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8 England players make first Gallagher Premiership XV of the season


Immanuel Feyi-Waboso of Exeter Chiefs looks on during an Exeter Chiefs Training Session at Sandy Park on September 18, 2024 in Exeter, England. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)
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The first Gallagher Premiership XV of the week has been announced with Ugo Monye selecting a side featuring no less than eight England internationals.

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The team was based on standout performances in the opening round of this season’s competition. All bar one of the fifteen was the winning side as the English top flight opened its doors once again.

The front row sees Sale Sharks’ Bevan Rodd at loosehead prop, joined by Saracens hooker Theo Dan and Bath tighthead Will Stuart. These three provided powerful performances at set-piece and in the loose, with Stuart and Rodd both making significant contributions to their teams.

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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus absolves replacement flyhalf Manie Libbok of the blame

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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus absolves replacement flyhalf Manie Libbok of the blame

In the second row, Harry Wells of Leicester Tigers is picked alongside Saracens’ Maro Itoje, who shone in Saracens’ win over Gloucester. Itoje was named Saracens club captain earlier month, taking over from Owen Farrell who is now playing his rugby for Racing 92 in France.

The back row is made up of another Saracen pick with Andy Onyeama-Christie at blindside flanker, Bath’s Miles Reid on the openside and Sale’s Jean-Luc du Preez at No.8. Reid’s performance against Northampton Saints stood out, particularly for his work at the breakdown and in defence in what was his 100th club appearance.

Fixture
Gallagher Premiership
Bristol
41 - 44
Full-time
Gloucester
All Stats and Data

At scrum-half, Bath’s Ben Spencer is selected alongside England fly-half George Ford – who had a masterful display in steering Sale to a Sunday afternoon win over Harlequins at Salford Community Stadium.

In the backline, Saracens’ Rotimi Segun takes the left wing spot with Will Butt at inside centre. They are joined by Bristol’s Benhard Janse van Rensburg at outside centre and Exeter Chiefs’ Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the right wing; who makes the selection despite his side’s loss to Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park.

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A fifth Saracens player – Max Malins – slots in at fullback to complete Monye’s selection.

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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