Best XV in World Rugby for Weekend of May 1-3

Toulon entered the history books on Saturday after beating Clermont Auvergne 24-18 in the final of this year's European Rugby Champions Cup, becoming the first team to win the continental tournament three years running.

That clash between two of the Top 14's biggest outfits featured a number of talismanic performances, but winning the grandest prize Europe has to offer doesn't equate to great individual displays.

We've looked both north and south of the equator to bring you the select XV from this weekend's world rugby action, with other stellar outings coming from the Hurricanes, Highlanders and more.

Back Three

15. Leigh Halfpenny, Toulon

Admittedly, it was Clermont's Nick Abendanon who perhaps proved to be more of a showman in the battle of the full-backs on Saturday, but it was Leigh Halfpenny whose game plan functioned best in claiming European victory.

As well as kicking 14 crucial points for the three-peat champions, Halfpenny also beat four defenders to make his own unselfish dent with ball in hand, missing just one tackle compared to Abendanon's three.

Perhaps reserved as ever, Wales' talisman once again proved a conservative approach yields results, which is all he and his most deserving team-mates will care about.

14. Drew Mitchell, Toulon

Drew Mitchell beating no fewer than six defenders en route to the Twickenham try-line will be a moment replayed in Toulon for years to come in a moment the Australian himself will surely cherish for the rest of his days. 

His defending was suspect at times to say the least, but after ravaging for 77 metres in total and clinching the try that sealed Toulon's triumph, Wallabies selectors may have their heads turned in his direction once again.

11. Melani Nanai Vai, Blues

The Blues' arguably best performance of 2015 featured a number of outstanding performances from their back line, but it was Melani Nanai Vai who shined brightest, bagging a brace of tries to give his side their second win of the season.

George Moala deserves his credit as the line-breaker who laid a great foundation for the Samoan, who looks to be yet another promising Pacific Island talent emerging from the Auckland, New Zealand, outfit's ranks.

Centres

13. Mathieu Bastareaud, Toulon

Between his form for club and country, the past eight months or so have been difficult at times for Mathieu Bastareaud, but the bullish Frenchman came to prominence precisely when it was required of him at Twickenham in London.

Just as Clermont appeared to be in the ascendancy, Bastareaud trucked his way to a vital score from the last touch of the first half and failed to miss any of his tackling attempts against Clermont's significant attacking array. 

12. Richard Buckman, Highlanders

In a 48-15 demolition of the Sharks, one might have expected Highlanders centre Richard Buckman to have grabbed at least one try on Sunday, but his impact came in creation more so than penetration.

The inside centre made a lot of the groundwork in setting up two of his team's tries and managing to complete all 11 of his tackle attempts—only Willem Alberts could match that sum.

Half-Backs

10. Beauden Barrett, Hurricanes

In a match where New Zealand veteran Dan Carter was also on the try list, Beauden Barrett made sure to mimic the efforts of his All Blacks mentor with the Hurricanes' first try in their 29-23 win over the Crusaders.

The fly-half contributed 14 of his side's points and made a staggering 184 metres with ball in hand from 11 carries, missing just one tackle all game.

9. Piet van Zyl, Bulls

Scrum-half Piet van Zyl got the vast majority of his damage done early in Pretoria, South Africa, on Saturday, scoring two instinctive tries within four minutes of one another as the Bulls just edged the Lions at home.

Those early scores, in the fifth and ninth minutes, set the hosting Bulls en route to a tight 35-33 victory that saw them clinch top spot in the South African conference, owed in many ways to Van Zyl's early initiative.

Back Row

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8. Steffon Armitage, Toulon

Last year's European Player of the Year was once again a vital cog when leading Toulon to European glory and moves to No. 8 in our lineup mainly thanks to the carrying threat he posed on the ball against Clermont.

Only Matt Giteau and the aforementioned Mitchell clocked up more carrying metres than Armitage's 58, and his tally of 16 tackles was the highest of any player in the Champions Cup final. 

7. Akira Ioane, Blues

Akira Ioane may be an infant in his Super Rugby career, but the fledgling flanker took control against Western Force to contribute a man-of-the-match display in Auckland on Saturday.

Racing for a grand total of 118 metres and beating a magnificent haul of 10 defenders, the 19-year-old shifts to open-side after causing serious damage to the Force, despite also making 12 tackles while missing none.

6. Jaco Kriel, Lions

Jaco Kriel regularly stands out as one of the Lions' leading assets whenever the franchise experiences success, and although his contributions weren't enough for victory over the Bulls, he still shone in Pretoria.

The flanker was the only player to break the 100-metre mark made with ball in hand (114), scoring a last-gasp try to give his team a bonus point and making the most tackles of any player on his side (13).

Second Row

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5. Sam Whitelock, Crusaders

While fellow New Zealander Ali Williams was busy having a stormer in Toulon colours, countryman Luke Whitelock was again superb for the Crusaders even in defeat to the Hurricanes.

Lock partner Luke Romano stole a valuable bit of possession for the team at the line-out, but Whitelock was typically daunting at the set piece himself and made 40 metres from seven carries while also notching 12 tackles. 

4. Luke Jones, Melbourne Rebels

One would be hard-pressed to find a more dominant line-out totem from this weekend than the Rebels' Luke Jones, who took eight balls from the line-out in all as they beat the Chiefs 16-15.

The lock was also part of a well-oiled scrum in Melbourne, with Jones pinching two turnovers in a fruitful afternoon and making 10 tackles.

Front Row

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3. Frans Malherbe, Stormers

There was a delectable set-piece clash to watch in Bloemfontein, South Africa, this weekend as the Cheetahs hosted the Stormers, where it was the latter who took control of the scrum in a major way.

Tight-head Frans Malherbe showed his ruthless edge to ensure his side defended their scrum to a perfect record while managing to pinch no fewer than four of the Cheetahs' nine. 

2. Torsten van Jaarsveld, Cheetahs

Portly as Torsten van Jaarsveld may be, he cast a far more agile figure against the Stormers on Saturday as he notched an extremely respectable total of 17 tackles in the South African head-to-head, with only Tienie Burger making more (18).

The Cheetahs were also a force to be reckoned with at the line-out largely thanks to his accurate throwing, failing to lose any of his set-piece put-ins.

1. Benn Robinson, Waratahs

One could list more reasons why Benn Robinson deserved to be in this weekend's best XV, but his biggest contribution for the Waratahs came in the shape of an 80th-minute pilfer that effectively sealed their win over the Brumbies.

Robinson did also help his scrum ensure not one of their put-ins was lost in Canberra, Australia, but that late steal to deny the Brumbies a winning score showed stamina and a predator's intellect to grasp a vital win for the 'Tahs. 

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.