3. Gabriel Ibitoye – Bristol Bears
England are two men down on the wings following the Rugby World Cup, as Jonny May’s international retirement has sparked a great deal of contention for his vacated spot. Couple that with Henry Arundell’s contact extension at Racing 92, and Borthwick will be looking to bolster the depth of his flyers for the upcoming Six Nations. Ibitoye has been consistently amongst the front-runners for a call up, with this star making performance re-iterating his talents out wide.
The winger was outstanding in the win against Sale Sharks, with his attributes highlighted on both sides of the ball. He capped off a strong run-out with a try, as he showed an unmatched desire to recover the bouncing ball, and neatly evaded Joe Carpenter on his way through to score. In defence, Ibitoye was biting off more than he could chew, but only to come back for extra helpings. He put in thunderous shots on the biggest Sale ball carriers, often leaving the powerhouse forwards on the deck.
With seven tries to his name in all competitions this season, Ibitoye has been putting the Premiership’s most promising wingers on notice. The former Agen, Montpellier, Tel Aviv Heat and Harlequins man has excelled in many different kits, yet is eagerly eyeing up the opportunity to run out and wear the red rose this coming February and March.
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4. Josh Caulfield – Bristol Bears
Sticking with Bristol for now, lock Josh Caulfield had arguably his strongest performance for the Bears since joining at the start of the season. The former London Irish second row was a key piston in the Exiles engine room, and has since transferred his skills to Bristol, to drive his new side into gear. Caulfield performed in everything that was asked of him, with a brilliant display of physical dominance in both attack and defence. Laying waste to the nimble Sale back-line, Caulfield impressed even the most determined Sharks fan inside the AJ Bell.
Caufield’s starring involvement came on the run-up to Max Malins’ try, as it took three Sharks defenders to halt his powerful leg drive. The ball then fizzed through the hands, and made it’s way to Max Malins, who scored in the corner off the back of a wonderful assist from Dan Thomas. Worthy of an honourable mention, Malins had his best Bristol performance since returning from the Rugby World Cup, and also did himself plenty of favours ahead of Borthwick’s England team announcement on January 17th.