Best XV in World Rugby for Weekend of January 23-25
January's final team of the week has a heavy Parisian accent to it, following a thrilling denouement to the Champions Cup pool stages.
Racing Metro's away win at Northampton Saints stole the show, and as a result, we have five men from the French capital club in the side this week.
Ulster, already out before Leicester Tigers arrived at Ravenhill, went down throwing bombs and see two men make this team. Wasps' back row have been monumental in recent weeks and now get a shot at the semi-finals thanks to another impressive display against Leinster.
So here is your XV from the final round of Champions Cup pool action before the top players get a chance to rest and recover ahead of the Six Nations.
Back Three
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15. Simon Zebo
Playing at full-back in Munster’s dead rubber against Sale Sharks, Ireland international Simon Zebo scored two and made another try in the 65-10 demolition of the Manchester men.
14. Juan Imhoff
Juan Imhoff claimed two tries as Racing Metro romped to victory over Northampton, underlining his quality as a finisher and his speed as a potent weapon against the best defences.
Honourable mention to Tommy Bowe—Ulster’s Lion didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he was a constant menace to Leicester, running intelligent angles into the midfield and creating space for other players.
11. Lucas Dupont
Montpellier rose from the wreckage of their European campaign to take Toulouse out with them, 27-26. Left wing Lucas Dupont claimed two second half tries in three minutes to turn a 20-9 deficit into a 21-20 lead.
Centres
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13. Darren Cave
Ulster’s outside centre Darren Cave helped the Red Hand Gang dish out another beating in Belfast to Leicester.
Cave bagged a hat-trick as his side snuffed out the Tigers’ hopes of a place in the last eight of the Champions Cup, and he gave his hopes of a place in Joe Schmidt’s Ireland midfield a huge boost.
12. Jamie Roberts
Racing Metro’s hatchet job on Northampton was lead by a typically powerful display from Jamie Roberts. He scored a try and made several bursts through the Saints back line, putting Luther Burrell firmly in the shade and firing a warning shot across England’s bows ahead of the Six Nations opener.
Half-Backs
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10. Ben Lucas
Ben who? Well, according to ESPN Scrum, Ben Lucas is a wing-cum-scrum-half. On Sunday, he was pressed into action against Toulouse at No. 10 while Montpellier await the recovery of Francois Trinh-Duc and recruit others to back the French Test fly-half up.
Australian Lucas, though, did more than keep the shirt warm. He kicked 11 points, including a 67th-minute penalty that handed Montpellier a 27-26 win and knocked Toulouse out of the tournament.
Not bad for a player signed as cover last year and described by former Montpellier coach Fabien Galthie as a player who doesn’t kick, per ESPN Scrum.
9. Maxime Machenaud
Racing Metro’s No. 9 Maxime Machenaud was solid as a rock in his side’s impressive win over Northampton. His three conversions and two penalties meant the enforced lay–off of Jonny Sexton was not missed in terms of goal-kicking, and his general scrum-half play ensured the Parisians were clinical in all they did.
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Back Row
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8. Nathan Hughes
Nathan Hughes, Wasps Fijian-born No. 8, is part of a back-row trio that has been the major reason for Wasps’ revival this season—from the lower reaches of the Premiership to playoff contenders at home and quarter-finalists in Europe. He scored on Saturday as the Coventry-based side clawed their way into the knockout stages with a draw.
7. James Haskell
Wasps captain James Haskell could have done no more to prove his mettle as a tireless workhorse to England coach Stuart Lancaster. After his eye-watering defensive effort against Harlequins in the previous round, he made another 16 tackles against Leinster, who looked as though they were going to run away with this one after the first 40 minutes. It ended in a draw, and Haskell was one of the main reasons for it.
The Independent’s Hugh Godwin wrote:
"Haskell will join the England squad, perhaps feeling in need of a day or two’s rest. The workaholic flanker could not have expended any more sweat in the three wins and a draw that kept Wasps in Europe and knocked their English rivals Harlequins out.
'Playing a game like that is character-building,' said Haskell. 'It is credit in the bank—and hopefully we’ll get to draw that credit at some other time.
'I don’t know how many 80 minutes I’ve played in a row and after 11 years of professional rugby, bits are falling off, but I’m going pretty well. Wasps have been improving my game, and I’m going into that England set-up with real positivity.'
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6. Leone Nakarawa
Glasgow Warrior’s painful exit despite a heroic effort at the Rec was not without its grand performances. Fiji’s Leone Nakarawa put in one of them, leaping for seven line-outs, forcing two turnovers and making 12 tackles.
Chris Hewett wrote in The Independent: "A full-time professional for barely a year but already capped by the South Seas nation, (Nakarawa) did some astonishing things on the blind-side flank, most of them one-handed, and if the Bath line-out forwards ever see him again it will be many years too soon."
Second Row
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5. Franco van der Merwe
Ulster’s South African lock Franco van der Merwe used his 6'6" to good effect for three lineout takes against Leicester, but he also gained 22 metres with ball in hand and was busy at the breakdown, as his team once again blew the Tigers away at Ravenhill.
4. Sam Dickinson
Sam Dickinson is no specialist second row, but he has been playing there for Northampton during Courtney Lawes’ lay-off and had to do so again on Saturday. He coped manfully and put in a lot of defensive work, too, making 14 tackles.
Front Row
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3. Luc Ducalcon
English fans have been waiting for Alex Corbisiero to prove his fitness and take his England loose-head shirt back from Joe Marler.
On this evidence, he has some way to go. The Saints prop was far from dominant over Racing’s Luc Ducalcon, who gave as good as he got from the 2013 Lion test prop and helped cement the foundations for Racing’s table-topping win.
2. Dimitri Szarzewski
Racing’s hooker Dimitri Szarzewski was in ebullient form for the Parisians, who got the better of Northampton up front. The French international made huge ground with ball in hand, offloaded, tackled, beat defenders and made a general nuisance of himself.
1. Paul James
Bath’s solid scrummage and forward grunt was their saving grace in a game where Glasgow played all the rugby. Paul James was the rock upon which that resolve was built. Pure Welsh granite.
Honourable mention to Matt Mullan of Wasps, whose running, scrummaging and defence are placing him in contention for England.
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