Gallagher Premiership XV of the Week - Round 19
Round 19 of the Gallagher Premiership got underway in exhilarating fashion on Friday night, as relegation-embattled Leicester Tigers made their future prospects look a lot brighter with a 27-22 victory over bottom-placed Newcastle Falcons.
Worcester Warriors rubbed salt into Newcastle’s wounds, too, by picking up a bonus point win at home to Sale Sharks, leaving the side from the north-east seven points adrift with three games left to play. Bristol Bears took a big step towards securing their Premiership future also, beating Saracens, 23-21, at Ashton Gate.
We have compiled a XV of the top performers from a high-stakes weekend of Premiership rugby.
A classy and polished performance from Banahan, who was playing out of position due to the injury crisis currently going on in the Gloucester back line. He took care of his own responsibilities efficiently and was also on hand to aid two relatively inexperienced wings in the forms of Tom Seabrook and Henry Purdy. He just sees off Simon Hammersley, who was also impressive on Friday night.
- Vereniki Goneva, Newcastle Falcons
The Fijian wing got through a mountain of work on Friday evening, frequently popping up in midfield and as a one-out runner. He always had a step or a fend in his locker to help him beat the first defender and get Newcastle moving forward. The one time he got the space to make a big break, he ripped through the Leicester defence, before setting up Sonatane Takulua for a try.
- Elliot Daly, Wasps
The outside centre gave the Wasps faithful something to cheer in one of his last performances in the black and gold at Sandy Park. He was a dual-threat any time he managed to find space, capable of unleashing the wings outside of him or stepping inside or outside and breezing passed would-be tacklers. Those fans will be hoping Malakai Fekitoa can emulate performances such as this one from Daly.”
- Mark Atkinson, Gloucester
Not quite the fireworks of last week, when Atkinson collected a hat-trick, but the inside centre was a fine facilitator for Gloucester in their comeback at Kingsholm. His carries frequently drew and tied up multiple defenders, which allowed Danny Cipriani to loop around and turn the corner in the subsequent phase. He stepped in comfortably further out in the back line when Billy Twelvetrees moved inside, too.
- Josh Adams, Worcester Warriors
The Cardiff-bound Welshman did everything he could to ensure that Worcester again enjoy Premiership rugby next season by bagging a hat-trick at Sixways on Saturday afternoon. He was the lethal end product to a well-functioning back line for the Warriors and his three second half scores allowed Worcester to pull away from Sale and secure an emphatic bonus point victory.
- Danny Cipriani, Gloucester
Compelling cases were put forth by George Ford and Marcus Smith, but it was the Cipriani-orchestrated comeback at Kingsholm that won the day. The fly-half celebrated his recent contract extension with a showing that should now guarantee Gloucester playoff rugby at the end of the season and it was his ability to find, create and utilise space that allowed Gloucester to overturn a 17-0 deficit.
- Sonatane Takulua, Newcastle Falcons
A fine effort in defeat from Takulua, who was the heartbeat of Falcons in an intense and high-tempo affair with Leicester on Friday evening. The scrum-half was lively around the fringes and as a support-runner, as demonstrated by the try he finished off from a Goneva break. He kicked well at goal, too, and contributed a total of 17 of Newcastle’s 22 points, ensuring that they at least took a losing bonus point into the final three games of the season.
The South African compounded a tough couple of weeks for Kyle Sinckler by turning in a strong scrummaging performance at the Stoop. His carrying was also effective and he found some soft edges in Harlequins’ fringe defence, as the Londoners put a premium on their line-speed further out, in an attempt to cut off the space for Saints out wide.
- Harry Thacker, Bristol Bears
The Bristol lineout ran smoothly with Thacker pulling the strings and the diminutive hooker tormented the Saracens defence with his power in the contact and his eye for a gap. His carries kept Bristol moving forward, building tempo and momentum, and allowed Bristol to leave Ashton Gate with a priceless four points that, probably, erases any concerns about relegation. A yellow card tarnished the performance slightly, but it did not prove costly for the side from the West Country.
- Rodney Ah You, Newcastle Falcons
A couple of early errors aside, Ah You had a storming game on Friday night. His back and forth battle with Ellis Genge was as compelling as the match in general, and the physicality of his carries and tackles were key for Falcons. He was consistently able to get Newcastle over the gain-line in attack and repeatedly made momentum-shifting tackles in defence, leaving him unlucky to be on the losing side.
- Will Spencer, Leicester Tigers
Spencer brought plenty of physical edge to the encounter in the north-east, something which has been noticeably missing from Leicester’s game for much of this season. The lock was pivotal to Tigers winning those arm wrestles in the tight exchanges, and with Newcastle controlling both possession and territory, that was key to allowing Tigers to produce clutch turnovers and escape Kingston Park with the win.
- Franco Mostert, Gloucester
It wasn’t quite the offensive performance we all know Mostert is capable of, but his work in defence and at the set-piece was excellent at Kingsholm and allowed the Cherry and Whites to turn the tables on Bath, who were rampant early. His physicality close to the ruck denied Bath the front-foot ball they were excelling with early in the game and he helped make the set-piece a reliable foundation for Gloucester to launch their attacking play from in the second half.
- Jamie Gibson, Northampton Saints
Gibson carried well for Saints at the Stoop, providing them with quick ball to run on to and negate the line-speed that a set Harlequins defence can bring. In conjunction with Teimana Harrison, Gibson helped Northampton shade the physical battle up front against the likes of Alex Dombrandt and Chris Robshaw.
- Sam Lewis, Worcester Warriors
A strong performance across the board from Lewis, who was busy throughout at Sixways. His influence was felt as a ball-carrier, in the defensive line and as a breakdown operator, both clearing out and slowing down Sale’s ball. He was at the heart of many of Worcester’s best attacking moments, laying the foundations for the back line to shine.
- Guy Thompson, Leicester Tigers
Two tries in the second half from Thompson proved critical to Leicester picking up four points at Kingston Park and could potentially be decisive in their battle against relegation. Away from the try line, Thompson was also ruthlessly efficient for Tigers, spoiling Newcastle’s ball at the breakdown, tackling manfully and constantly bringing energy to Leicester in attack and defence. Wasps’ Nathan Hughes deserves a mention for his excellent showing against Exeter, but Thompson’s showing could save his club from relegation, just tipping the scales his way.
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Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments