England head coach Eddie Jones made it a number of the Gallagher Premiership matched over the weekend.
What would Jones have learned from the encounters?
If he were picking a side based entirely on the two regional jousts, who would be in it?
RUCK tries to help him out...
BACK THREE
15. Max Malins (Bristol Bears) - Beat a couple of defenders and will only get better, although he may see more time at 10 when Charles Piutau returns.
14. Ruaridh McConnochie (Bath Rugby) - The speedster, as he had promised in the build-up, was clearly determined to show the England coaching contingent he has not lost the X-factor which earned him World Cup squad selection in Japan last year.
11. Olly Woodburn (Exeter Chiefs) - Normally finishing off tries but Woodburn turned provider on Friday against Sale, setting up tries for Sam Simmonds and Stuart Hogg.
CENTRE
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs): His absolutely brilliant no look inside pass set up Sam Simmonds opening try. Different gravy.
12: Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks) - The powerhouse ran rampant over arguably the most physical side in the Gallagher Premiership over the last five years in Exeter Chiefs. Faded as the game went on but there were some positive signs.
HALF-BACKS
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens) - The England fly-half was coolness personified as they overcame Harlequins 38-24. Farrell, making his 200th appearance for the north London club, managed the game to perfection while also scoring 18 points with his boot.
9. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby) - He's really shone since joining Bath, and this weekend his tactical kicking and passing were particularly excellent against Leicester Tigers.
FRONT-ROW
1. Lewis Boyce (Bath Rugby) - Bath's packed really did a number on a heavily-changed Leicester side at Welford Road, with Boyce being ths standout star of that front-row.
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs) - Precice line-out throwing, relentless scrummaging and a try to put the icing on the cake at the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday night. Almost a perfect performance from the England hooker.
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby) - One of a number of Bath’s big ball-carriers who made some real dents, making 32 metres from his eight carries. Also opened the try-scoring for the visitors. Hobbled off after another massive shift.
SECOND-ROW
4. Nick Isiekwe (Northampton Saints) - The powerful second-row, who signed on loan from Saracens, was named man of the match against London Irish as England attack coach Simon Amor watched on. Consistently stole the Exiles ball at the lineout and also topped the tackle charts with 15.
5. Maro Itoje (Saracens) - The lock scored from short range in the opening 40, his fourth try in four games for Sarries, before providing the scoring pass for Alex Lewington to score late on. He also made 13 tackles.
BACK-ROW
6. Gabriel Oghre (Wasps) - Made some eye-catching, physical carries and solid in defence too on his first start against Worcester. The 22-year-old was an impressive tail gunner in the lineout also.
7. Ben Earl (Bristol Bears) - It was an excellent night for Bristol's new signings against Gloucester, with Earl joining Malins and Radradra on the scoresheet.
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens) - Much more purposeful with his carrying, especially early on and stuck at it throughout. His best performance in a Saracens shirt for a while.
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LATEST COMMENTS
- 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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