Team of the Week

It’s a first for ARN as players from five different Americas nations make the cut in this week’s offering. Some excellent individual performances from the weekend put a number of players in the frame, though there were a couple blind spots that needed some versatility to make it work.

1 – Marcos Ayerza (Leicester) One silly penalty aside, it was another rugged effort from the veteran at the heart of a Tigers win over Bath in periodically dreadful conditions.

2 – Martín García Veiga (Jersey) In the middle of a dominant pack as the Islanders completely outclassed a disappointing Rotherham Titans side at Clifton Lane.

3 – Juan Figallo (Saracens) Like an extra flanker at the breakdown, winning multiple turnovers and putting in a vintage performance after shaking off a serious neck injury.

4 – Samu Manoa (Toulon) His lineout take set the platform for one try, and an offload out wide set up another. A big part of an historic beating dished out to Clermont at Marcel Michelin.

5 – Pablo Huete (Bayonne) Tighthead lock kept the scrum moving forward all day and earned a penalty try. His lineout take also led to a score as the Chilean helped throttle Béziers.

6 – Jebb Sinclair (London Irish) With no suitable options on the blindside, we shuffle the Canadian over from the second row after a committed second half as a reserve against Wasps.

7 – Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Toulon) Prominent as ever in RCT’s stunning victory over Clermont. The ageless wonder shows no sign of World Cup burnout just yet.

8 – Aaron Carpenter (Cornish Pirates) Another superb performance, this time winning man-of-the-match after scoring a try and leading the Cornishmen to a massive come-from-behind victory.

9 – Agustín Ormaechea (Mont-de-Marsan) Didn’t get much help from his teammates who were well beaten, but kept his own standards high and scored a try from hard work early on.

10 – Sebastián Poet (Tarbes) Strong challenges from Felipe Berchesi and AJ MacGinty, but the Argentine playmaker gets the nod for creating both tries and adding a penalty goal as TPR edged Narbonne.

11 – Matt Evans (Cornish Pirates) Continues his top form with two tries including the match winner as Pirates staved off defeat in a terrific show against Bedford.

12 – Thretton Palamo (London Welsh) Took route one up the middle to put his team on the front foot as the Exiles defeated Yorkshire Carnegie. Pass out the back door created the space for Chris Elder’s try.

13 – Marcelo Bosch (Saracens) Not the busiest going forward, but put in some thumping tackles against a Worcester midfield who had little success.

14 – Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz) Like Bosch, it’s Zee’s work off the ball that gets him in the team. Dedicated kick chase and strong tackling helped BOPB defeat Dax in an arm wrestle at Maurice Boyau.

15 – Chris Wyles (Saracens) Slides over to fullback to accommodate Evans on the wing. Two big line breaks, one that put Ben Spencer away, and another high class performance.