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Gallagher Premiership XV of the Week - Round 15

By Alex Shaw
Andy Uren makes a break passed Franco Mostert during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby at Ashton Gate. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Newcastle Falcons stole the headlines in Round 15 of the Gallagher Premiership, as they beat Worcester Warriors in a must-win relegation battle at Kingston Park. That win pulls them closer to Worcester, with a deficit now of just five points.

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Elsewhere, Bristol Bears did their chances of avoiding relegation a world of good by beating playoff-chasing Gloucester, 28-24, at Ashton Gate, whilst Harlequins entrenched themselves into third with a dramatic 31-29 victory over Bath at the Rec.

We have rounded up the top 15 performers from a pulsating weekend of rugby below.

  1. Santiago Cordero, Exeter Chiefs

Charles Piutau and Max Malins were close, but Cordero just edges ahead of them in a typically incisive performance from the full-back. An excellent inside offload created Ollie Devoto’s early score and a clever basketball pass over the top did the same for Sean Lonsdale late in the game. His positioning in the back field was also strong and there was little space for Sale to exploit with their kicking options.

https://twitter.com/premrugby/status/1102139182930108416

  1. Marcus Watson, Wasps

The wing was in lethal form against Leicester on Saturday, picking up a brace with two displays of raw speed and refined footwork. His second try was scored from deep within in his own half, as he ran a kick back by slaloming through the Leicester defence and twice stepping off his left foot to leave defenders grasping at thin air. His threat on the outside also seemed to bring the best out of Willie le Roux in the South African’s playmaker role, too.

  1. Joe Marchant, Harlequins

Marchant was electric on Saturday, grabbing two tries and setting up Alex Dombrandt for the back rower’s score. The first try was a showcase of his speed, whilst the second demonstrated his deceptive power in the contact, but both were marks of his rugby intelligence and ability to read the game and be exactly where he needed to be.

A mention, too, for Nick Tompkins. The Saracen was in similarly devastating form, but only one player can make the XV and Marchant just gets the edge with the 19 points he directly scored or created proving decisive in a two-point win for Quins.

  1. Rory Hutchinson, Northampton Saints

A third appearance in as many weeks for Hutchinson, who helped spark a mini-comeback for Saints at Allianz Park. He moved inside to 12 after starring at 13 in recent weeks, as well as taking on goal-kicking duties when James Grayson pulled up in the pre-match warm-up. He continues to distribute very effectively on the gain-line, but also behind it, when the opportunities to move the ball wide with tempo show themselves.

  1. Ollie Thorley, Gloucester

A valiant effort in defeat from Thorley, who was a constant threat for Gloucester against Bristol. His try epitomised his work rate, with the wing pouncing on a loose ball, whilst his ability to make defenders miss saw him help Gloucester turn deeps kick into their half into positive gains and territorial advantages. He shaded it on overall impact from Sean Maitland, but the Scotland international deserves praise for his two tries.

  1. Joe Ford, Leicester Tigers

The fly-half accounted for all 19 of Leicester’s points in their win over Wasps, one which critically gives them some fresh breathing room from the relegation battle. Ford was accurate from the tee, kicking 14 of the 19 points at an accuracy rate of 100%, whilst he showed good awareness and footwork to step back inside the rushing defence and cross the whitewash for Tigers’ sole try of the game.

This was close to a coin toss with Toby Flood, who was similarly pivotal in Newcastle’s much-needed win over Worcester.

  1. Andy Uren, Bristol Bears

Uren was in lively form at Ashton Gate, finding gaps in the Gloucester defence and pushing the tempo that Bristol love to play at. His second half try helped establish a lead that Gloucester had their work cut out reeling in and his work with ball in hand as a carrier helped negate the Cherry and White’s impressive line-speed.

  1. Facundo Gigena, Leicester Tigers

A second strong scrummaging display from Gigena in as many weeks and if he can start to add more to his game in the loose, he could begin to cause Premiership directors of rugby plenty of sleepless nights. He went very well against Will Stuart at the set-piece and was solid securing Leicester ball at the contact area. In a low-scoring and tight affair like the one at Welford Road on Saturday, his influence was strongly felt.

  1. Tom Woolstencroft, Saracens

The 24-year-old has found a second wave to his professional career at Saracens and was flawless with his set-piece work at Allianz Park on Saturday. That set-piece work gave his side a solid foundation to build upon, whilst he also stepped up as a carrying option close to the ruck, tying in defenders and creating space for Saracens in subsequent phases.

  1. Greg Holmes, Exeter Chiefs

The veteran Australian filled in admirably for Harry Williams and Tomas Francis, with the pair missing due to international obligations. Holmes spearheaded a strong Exeter scrum in the north-west, as he, Jack Yeandle and Alec Hepburn exerted pressure on the Sale unit. As with Gigena, in a hard-fought, close-scoring game like this one, it was a decisive factor in deciding the contest.

  1. Will Skelton, Saracens

Back-to-back Aussies here, with Skelton bringing his power game to the fore on Saturday afternoon. Northampton struggled to contain him as a ball-carrier, with the lock frequently able to get two or three metres per carry and allow Saracens to run forward onto the ball. He continues to show the impressive conditioning that was once considered the weakness of his game.

  1. Chris Vui, Bristol Bears

Nick Isiekwe’s ability to target the Northampton lineout was a big part of Saracens’ success, but it’s impossible to leave out Vui, who emptied the tank for Bristol on Friday night. The Samoa captain was excellent at Ashton Gate, repeatedly repelling Gloucester attacks as his side ceded significant possession advantages to the Cherry and Whites. His efficiency and power in the tackle was exemplary and his handling was also on show, helping Bristol move the ball and attempt to turn the corner against the Gloucester defence.

  1. Jono Ross, Sale Sharks

Nods here for Steven Luatua and Ashley Johnson, who were effective in their respective games. That said, the work rate of Ross was exceptional on Saturday and is backed up by his 35 combined tackles and carries at the AJ Bell Stadium. To put some context on that, he was making the hard yards around the contact area, as well as stopping ball-carriers dead with his tackling. Combined with another healthy display at the breakdown, it makes this one of the more impressive ‘gritty’ performances of the season.

  1. Dan Thomas, Bristol Bears

The openside flanker showed his class against Gloucester, grabbing an early try, as well as going on to have a decisive influence as a tackler and jackal. He was busy in attack, too, working as a carrier and a link man, before injury forced him from the field late in the second half. It was a performance that should have him mixing it with George Smith and Jack Lam for the remainder of the season.

Ben Earl, Lewis Ludlam and Ben Curry are all also due praise, in what was a very promising weekend for young English opensides.

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https://twitter.com/premrugby/status/1101927552904511488

  1. Alex Dombrandt, Harlequins

An excellent showing from Dombrandt, who not only dominated the gain-line in both attack and defence as he usually does, but also demonstrated a more incisive edge to his game. He pounced on a Bath turnover and kicked through for Marchant’s first try of the game, whilst he was later the lead man in support of another Marchant break and was on hand to take the inside ball and grab a try of his own.

Both Zach Mercer and Ben Morgan are due credit for their performances, and both were unlucky to be on losing sides this weekend.

Watch: The Rugby Pod discuss England’s performance in Wales in the Guinness Six Nations

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A
Adrian 22 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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