Following another thrilling weekend of the United Rugby Championship (URC), we pick our Team of the Week.
It was a poor weekend for the Irish teams, with all four sides falling to defeats, a rare occurrence having last happened in 2015.
Meanwhile, South Africans were in fine form, all claiming victories as the Bulls defeated Glasgow Warriors, the Lions rampaged past Connacht, the Stormers hammered Benetton, and the Sharks scored 22 unanswered points to beat Ulster.
It was also a good weekend for the Welsh regions, with the Dragons being the only team that did not win in Round 16, falling to the Ospreys, while Zebre drew with Edinburgh.
It was rather fitting that youth shone on kids round in the URC, so without further ado, here’s our Team of the Week.
URC Team of the Week
15 Jacob Stockdale (Ulster): The Irishman had an outstanding game against the Sharks and was named Man of the Match despite falling to a defeat. The 29-year-old looks to be getting back to some of his best form again and did enough to beat the brilliant performance of Ospreys’ Jack Walsh in the win over the Dragons. It was a timely reminder from the outside back ahead of the July internationals.
14 Tom Rogers (Scarlets): A standout in the shock victory over Leinster, grabbing a try and defending superbly during his shift. He edges Ethan Hooker, he was one of the few Sharks players who put in a strong 80-minute performance. Bulls star Canan Moodie had a great game too, particularly on defence as Jake White’s men beat Glasgow.
13 Joe Roberts (Scarlets): The Welshman was crucial to Scarlets’ victory over Leinster, scoring a try and shut down several threatening attacks with excellent defensive reads. Lions outside centre Henco van Wyk enjoyed a fine return from injury against Connacht while Kyle Steyn impressed in the midfield, albeit in defeat.
12 Ben Thomas (Cardiff): No shortage of options with Springboks Andre Esterhuizen and Damian Willemse both having standout games for the Sharks and Stormers, respectively. But they are beaten to the team by Thomas, who combined superbly with fly-half Callum Sheedy in Cardiff’s win over Munster.
11 Keelan Giles (Ospreys): Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Edwill van der Merwe continued their stellar form for Cardiff and the Lions, but Giles stole the show, gaining over 140 running metres, beating three defenders and scoring two tries.
Springboks sensation
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers): Two clear frontrunners for the fly-half slot with Ospreys’ Dan Edwards incredibly unfortunate to miss out after his 20-point haul, which included two tries. Feinberg-Mngomezulu produced a breathtaking display with a full house, racking up 26 points and assisted two tries. The Springboks rookie looks to be a generational talent and has been sensational since returning from injury.
9 Alessandro Fusco (Zebre): The Italian scrum-half grabbed a brace against Edinburgh in what was a great weekend for the number nines. Scarlets’ Gareth Davies, Ospreys’ Kieran Hardy and Bulls’ Embrose Papier all had strong games but miss out to Fusco.
8 Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff): Shows no sign of slowing down, a world-class performance from the veteran loose forward guiding his side to a clutch 26-21 victory over Munster. As per usual, he was superb on both sides of the ball, racking up 20 tackles and 67 metres from 15 carries. Faletau’s masterclass beats standout shifts from Marco van Staden, Taine Plumtree and Evan Roos.
Rising stars of the back-row
7 Renzo du Plessis (Lions): A first start in the URC for the young flanker, and he made the most of it as the Springboks hopeful scored a try, made 10 tackles and powered to 37 metres with his venomous carries. Ulster’s Nick Timoney was outstanding against the Sharks as per usual. Dan Lydiate enjoyed a fine shift on a special day for the veteran Wales forward.
6 Paul de Villiers (Stormers): Another South African rising star who shone this weekend. It was just his second start for the Stormers, but he put in a marvellous shift in the thrashing of Benetton. He won a pair of turnovers and was excellent in attack, too. Cardiff’s James Botham was superb again, making 24 tackles, while Alex Soroka impressed in Leinster’s defeat.
5 Teddy Williams (Cardiff): Another forward who put in a big performance against Munster with his tireless work-rate and beats Scarlets star Sam Lousi to a spot in our team.
4 Will Spencer (Ospreys): A pivotal outing in his team’s victory over the Dragons, scoring a try while being a force at lineout time. Stormers skipper Salmaan Moerat was excellent against Benetton too. Zebre’s Matteo Canali also shone in the stalemate with Edinburgh.
Front-row
3 Scott Wilson (Ulster): The Irishman was superb against the Sharks as he put Springboks powerhouse Ox Nche under the pump at scrum time. He was busy around the park too. From the same match, Hanro Jacobs made a telling impact off the bench for the Sharks, which turned the tide. Wilco Louw was excellent once again despite his yellow card.
2 Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls): Three real standouts at hooker this weekend with Andre-Hugo Venter and Dewi Lake missing out to Grobbelaar who was brilliant on defence in the victory over Glasgow. His set-piece work was on point too, while he made good yards in attack.
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls): It was a simply outrageous performance from the loosehead prop. His try-saving tackle on Sebastian Cancelliere was out of this world, and he landed some huge hits throughout his shift. The 23-year-old has been in sublime form since making his Springboks debut last year whether featuring at hooker or prop. Wessels was far and away the best loosehead this weekend, despite strong performances from Lions front-rower Morgan Naude and Ulster’s Andrew Warwick.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/urc-team-of-the-week-outrageous-springboks-prop-as-youth-shines-on-kids-round-while-the-irish-disappoint
