Six England internationals make our Investec Champions Cup team of the week - QFs

The Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals produced a weekend of tight contests and high-quality performances, with several games hanging in the balance deep into the second half.

Consequently, there were strong showings from both victors and losers. Even Sale Sharks, who were the recipients of the heaviest defeat of the weekend, offered contenders to make the team of the week. As a result, all eight teams from the quarter-finals are represented here. So here’s our team of the week:

15 Hugo Keenan (Leinster)
Handled everything Sale Sharks threw at him, and returned with interest. Did the basics well throughout the match and had some moments of brilliance, notably his kick chase and take which led to Rieko Ioane’s try in the corner. Even scored a try, though it was rugby’s equivalent of a ‘tap-in’.

14 Gaël Dréan (Toulon)
Showed the finishing instincts that decide tight matches like the one we saw in Glasgow. A strong right-arm fend saw the France international cross the whitewash to open Toulon’s scoring, and he added his second before half time, on this occasion showing a combination of pace and footwork to run in from 30 metres out.

13 Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors)
Deserved to be a winner at Scotstoun and did all he could to help Glasgow beat Toulon, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Scored his side’s first try and produced a pinpoint pass for Ollie Smith’s finish. Whether with his boot, passing, or his carrying, the Scot was consistently threatening the Toulon defence.

Fixture

Investec Champions Cup

Leinster

07:00

2 May 26

Toulon

All Stats and Data

12 Juan Ignacio Brex (Toulon)
The Italian really grafted in the midfield in Glasgow, putting in 22 tackles and carrying 12 times. But it’s not his industry that has earned him a place in this team; it is, of course, his match-winning solo effort from halfway. Glasgow’s defence had been largely incorrigible, but Brex made a mockery of them.

11 Henry Arundell (Bath)
There were some strong displays on the wing this weekend, and Leinster’s Tommy O’Brien could well be on this list, but Arundell was a persistent threat in a high-scoring match. Worked in tandem with Finn Russell to perfection with his try, but always looked like he could break the line.

10 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
For 40 minutes at the Rec, there was a touch of the divine to Northampton Saints’ play, as they scored 35 points against Bath. Every one of their backs was playing with confidence, flair and panache, and each one merits a place in this team. But the root cause of a well-functioning back line is the fly-half, which is why Smith gets the nod here. Matthieu Jalibert certainly deserves a mention too.

9 Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Begles)
Any player who gets the better of Antoine Dupont deserves to make this team, and it just happened to be the France captain’s competitor for the blue jersey. Managed proceedings adroitly with his boot, both from the tee and in open play, but, bizarrely, it was his defensive contribution that stood out, with a match-leading 17 tackles.

1 Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon)
A try always helps a player’s cause, and the France loosehead powered his way over from close range in the first half, but his output alone would have made him a contender to make this team. A total of 18 tackles during an hour on the field was crucial to repelling the previously free-flowing Warriors.

2 Dan Sheehan (Leinster)
Opened the scoring for Leinster, crashing over from five metres out, and that just set the tone for a barnstorming outing in Dublin. Put Ioane in for his try in the corner, and saved the coup de grace for the final play of the game, rampaging down field to put Jamie Osborne in for a try.

3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Sale were second-best in most departments at the Aviva Stadium, but one area where they got some early success and dominance was the scrum. Describing Opoku-Fordjour simply as the pillar of those scrums does him a disservice, it was more like draping a Sale shirt over a piece of industrial machinery. Add his 13 tackles in 65 minutes and it was an eye-catching display from the England tighthead.

4 Adam Coleman (Bordeaux-Begles)
A display where stats don’t really reflect the Wallaby-turned-Tonga international’s true impact. Yes, he chipped in with a respectable 12 tackles and was the go-to man in a well-functioning lineout, but it was the fight and aggression in every carry and tackle that really stood out as Bordeaux ground out their rivals.

5 David Ribbans (Toulon)
Another power-packed display from the captain up front as his unfancied Toulon side turned up with plenty of grunt and physicality up front. The England lock spearheaded this fight, carrying 16 times, which was the most in the match. These were often carries into multiple Glasgow players in the tight, but he was able to free his arms a couple of times and get an offload off.

6 Ryan Baird (Leinster)
Roamed the wider channels against Sale Sharks to great effect, scoring one and, in truth, should have had another, but he opted to pass the ball in-field to Keenan. Exhibited his athleticism and made a strong case to start in the back-row rather than the engine room.

7 Jack Willis (Toulouse)
He may have been on the losing side on the Atlantic coast, but Willis came close to single-handedly driving Toulouse to victory. Turnovers, penalties won, two try-saving tackles and a match-leading 16 carries, the Englishman is every bit as influential as Dupont for the European giants. Cue the calls for England to find a way to select him.

8 Alfie Barbeary (Bath)
There were two high-class English No.8s on display at the Rec on Saturday with Henry Pollock and Barbeary, but to the victor go the spoils. The 25-year-old was introduced to the game after 30 minutes, and there was almost an immediate shift in momentum from there. Carried with huge ferocity and the Saints defenders really struggled to keep him at bay. Another positive step towards a first England cap for the England A representative.