Best XV from European Rugby Champions Cup for Weekend of December 12-14

This week’s Best XV is dominated by players from French clubs as the men from across La Manche enjoyed a fruitful weekend in the Champions Cup.

Toulon, Toulouse, Racing Metro and Clermont Auvergne all asserted their authority in their pools, with just woeful Castres failing at Wasps and Montpellier drowning in Bath.

This team is picked by players who either stood out for try-scoring exploits or rave write–ups from the media in the wake of their performances.

Here they are.

Back Three

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15. Leigh Halfpenny

Welsh star Leigh Halfpenny was on good terms with the goal-kicking gods as Toulon beat Leicester. After 24 minutes his team were 16-0 up, and the Lions full-back had 11 of those points. He finished the night with two conversions and three penalties in the 23-8 win.

14. Seru Nakaitaci

Clermont’s big Fijian wing scored a contender for Try of the Tournament as the French side beat Munster.

11. Tom Varndell

Wasps’ England wing Tom Varndell crossed for a brace as Dai Young’s men wasted Castres 44-17 at Adams Park. Varndell has never nailed down a place in the international side for any length of time, but his ability to finish at club level has never been in doubt. Two more for the tally, per Rob Kitson of the Guardian, who wrote that the former Leicester man "continues to finish tries with a nonchalant ease totally at odds with his recent haul of Test caps."

Centres

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13. Luke Fitzgerald

The Leinster shirt left behind by Brian O’Driscoll is being done a decent service by Luke Fitzgerald. Conventionally a wing, Fitzgerald impressed in a tight, often turgid encounter with Harlequins, as the Irish Independent’s Jim Glennon explained:

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The sight of Luke Fitzgerald looking sharp and dangerous in the number 13 jersey for Leinster was a welcome one, not only for Leinster supporters, but for rugby people around the country.

With Ian Madigan inside him at 12, he presented a threatening edge in possession and seemed to spark well off his partner.

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12. Wesley Fofana

There are few finer sights in rugby than Clermont Auvergne’s Wesley Fofana baffling opponents with his pace and footwork. The French centre was in the mood for the visit of Munster, and he showed once again why he is one of the world’s best, creating Damien Chouly’s first try.

Half-Backs

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10. Camille Lopez

Clermont’s new fly-half was on song against Munster with a conversion and three penalties as they beat the two-time winners 26-19. France’s No. 10 shirt has been passed around like a church collection plate in recent seasons. Lopez deserves to hang on to it for the Six Nations.

9. Rhys Webb

Ospreys scrum-half Rhys Webb blotted his copybook with a bad challenge on Racing Metro’s Juan Imhoff that earned him a 10-minute rest, but he sparked the Welshmen’s second-half fight-back with a trademark snipe through a hole in the Racing guard for a try that summed up the Welsh No. 9’s lively quality.

Back Row

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8. Billy Vunipola

Saracens’ No. 8 Billy Vunipola was in good nick against Sale Sharks. He lost his place in the England side to Ben Morgan during the autumn internationals and has responded well. Against the Sharks, he made 11 tackles, ran for 48 metres and scored a try to help the Fez Heads to a 28-15 win. The Telegraph’s Daniel Schofield wrote:

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Vunipola…was back to his rampaging best on Saturday night against a diminished Sale and scored the final try after receiving a cute pass from [Owen] Farrell, who himself finished with a personal haul of 13 points.

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7. Samu Manoa

Northampton’s American star Manoa spent just 20 minutes on the field as a replacement for Calum Clark. In the first 11 of those, he scored a hat-trick. Granted, the quality of the opposition was low, but that is impressive work by any standard, and his trio of tries helped the Saints to a 67-0 romp against Treviso.

6. Damien Chouly

Clermont’s blindside scored twice and made nine tackles, the second-highest total of anyone in a white jersey, during his team’s home win over Munster. A huge contribution from the French international.

Second Row

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5. Ali Williams

Veteran All Black Ali Williams put in an excellent display for Toulon as they saw off Leicester. The lock scored a try and was among the mentions from The Telegraph’s Steve James as the men most responsible for the champions’ success:

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For the win Toulon can thank the industry of their excellent hooker Guilhem Guirado, the ubiquitous class of lock Ali Williams, a typically rugged display from skipper Chris Masoe, a lively performance from winger Bryan Habana and Leigh Halfpenny’s metronomic boot.

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4. Alun Wyn Jones

Jones is one of the hardest-working locks anywhere in world rugby, and he proved it again in Paris with an impressive covering tackle to deny Racing Metro flanker Wenceslas Lauret a certain try.

Front Row

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3. Luc Ducalcon

We are seeing some bruising stuff handed out by French front rows in this tournament. Racing Metro’s scrummaging unit added to that against the Ospreys, with Ducalcon dominating the power battle against Marc Thomas.

2. Guilhem Guirado

Toulon’s energetic hooker was involved in two of his side’s tries as they erased last week’s memory of defeat at Leicester, beating the Tigers 23-8.

1. Davit Zirakashvili

Clermont Auvergne’s Georgian prop did what Georgian props do best as the French league leaders inflicted a second straight defeat on Munster. The prop gave John Ryan an afternoon to forget at scrum time down in the Massif Central.