PREM Rugby Team of the Week: Round 16

Monday, 18 May 2026 at 13:29

byCharlie Elliott

Round 16 of PREM Rugby produced plenty of entertainment, even if several games became comfortable wins.

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Northampton Saints and Bristol Bears made history at Franklin’s Gardens, combining for the highest aggregate score in Prem history in a remarkable 94-33 Saints victory.

Elsewhere, Leicester Tigers, Bath, Saracens and Harlequins all secured important wins as the play-off race tightened further.

Despite the dramatic scorelines, little changed in the run-in, with the teams around each other in the table largely matching results across the weekend.

Here is our Team of the Week.

15 Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks)

Sale may have been comfortably beaten by Leicester Tigers at the CorpAcq Stadium, in a scoreline that arguably flattered the hosts, but Carpenter still delivered an impressive display with real attacking intent from deep.

The full-back ran for more than 100 metres, beat six defenders and consistently produced strong offloads. Defensively, he was solid too, with most of Tigers’ points coming through their dominance up front.

14 George Hendy (Northampton Saints)

It is no surprise to see Hendy included after Northampton Saints’ remarkable 94-33 victory over Bristol Bears on Friday.

Scoring 94 points is extraordinary, and Hendy played a major role in the demolition job. Although he started on the opposite wing, he switches sides in this team to accommodate another standout performer wearing number 11.

With four tries and an assist, his inclusion here is fully deserved. Bristol’s defence offered little resistance at times, but Hendy still took full advantage of the space out wide and finished clinically throughout a devastating Saints performance.

13 Will Wand (Leicester Tigers)

Wand has been one of the surprise packages of the season and once again impressed against Sale.

He carried strongly throughout and capped his performance with a brilliant try, but it was his defensive work that stood out most, helping prevent Sale from building momentum for long periods.

For his score, he chased down his own chip kick and grounded the ball one-handed under pressure.

His 14 tackles also highlighted another side to his game, and he continues to develop week by week.

12 Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints)

Another Saints player makes the side, with Scotland international Hutchinson enjoying a brilliant outing that included two tries and even a conversion while Fin Smith was off injured.

His support running was excellent and he could easily have had more attacking involvement, particularly when Tommy Freeman opted against passing inside to him during a promising opportunity.

The centre seemed to pop up everywhere, though he was certainly helped by some poor defending from Bristol.

11 Henry Arundell (Bath)

Arundell looks to be rediscovering his best form after a disappointing Six Nations campaign. Bath cruised past Newcastle Red Bulls, with Arundell scoring four tries and adding an assist, matching Hendy’s feat from earlier in the weekend.

He racked up a remarkable 176 metres carrying the ball and completely dominated the left wing with his electric pace.

10 Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

Champions Cup rugby could still await Harlequins after their victory over play-off chasing Exeter Chiefs at Allianz Stadium, with Smith at the heart of everything good.

He kicked well from the tee, but it was his overall game management and creativity that stood out most, including two assists. For the second, he had already started celebrating before the pass had even reached its target.

Smith showed exactly why he is so dangerous when at his best, controlling the game superbly and guiding Quins to a massive win.

9 Archie McParland (Northampton Saints)

McParland looks destined to become an England regular for years to come. At just 21, he is flourishing for Saints and arguably outperforming current England scrum-half Alex Mitchell.

The young scrum-half scored twice and provided two assists against Bristol, while also delivering quick service and constantly keeping defenders guessing with sharp sniping runs.

1 Archie van der Flier (Leicester Tigers)

Despite only playing a 30-minute cameo, Van der Flier still managed to score a try and make 14 tackles, throwing himself fully into the contest and helping Tigers secure the win.

His try came from powering through the defensive line. For a replacement loosehead, it was an outstanding contribution.

2 Sam Riley (Harlequins)

After narrowly missing out last week, Riley fully deserved recognition following another excellent display for Quins.

The hooker moves around the field almost like a winger, combining deceptive pace with attacking instincts rarely seen from a front-row player.

He carried for 80 metres, defended well and lasted almost the full 80 minutes, which is hugely impressive for someone in his position. His recent form suggests he is developing into a top-quality player.

3 Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)

The second Tigers prop in the team, Heyes also crossed for a try and played a major role in Leicester’s dominant forward performance against Sale.

He scored the bonus-point try from close range on his 100th club appearance and brought plenty of physicality throughout the game.

4 Maro Itoje (Saracens)

England captain Itoje produced a classic display against Gloucester, causing problems all afternoon and leading from the front.

He was excellent in the lineout, while 16 tackles and two turnovers underlined his dominance at the breakdown.

Gloucester never really found their rhythm, and much of that was down to Itoje’s influence.

5 Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)

Chessum opened the scoring after just two minutes following some slick interplay from his teammates, and he remained excellent throughout in the lineout and around the field.

Leicester’s physicality was the key factor in beating Sale, and Chessum was central to that effort. Fellow second row George Martin also impressed as he continued his return from long-term injury.

6 Josh Bayliss (Bath)

Bayliss showed excellent hands to send Ted Hill over for Bath’s opening try before demonstrating his pace with a superb support-line score of his own, skipping past Josh Hodge in the process.

He also carried for nearly 100 metres and added 13 tackles in another all-action display.

7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)

If one performance summed up Henry Pollock, it was this one. He carried effectively, scored a try, registered an assist and won two turnovers, but also got firmly under Bristol’s skin, particularly Matias Moroni’s.

Moroni was shown a yellow card after reacting to Pollock late on, with the result already beyond doubt.

Whether people love him or hate him, there is no denying Pollock’s quality or the personality he brings to the pitch.

8 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)

Named Player of the Match against Exeter Chiefs, Dombrandt may not have grabbed all the headlines, but his work-rate was crucial to Harlequins’ victory.

For a player of his size, his carrying ability is exceptional, and he also contributed strongly at the breakdown and in defence.

He remains an outstanding club player, and it will be interesting to see whether he can soon reproduce that form consistently at international level.