Champions Cup team of the week: Jack Nowell, Joe Carbery, Hamish Watson
Rugby NewsTuesday, 15 January 2019 at 11:06
After another thrilling round of European Champions Cup rugby, we look at the key performers that make it into our XV of the week.
15. Jack Nowell (Exeter)
Scored a wonderful solo try and looked dangerous every time he had ball in hand. England fans will be pleased to see him back to his best with the Six Nations around the corner.
14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)
A tough call on the wing, with Adam Byrne putting in an excellent performance for Leinster, but Darcy Graham gets our pick after a sensational performance against one of the giants of world rugby in Toulon and Julian Savea.
13. Kieron Fonotia (Scarlets)
Possibly his best performance since arriving from the Ospreys. He broke through Leicester’s defence with ease and showcased his skillset all over the pitch. His no-look pass for the bonus-point try was excellent. Some would argue Garry Ringrose could have been selected at 13, and he was very close!
12. Yvan Reilhac (Montpellier)
The young French centre had a superb game against Newcastle, breaking through their defence on many occasions and took his try well. Rory Scannell another name that could have got the 12 shirt after his excellent performance against Gloucester.
11. Jacob Stockdale (Ulster)
No arguments here. The powerful Irish winger is scoring tries for fun and seems to be improving every game. He scored a brilliant solo try and is so dangerous when given space. He will be relishing the opportunity to impress further for Ireland in the Six Nations.
10. Joey Carbery (Munster)
26 points including two tries, the young Irish fly-half destroyed Gloucester on Friday night and showed superb skills with his passing, his kicking and defence. He seems to have settled well at Munster and will be one to watch for the future.
9. Conor Murray (Munster)
Impossible to include Carbery without his half-back partner, Connor Murray. He controlled the game excellently and his kicking game was exceptional. We lost count of how many tries he was involved in thanks to his intelligent passing from the base of the ruck. Luke McGrath from Leinster was closely behind him for this position.
8. Viliame Mata (Edinburgh)
One of the easiest picks in this XV, Mata is one of the best 8’s in world rugby at the moment and seems to be getting better and better. His stunning over the head offload was incredible and his carrying is phenomenal. He’s really flourished under Richard Cockerill and the Fijian will be hoping to light up the Rugby World Cup this year. Ken Owens also deserves a mention after a Man of the Match performance out of position for the Scarlets, as well as Jack Conan at Leinster.
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh)
Working alongside Mata in the back-row, Watson’s work-rate is second to none. He covered every blade of grass against Toulon and his defence was solid. A top performance from one of Edinburgh’s key players and one to watch for Scotland.
6. Rhys Ruddock (Leinster)
His physicality at the breakdown gave Leinster the platform to rip Toulouse apart. Such a strong ball carrier and constantly crashing over the gain line, as well as thundering defence. It could be argued that Taulupe Faletau deserved this spot for his performance for Bath after coming back from injury.
5. Tadhg Beirne (Munster)
One of the signings of the season for Munster after arriving from Scarlets, he’s been putting in massive performances that will give Ireland some selection headaches. It was no different on Friday night as he worked wonders at the set-piece and constant work at the breakdown. A superb player that is growing with confidence going into the Six Nations.
4. Scott Fardy (Leinster)
Another excellent performance from the Australian lock, having helped his side demolish the Toulouse pack with his work rate and intelligence at the breakdown. He’s fast becoming a key player for the defending champions.
3. WP Nel (Edinburgh)
A strong performance from the tighthead against a formidable Toulon front-row, but he held his own and put in a huge shift which provided the platform the backs needed to get on the front foot. A wonderful player that would run through walls for his Edinburgh teammates. Jannie du Plessis also impressed for Montpellier.
2. Sean Cronin (Leinster)
The Leinster man cannot top scoring tries for his province at the moment, and it was no surprise to see him pop up to get another on Saturday. His ball carrying is exceptional and his defensive work doesn’t go unnoticed. Stuart McInally was also superb in their win over Toulon.
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)
Schoeman joins his Edinburgh front-row partner at loosehead after putting in another huge performance to earn Richard Cockerill’s men a well-deserved win. Rob Evans scoring two tries for Scarlets almost earnt him a place, and Dave Kilcoyne at Munster impressed against Gloucester.
Coach of the Week: Richard Cockerill
He has done wonders at Edinburgh since arriving back in 2017, and the side seem to be getting better and better thanks to a strong pack and young backs that are full of confidence.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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