PREM Rugby Team of the Week - Henry Arundell stars for Bath

This past weekend marked Round 6 in the Gallagher PREM, which means that we have officially past the half-way mark for the regular season. Following an impressive away victory over Saracens, Bath top the table at the mid-point, as the blue, black and whites embark on their quest to retain their league title.

This return to the domestic league campaign will be short-lived, as the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup will now take precedence over the next fortnight, as the cross-continental campaigns get up and running. Once again, we have picked out the top players who impressed throughout this brief return to PREM Rugby action, with the sixth round now in the books.

One of the brightest future England talents at fullback, Ben Redshaw kicks off our PREM Rugby Team of the Week following an inspired effort in Gloucester's win over Harlequins. Redshaw bagged a brace of well-taken tries as the Cherry and Whites secured their first win of the PREM season, with a long awaited end coming to the five-match string of defeats. Plenty of promise around the former Newcastle man, after the 20-year-old enjoyed a run with England A in the latest November series.

The speedster is back hitting his unstoppable top gear, as Bath wing Henry Arundell was in flying form for the men in blue, black and white upon their visit to North London. Arundell broke free for two tries in the hard-fought victory over Saracens, with Johann van Graan delighted to unleash the England wing at top flight. It may have been a quieter Autumn Series than Arundell would have hoped, but keep this form up and Steve Borthwick would be hard-pressed to leave him out of the 2026 Six Nations match day squads.

Just a few more weeks to go, and Bristol Bears technician Benhard Janse van Rensburg will be eligible to play for England. Whilst the countdown is now truly on for Christmas, van Rensburg will be checking off his calendar with all eyes fixed upon the 2026 Six Nations. After five years of residency, the South African will qualify for Steve Borthwick's side. His latest hit out was a breathless Player of the Match performance, as van Rensburg orchestrated the Bristolian bombardment of Northampton Saints.

We pivot immediately to a man who's England position could come under threat, should van Rensburg get the call from Borthwick for the 2026 Six Nations. Henry Slade had a quiet Autumn Series, as Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence formed the midfield axis. However, the Exeter man made up for lost time with a stellar return to his club, as the Chiefs picked up an impressive win on the road to Sale Sharks. One of the longest away days in the PREM had no bearing upon Slade, who slotted his conversions and penalties with a metronomic fashion and pulled the strings of the intense contest.

A once forgotten England wing could well be on his way back to international prominence, should Max Malins continue this impressive run of club form. Left out of the entire Autumn Series, Malins did not rest on his laurels and instead ran out for the Barbarians against an All Blacks XV and kept his momentum high in the PREM Rugby Cup. Malins scored twice for Saracens in their tough defeat to Bath, with a strong showing under the high ball paramount throughout against the now table-topping Somerset side.

There has been plenty of discussion for the Team of the Week 10 jersey, with ample contributions coming from across the PREM clubs. The likes of Owen Farrell and George Ford both put their hand ups for an inclusion, yet we hand the linchpin role to Gloucester's Ross Byrne following a milestone win. The Cherry and Whites are off the mark for the season, with Byrne a key figure in the win over Harlequins. The former Leinster man took his points from the tee and had the upper hand over his opposite man Marcus Smith.

Making the short communte on the M5 from Gloucester to Bristol, we stick in the West Country for the half-back pairing but pivot across to the land of the Bears. Kieran Marmion just edged out Bath's Ben Spencer to this week's nine jersey, despite the honourably mentioned efforts from the man in blue, black and white against Saracens. Marmion's two tries steers him home for this week's all-star XV, with the Irish scrum half stealing the show against the Saints.

On to the forward pack now, and Leicester Tigers contribute the first name upon our eight-man unit. Nicky Smith slots in at loose-head prop following his herculean efforts in the win over Newcastle Red Bulls. Smith must have stolen his opponents brand of energy drink upon the half-time break, as a 73-minute shift was populated by a surging scrum effort and impressive carries in the loose. One of the many PREM stars who Wales missed in their defeat to the Springboks, Smith's club commitments instead opted for him to star in a strong win for the East Midlanders.

The stalwart of Sandy Park made a key contribution from the bench, as Yeandle was ushered on at the 50th minute mark in Sale. Just four minutes later, the hooker had the ball grounded over the try-line, which helped turn the tide against the Sharks. The 35-year-old upped the tempo for Rob Baxter's men, with a commanding effort from the second half set-piece.

The tight-head spot was a tough call this week, as replacement Exeter prop Scott Sio scored a pivotal try in the Chiefs' comeback win in Salford. However, we've instead opted for Bath bruiser Thomas du Toit to take up the mantle once again, with the prop in flying form following a blistering November with the Springboks. Du Toit muscled his way over for a try against Saracens, and set the precedence at scrum time at the StoneX. The Rec faithful will need to savour each and every appearence from du Toit from now until the end of the season, before the South African heads home with a transfer agreed to the Sharks.

Joining Nicky Smith upon the list of 'Players that Wales wish they had this weekend', Exeter Chiefs lock Dafydd Jenkins was peerless in the pack against Sale. The former Wales captain was phenomenal in the win for the Devon side, in a near faultless performance from the 22-year-old. Tireless in the contact zone, physical over the gain-line and even able to produce a neat kick when the pressure was on, Jenkins enjoyed one of his finest performances at the CorpAcq, with his starring moment being a powerful break and assisting pass for Olly Woodburn's score.

The sole Saint making our Team of the Week, it was a tough afternoon in Bristol for the men in green, black and gold. However, one bright spark from an otherwise underwhelming effort at Ashton Gate was lock JJ van der Mescht. The South African has been making waves across the PREM since his arrival from Stade Francais ahead of the 2025/26 season, this weekend saw another physical performance up front from the second row, who capped off his day with a well taken try early in the second half. In a time when the Springboks are kings of the rugby world, van der Mescht could well provide another string to the bow of Rassie Erasmus' unmatched squad depth.

It was a tail of two number sixes at the StoneX Stadium, as both Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso and Josh Bayliss ran out a pair of barnstorming efforts upon the artificial turf. The two back rows left their marks upon their opposition, with sore shoulders expected following a clattering contest. Whilst Player of the Match Bayliss prevailed with his Bath team, we give the nod to unflappable Gonzalez Samso. The Argentine powerhouse fought valiently for his side, and twice got Saracens across the try-line against a formidable blue, black and white defence.

Whilst his back row partner Bayliss narrowly missed out on the Team of the Week, there is simply no looking beyond Miles Reid from this past weekend. The red-haired dynamo was a constant presence at the breakdown, as he dutifully collected a trio of turnovers whilst Bath weathered a storm of sustained Saracens pressure. Reid was inches away from getting his name on the score-sheet, but the overall efforts was plenty worthwhile of a place within this week's top performers.

Rounding off the pack is an outstanding effort from an East Midlands man, who has been in tremendous form in recent weeks. Overlooked by Felipe Contepomi for a place in the Argentina squad, young back row Jaoquin Moro spent his November on the grind with the Tigers, with a string of strong wins in the PREM Rugby Cup. Moro rolled this momentum into the return of the PREM, and grabbed two tries in Leicester solid win on the road to Newcastle. The Tigers man looks to be steadily finding his groove in the number eight jersey, with a Pumas return on the horizon should this form continue for the 24-year-old.