is just a machine. He may not have been on the field late on, with Mornay Smith playing a key role in the decisive scrum penalty, but the starting tighthead certainly helped take some of the legs out of the Leinster pack with his destructive set-piece work.
2 Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets): The former Cheetah has been one of the signings of the season and against the Stormers he produced another superb display. Strong both with and without the ball, while also putting in a good set-piece effort, Van der Merwe had a fine day despite the Scarlets’ loss in Llanelli. Liam Belcher shone for Cardiff and two-try Rob Herring was crucial in Ulster’s win, but Van der Merwe could be a Boks bolter in 2025.
1 Ox Nche (Sharks): Zebre’s scrum was constantly in reverse gear in Durban and much of that was down to the performance of the Springboks loosehead, who in contrast often found fifth. The Sharks scrum has not been operating particularly well over the past few months, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/urc-team-of-the-week-breakthrough-springboks-star-enjoys-magnificent-return-as-11-teams-represented-in-stunning-weekend-of-action
