Gallagher Premiership Fantasy League Team of the Week: Round 4

Well, what a weekend that was. Bristol Bears made their Premiership ambitions abundantly clear as they notched their second win since returning to the top flight against a Harlequins side with high hopes this season under new coach Paul Gustard. Gloucester’s impressive run came to an end when they were made to look distinctly ordinary by a Saracens side yet to be beaten in this year’s competition. But the real talk of the Round focused on pre-season relegation favourites Worcester’s 11 try clash with Leicester Tigers, which saw the Warriors bag the points at Welford Road for the second year running.

It’s been a blistering display of high quality rugby and the kind of emotional storytelling that only comes from elite sport, but that’s not what we’re here for. Fantasy League cares not for dazzling footwork or intricate passing manoeuvres. No, we’re here to rate players purely on a complex statistical algorithm. Emotions be damned, give me some of those sweet, sweet data points.

Fantasy League Team of the Week Round 4:

1. Piers O’Connor (Wasps)
2. Jack Singleton (Worcester)
3. Josh Hohneck (Gloucester)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
5. Ted Hill (Worcester)
6. Sam Simmonds (Exeter)
7. Guy Thompson (Wasps)
8. Ben Morgan (Gloucester)
9. Francois Hougaard (Worcester)
10. Duncan Weir (Worcester)
11. Sean Maitland (Saracens)
12. Ryan Mills (Worcester)
13. Will Hurrell (Bristol)
14. Jeff Williams (Bath)
15. Chris Pennell (Worcester)

*Please note, player positions are determined by The Scout’s statistical analysis and thus may not be accurate

Few but the most diehard of the Sixways faithful would have tipped Worcester to make up over a third of Fantasy League’s Team of the Week, but that’s what’s transpired here, with 6 Warriors in the starting XV and Bryce Heem also claiming a spot on the bench. Despite Bristol’s promising win, only centre Will Hurrell makes the team, but their comparatively lofty league position of eighth  probably means Bears fans won’t lose too much sleep over that.

Victims of Worcester and Bristol’s success, bottom sides Sale and Northampton each provide one bench player in the form of Jono Ross and Cobus Reinach respectively. Sam Simmonds remains ever present in the back row as the only Exeter player in this week’s team, though Luke Cowan-Dickie squeezes in as second choice hooker.

Perhaps surprisingly, of the entire starting line up from this week, only Maro Itoje and Ryan Mills feature in our starting XV for the Team of the Tournament so far, though Simmonds, Weir and Pennell do appear on the bench. Proof, if ever it were needed that this weekend has been one of the most surprising rounds of rugby in a long time.

Player of the Week:

With 5 tries, 1 assist, 5 successful kicks, 3 clean breaks, 5 defenders beaten and a partridge in a pear tree, Duncan Weir is the Fantasy League Player of the Week on 33.6 points. Nearest competitor Maro Itoje sits miles behind on 19.5 (though George Ford’s haul of 20.4 would have put him ahead of Itoje if Weir hadn’t kept him out of the team).