Premiership Team of the Week: England star sends latest Test reminder while prodigy delivers ‘unbelievable’ performance : Planet Rugby

Following the conclusion of round 18 of the Gallagher Premiership season, here is the latest Planet Rugby Team of the Week.

For the second season in a row we have partnered with eToro, the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby, to bring you a best XV from every Premiership round, each one chosen by a famous face from the world of rugby.

On a pulsating final day, Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks and Bristol Bears all secured their spots in next weekend’s semi-finals with strong wins over Newcastle Falcons, Exeter Chiefs and Harlequins respectively.

While Gloucester and Saracens both missed out on the play-off spots, they ended their campaigns on a high with victories against Northampton Saints and top-of-the-table Bath.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s our Premiership Team of the Week.

eToro Premiership Team of the Week

15 Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers): Yet again showed how far his attacking game has come on this season, as he produced another strong display in the backfield. Across his shift, Steward notched 20 carries for 86 metres (an average of 4.3 per carry) and beat one defender in the process. That sort of intent to get his hands on the ball is exactly what Steve Borthwick will be wanting from him come the summer tour, especially with George Furbank back among the injury concerns list.

14 Christian Wade (Gloucester): It was a good weekend for wingers across the Premiership, with Josh Bassett pretty close to making this side, but we’ve just got Wigan Warriors-bound Wade in ahead of him. The Gloucester winger ended his time in rugby union – for now at least – with a bang as he nabbed three linebreaks, beat four defenders and made a whopping 163 metres from his eight carries (an average of 20.4 per carry). In customary fashion, he also grabbed himself a brace.

13 Kalaveti Ravouvou (Bristol Bears): We told you it was a good weekend for wingers, so much so we’ve had to move Bristol ace Ravouvou into midfield. Yes, it’s cheating, but we simply couldn’t ignore him after a classy performance against Harlequins, where he was yet again mesmeric ball-in-hand. He made a staggering 152 metres from his 16 carries, beat five defenders and made a linebreak too. To round things off, he also nabbed a try. Absolute delight to watch. Bristol’s actual number 13, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, was also mighty impressive.

12 Nick Tompkins (Saracens): While a lot of this backline were picked for their attacking exploits, Saracens man Tompkins comes in purely from his defensive output in his side’s win against Bath. The Welsh international was a brick wall through the midfield at the StoneX, making 12 tackles and winning a whopping five turnovers as well. Seb Atkinson narrowly misses out here.

11 Jack Cotgreave (Gloucester): Again, we were spoilt for choice here, with Cadan Murley and Gabriel Ibitoye both impressing, but hat-trick hero Cotgreave was unbelievable for the Cherry and Whites yesterday. The 19-year-old, who already had two tries in four Premiership outings this season, not only grabbed himself a well-deserved hat-trick of tries but was a consistent attacking force throughout the game as he made four linebreaks, beat seven defenders and chewed up 149 metres ball-in-hand. Watch this space. Tyler Offiah was another youngster who dazzled this weekend.

10 AJ MacGinty (Bristol Bears): There were a lot of standout performers for the Bears in their win over Harlequins, but fly-half MacGinty certainly warranted the Man of the Match tag. His haul of 12 points from the tee played a big part in their runaway victory, and alongside his attacking flourishes, he nabbed an assist as well. He’s showing exactly why he is the go-to number 10 at Ashton Gate lately, and will be pivotal in their hopes of reaching a historic final. George Ford was again exceptional for Sale, while Fergus Burke also impressed.

9 Stu Townsend (Exeter Chiefs): Harlequins-bound Townsend ended his Chiefs career in the best possible way, result aside, with a classy performance. He led the way for carries across the game with 11 to his name, making 49 metres in the process, and that threat around the ruck really allowed Exeter to push Sale close. The academy graduate will be missed at Sandy Park, but if that performance is anything to go by he’ll be a great addition for Quins.

8 Olly Cracknell (Leicester Tigers): He started the season with a bang, and now he’s ended it with one too in another sensational display of grit and power. The Welshman led the charge for Leicester on both sides of the ball, making 23 carries and 13 tackles across his 80-minute shift, which set the tone for his side. Bath starlet Arthur Green also deserves a mention for yet another strong display in his early career, he looks like some talent.

7 Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears): England’s back-row division is absolutely loaded with talent at the moment, but Harding yet again proved why there are cries for him to be included this summer. The Bristol skipper was yet again incredibly impressive in all areas of his game, making 12 carries for 31 metres and blending that with 12 tackles too, and he more than got himself involved in the breakdown battle too. Gloucester’s Lewis Ludlow also impressed, as did Andy Onyeama-Christie.

6 Jack Clement (Gloucester): The spotlight is currently on the Gloucester backs division, quite right too the way they’ve been playing, but back-rower Clement showed what an asset he is within their set-up yesterday. He had a hand in a lot of really good moments for the Cherry and Whites, notably in the build-up to Atkinson’s try, but he was just incredibly busy on both sides of the ball and laid a lot of the foundations for the win. Understated but very classy performance. Jean-Luc du Preez gave a good account of himself again for Sale Sharks.

5 Pedro Rubiolo (Bristol Bears): We all thought his season was done after a knee injury picked up in November, but he returned with a bang in his new colours. His switch to Bristol was brought forward to begin his rehab process, but he beat the odds to make a comeback in the final game of the season and is already looking like a key part of their pack moving forward. A very strong return. Compatriot Franco Molina was a close second.

4 Cameron Henderson (Leicester Tigers): Scotland international Henderson often gets overlooked in this Tigers pack, given he’s directly competing against George Martin and Ollie Chessum most of the time, but he made a mark against Newcastle. He never shied away from the tough graft, with nine tackles and 10 carries to his name, and he gave a decent platform at the lineout too. Joe Batley can feel hard done by to miss out, though.

3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks): If his place in the England squad this summer wasn’t already booked, it will be now after yet another fantastic display against Exeter. The tighthead tore through the Chiefs scrum at a rate of knots, got himself stuck into the work around the park and looked to add some cheeky offloads into his game too. He’s really matured this season, and will no doubt continue this in the summer. We so nearly went with Dan Cole on a special day for him, and George Kloska also made an impression.

2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks): A good weekend for hookers, with Jamie George grabbing a brace for Saracens, but Cowan-Dickie tore it up on the Sandy Park turf. The former Exeter man was again at his physical, imposing best in a dominant display, setting the tone for Sale’s win, and grabbed a deserved score off the back of it. He’s another Sale man peaking at the right time, and could very easily see himself thrust into Andy Farrell’s Test side later this summer.

1 Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks): It’s another all-Sale front-row in the Team of the Week, with Rodd completing the set. Like Opoku-Fordjour, he dominated his head-to-head battle in the scrum and cut a gorgeous support line for his try as well. Nicky Smith was also just as solid as usual in the scrum for Leicester.

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