Best XV in World Rugby for Weekend of April 24-26

Europe waits with bated breath as Toulon and Clermont prepare for the upcoming Champions Cup final, but the quality of rugby on display this week took no respite.

Northampton Saints claimed a crucial win over fellow heavyweights Saracens to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership, while Super Rugby's Hurricanes rediscovered their stride.

Scanning the brightest performances from both sides of the equator, we've compiled a lineup of this weekend's best performers, a slideshow in which individual magic takes precedence over team results.

Back 3

15. Scott Spedding, Bayonne

One of two hat-trick heroes in this weekend's back three, Bayonne talisman Scott Spedding showed how much the club will miss him next season with three tries against Grenoble.

The Clermont-bound behemoth had two tries to his name by the half-time whistle, eating up a huge 95 metres with ball in hand.

Chiefs full-back Tom Marshall gets an honourable mention for his magnificent display against Western Force, carrying for 169 metres and creating a long line of chances for his side.

14. Remy Grosso, Castres

Clermont's domestic form has taken a nosedive of late, and Castres speedster Remy Grosso was on hand to pile further misery on the Champions Cup finalists with a three-try display at Stade Pierre-Antoine.

That performance aided Castres massively, as they raced to a morale-boosting 31-10 victory, with Grosso snaffling up whatever mistakes the visitors were foolish enough to make in front of him.

11. Nemani Nadolo, Crusaders

Nemani Nadolo was unfortunate not to pen his name on the list of scorers on Saturday, but the monstrous Fijian was nevertheless a guiding light en route to Crusaders' 29-15 win over the Blues.

Helping to create three of his side's four tries, Nadolo took on the less familiar role of puppeteer and battered the Blues' defence into submission, unselfishly setting a base for his team-mates to build from.

Centres

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

13. Lionel Mapoe, Lions

The Cheetahs may be something of a vulnerable opponent at present, but Lionel Mapoe still played a leading role in the Lions' rampant win over their South African rivals on Saturday.

Grabbing one try of his own and setting up another, the outside centre made two turnovers and clocked up 109 metres in attack, with only team-mate Ruan Combrinck carrying for more.

12. Ma'a Nonu, Hurricanes

The Hurricanes got their winning wagon back on track on Sunday, clinching a 35-19 win over the Queensland Reds, a game in whihc Ma'a Nonu was critical to the travelling party's success.

If there was any notion that Steve Hansen's priorities in picking New Zealand's No. 12 for this year's World Cup were in doubt, Nonu did his bit to reduce the dilemma. He beat six defenders from two clean breaks and created a great deal of the Hurricanes' forward momentum.

Half-Backs

10. Dan Biggar, Ospreys

Dan Biggar picked the right time to stand out with a Man of the Match performance against Cardiff Blues, as the Wales fly-half illustrated who should be starting for the national team.

Gareth Anscombe looked every bit the inferior playmaker as Biggar bustled for 84 carrying metres, one try and 16 points during the Judgement Day clash, contributing 13 tackles to cap off a superb display.

Northampton Saints sharp-shooter Stephen Myler just misses out after kicking 20 points to lead his side to victory over Saracens at Stadium MK.

9. Sebastien Bezy, Toulouse

Toulouse full-back Maxime Medard made the second-highest carrying haul at Stade Jean-Bouin with 73 metres, but scrum-half team-mate Sebastien Bezy was on a higher plane to the rest of the field with 104 of his own.

The half-back made a nuisance of himself all evening and showed he could be ready to start raising his hand for full international honours, making two breaks, beating six defenders and failing to miss a tackle against Stade Francais.

Back Row

8. Warren Whiteley, Lions

Warren Whiteley may be used to having a greater offensive impact than the grand total of three carrying metres he managed against the Cheetahs, but it was his 23 tackles that impressed most on Saturday.

Flanker team-mates Jaco Kriel and Warwick Tecklenburg managed that amount between the two of them, showing just what an active outing this was for the non-stop Whiteley.

7. David Pocock, Brumbies

One would struggle to find a better performance this weekend than that of Brumbies open-side David Pocock, who continued his return to full fitness with a hat-trick outing against the Highlanders.

Pocock was nothing short of mesmerising en route to grabbing no fewer than three tries in the opening 34 minutes on Friday, making 15 carries and completing all of his attempted tackles.

6. Sam Burgess, Bath

Sam Burgess' shift to Bath's No. 6 jersey continued to bear fruit on Friday, as the Yorkshireman earned Man of the Match reviews for his performance against London Irish.

Burgess found himself among the try-scorers and looked a more complete and assured asset in the back row, failing to miss a tackle and clocking up 66 metres carrying ball in hand.

Second Row

5. Iain Henderson, Ulster

Ulster's Iain Henderson put in a terrific shift at blind-side against Leinster on Friday, but the wealth of fine flanker performances sees the 23-year-old shift to his other position of lock for the purpose of our lineup.

In helping his province claim a mightily impressive 26-10 win over the reigning Pro12 champions, Henderson held a stellar tackling ratio with 18 complete and none missed. He also beat five defenders for a carrying total of 45 metres.

4. Jonny Gray, Glasgow Warriors

Having finished this year's Six Nations with the highest tackling average in the tournament, Jonny Gray once again showed his defensive quality by making an outrageous 26 tackles against Connacht on Saturday.

Glasgow's back three were at their best as the Warriors clinched an 18-point win in Ireland, but Gray's work without the ball and imperious form at the line-out were every bit as essential to their victory.

Front Row

Michel Euler/Associated Press

3. Uini Atonio, La Rochelle

Toulon may have put out a weakened XV against La Rochelle in fear of picking up injuries ahead of the upcoming Champions Cup final, but La Rochelle's victory over the Top 14 champions was nevertheless a terrific achievement for the minnows. 

France prop Uini Atonio was pivotal in leading the hosts to a perfect scrummaging record and moved his titanic frame about as he racked up an impressive 13 tackles.

2. Corey Flynn, Toulouse

Toulouse's nine-point win over Stade Francais on Friday was far from the most glamorous affair, but the performance of hooker Corey Flynn summed up their gritty means of victory.

He played a key role in setting up one of his team's two tries and missed just one of 19 tackling attempts.

1. Nicky Smith, Ospreys

Wales coach Warren Gatland will have been overjoyed to see young Nicky Smith perform with such maturity for Ospreys against rival Welsh outfit Cardiff Blues on Saturday.

The 21-year-old loose-head played beyond his years and made a great offload to set team-mate Dan Evans up for his side's first Judgment Day try, putting in an energetic total of 11 tackles as well.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN Scrum.