Big Ewis
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Planet Rugby's Team of the Week:
15 Anthony Watson (Bath): All the talk before the game might have been about Sam Burgess, but it was clear that Watson was the biggest threat in the Bath backline. A constant menace with ball in hand, the highlight was one improvised run straight through the Montpellier midfield that almost led to a great solo try. Elsewhere Leigh Halfpenny was back in top form for Toulon both with ball in hand and from the kicking tee. Brice Dulin also impressed on his return from injury.
14 Ken Pisi (Northampton): Of course we have to bear in mind the standard of the opposition, but still, Pisi's hat-trick was mighty impressive, as were the 154 metres he made with ball in hand. He just edges out fellow hat-trick man Matt Banahan whose tries may have come against tougher opposition, but required much simpler finishes.
13 Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon): It had been a quiet game for Bastareaud at Welford Road but he bounced back in style in the return fixture, making ground with every charge. He showed great hands for the pick-up on his try, so we'll let him off for the drop of a similar low pass a few minutes later. Ben Jacobs showed great finishing skills for his brace for Wasps and deserves a mention as well.
12 Ian Madigan (Leinster): It wasn't a great week for the inside centres, but we'll give Madigan the nod for his cool kicking performance from the tee, while also showing up well in defence. The Irish international also has a great range of passing and put in some fizzing efforts in the first half in particular.
11 Noa Nakaitaci (Clermont): The scorer of a mesmerising individual try, Nakaitaci is an absolute nightmare to defend in open space. He did more than that though, defending brilliantly on his wing and making lots of ground with ball in hand. On this form he should be in France's Six Nations squad.
10 Rhys Priestland (Scarlets): It was a welcome return to form for Priestland as the Scarlets ended Ulster's quarter-final hopes while keeping their own alive. The oft-criticised fly-half booted the Welsh team into a 12-0 lead with four penalties, and added another after the break, while playing the pragmatic style that was required on the evening. Camille Lopez again impressed for Clermont but struggled with his kicking.
9 Sébastien Bézy (Toulouse): One man who didn't struggle from the kicking tee was Bézy, who kicked four of four to hand Toulouse a narrow win in Glasgow. On a day when the rest of the kickers combined to go three of seven in difficult conditions, Bézy held his nerve and ensured Toulouse took their chances in a very tight game.
8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens): It's been a rough couple of weeks for Vunipola, who saw Ben Morgan leapfrog him in the England pecking order, but the powerful number eight was back to his best against Saracens making one try and scoring another. That's enough to edge out Nathan Hughes, who had a cracking day for Wasps including one sumptuous try as he burst through in midfield.
7 Dominic Ryan (Leinster): A powerful presence in the back row, Ryan put in tackle after tackle against Quins and provided the hard yards when Leinster needed a ball carrier. He offers a different style of play to Shane Jennings, but it was just what was required in a gritty battle at the Aviva Stadium.
6 Damien Chouly (Clermont): Probably the toughest call of the week with Juan Smith sensational for Toulon and Samu Manoa scoring a 12-minute hat-trick. In the end though we're going to give it to Chouly for his two tries against Munster. Not only that, the Clermont skipper ensured his team didn't panic when Munster came out all guns blazing early on.
5 Ali Williams (Toulon): Williams produced a vintage display at Mayol, scoring Toulon's first try with a pick and go, before feeding Bastareaud for the second. The former All Black was also the go-to man in the lineout, claiming seven in total. He edges out Yoann Maestri who was an absolute rock in defence for Toulouse, racking up 12 tackles for none missed.
4 George Kruis (Saracens): Sarries' win came from a great forward effort, and Kruis was at the heart of it, making ground every time he touched the ball, while also offering a great lineout presence. The England international is enjoying a fine run of form.
3 Census Johnston (Toulouse): The Toulouse scrum again played a big part in their success over Glasgow, with Johnston giving Ryan Grant a torrid time in the set-piece. He also finished with 10 tackles as part of the huge Toulouse defensive effort.
2 Guilhem Guirado (Toulon): Dave Ward was very active around the park but had a few lineouts go astray for Quins. Guirado on the other hand, was excellent with his throwing, while also making his presence felt. He seems to have really grown as a player of the last 12 months.
1 Rob Evans (Scarlets): Declan Fitzpatrick endured a miserable evening, in large part thanks to the work of Rob Evans in the scrum. The young loosehead has really benefited from the decision to switch Rhodri Jones to tighthead and it says something for his fitness that he was left on for the full 80 minutes. Raphaël Chaume made a big impact for Clermont after he came on in the second half.
15 Anthony Watson (Bath): All the talk before the game might have been about Sam Burgess, but it was clear that Watson was the biggest threat in the Bath backline. A constant menace with ball in hand, the highlight was one improvised run straight through the Montpellier midfield that almost led to a great solo try. Elsewhere Leigh Halfpenny was back in top form for Toulon both with ball in hand and from the kicking tee. Brice Dulin also impressed on his return from injury.
14 Ken Pisi (Northampton): Of course we have to bear in mind the standard of the opposition, but still, Pisi's hat-trick was mighty impressive, as were the 154 metres he made with ball in hand. He just edges out fellow hat-trick man Matt Banahan whose tries may have come against tougher opposition, but required much simpler finishes.
13 Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon): It had been a quiet game for Bastareaud at Welford Road but he bounced back in style in the return fixture, making ground with every charge. He showed great hands for the pick-up on his try, so we'll let him off for the drop of a similar low pass a few minutes later. Ben Jacobs showed great finishing skills for his brace for Wasps and deserves a mention as well.
12 Ian Madigan (Leinster): It wasn't a great week for the inside centres, but we'll give Madigan the nod for his cool kicking performance from the tee, while also showing up well in defence. The Irish international also has a great range of passing and put in some fizzing efforts in the first half in particular.
11 Noa Nakaitaci (Clermont): The scorer of a mesmerising individual try, Nakaitaci is an absolute nightmare to defend in open space. He did more than that though, defending brilliantly on his wing and making lots of ground with ball in hand. On this form he should be in France's Six Nations squad.
10 Rhys Priestland (Scarlets): It was a welcome return to form for Priestland as the Scarlets ended Ulster's quarter-final hopes while keeping their own alive. The oft-criticised fly-half booted the Welsh team into a 12-0 lead with four penalties, and added another after the break, while playing the pragmatic style that was required on the evening. Camille Lopez again impressed for Clermont but struggled with his kicking.
9 Sébastien Bézy (Toulouse): One man who didn't struggle from the kicking tee was Bézy, who kicked four of four to hand Toulouse a narrow win in Glasgow. On a day when the rest of the kickers combined to go three of seven in difficult conditions, Bézy held his nerve and ensured Toulouse took their chances in a very tight game.
8 Billy Vunipola (Saracens): It's been a rough couple of weeks for Vunipola, who saw Ben Morgan leapfrog him in the England pecking order, but the powerful number eight was back to his best against Saracens making one try and scoring another. That's enough to edge out Nathan Hughes, who had a cracking day for Wasps including one sumptuous try as he burst through in midfield.
7 Dominic Ryan (Leinster): A powerful presence in the back row, Ryan put in tackle after tackle against Quins and provided the hard yards when Leinster needed a ball carrier. He offers a different style of play to Shane Jennings, but it was just what was required in a gritty battle at the Aviva Stadium.
6 Damien Chouly (Clermont): Probably the toughest call of the week with Juan Smith sensational for Toulon and Samu Manoa scoring a 12-minute hat-trick. In the end though we're going to give it to Chouly for his two tries against Munster. Not only that, the Clermont skipper ensured his team didn't panic when Munster came out all guns blazing early on.
5 Ali Williams (Toulon): Williams produced a vintage display at Mayol, scoring Toulon's first try with a pick and go, before feeding Bastareaud for the second. The former All Black was also the go-to man in the lineout, claiming seven in total. He edges out Yoann Maestri who was an absolute rock in defence for Toulouse, racking up 12 tackles for none missed.
4 George Kruis (Saracens): Sarries' win came from a great forward effort, and Kruis was at the heart of it, making ground every time he touched the ball, while also offering a great lineout presence. The England international is enjoying a fine run of form.
3 Census Johnston (Toulouse): The Toulouse scrum again played a big part in their success over Glasgow, with Johnston giving Ryan Grant a torrid time in the set-piece. He also finished with 10 tackles as part of the huge Toulouse defensive effort.
2 Guilhem Guirado (Toulon): Dave Ward was very active around the park but had a few lineouts go astray for Quins. Guirado on the other hand, was excellent with his throwing, while also making his presence felt. He seems to have really grown as a player of the last 12 months.
1 Rob Evans (Scarlets): Declan Fitzpatrick endured a miserable evening, in large part thanks to the work of Rob Evans in the scrum. The young loosehead has really benefited from the decision to switch Rhodri Jones to tighthead and it says something for his fitness that he was left on for the full 80 minutes. Raphaël Chaume made a big impact for Clermont after he came on in the second half.
