Team of the Week: Investec Champions Cup Round 3

The weekend's action ignited with Edinburgh battling back from the brink to go over against Gloucester, in a hard-fought win in the Scottish capital. Whilst the Cherry and Whites succumbed to a narrow defeat, their West Country rivals put on a show-stealing performance on the road. Bath blew Castres out the water for a solid triumph in France, to wrap up the action under the trademarked Friday night lights.

Saturday's fixtures commenced in South Africa, as a relentless Bristol Bears side pulled no punches in Pretoria. Pat Lam's men dropped the hammer on the Bulls, to record a famous victory in the land of the Springboks. Glasgow then battled past Clermont for a stunning victory in France, before Leinster scraped a last-gasp win over their European arch-rivals La Rochelle. Sale then won the 'battle of the sharks' with a commanding victory over the visitors from Durban, before Pau prevailed over the Scarlets in an end-to-end Llanelli barnstormer.

Leicester Tigers then sunk their claws into Bayonne for a fearsome home victory over the French outfit, before Harlequins weathered the Stormers to get back into winning form. Toulon then clinched a nail-biting win over a resiliant Munster side, before Bordeaux blitzed through Northampton Saints in a re-match of last season's Champions Cup Final. The closing match saw Saracens record a famous win over Toulouse, with Tom Willis getting one over on his brother Jack at the StoneX.

We kick off our Team of the Week for the third round of the Champions Cup with the match-winner from the Stade Mayol. Marius Domon put in the performance of his season, as he guided Toulon to a famous win over Munster. Domon bagged himself a try, yet it was his clutch efforts from the tee which decided the outcome against the Irish province. The fullback nailed his three conversions and two penalties - including the 75th minute match winner - to keep a glimpse of daylight between the sides for the win.

It was raining tries across the Champions Cup this past weekend, with the wide channels providing plenty of possible options for RUCK's Team of the Week. With honourable mentions to Bristol's hat-trick hero Noah Heward, and Glasgow's brace-scoring wing Kyle Steyn, we hand the accolade to Nick David, in what was a tide-turning triumph for Harlequins. After a turbulent start to the 2025/26 season, the Quins were at their entertaining best for the 61-10 shut out of the Stormers. David was on hand to score a hat-trick, and further his claims for a long awaited England debut in the 2026 Six Nations.

Next up is one of the most reliable back-line operators to be found across Scotland, as Huw Jones was in tremendous form for Glasgow against Clermont. The midfielder provided plenty of neat touches to spur his side forward, as the Warriors raced away to a strong start on the road in France. Jones crossed over for a well-taken try, as the British & Irish Lion looks to be steadily clicking back towards his very best in time to return to the Scotland squad. Gregor Townsend is expected to once again unleash his play-maker in the centres, in the hopes that this blistering form continues.

Partnering Huw Jones in our selected midfield is Sale centre Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, who looks set for a big season should he maintain this form. The 22-year-old crossed the whitewash for a first half try against the Durban Sharks, as he fronted up to the physicality of the South African side. Tongan-born but eligible for England, Ma'asi-White has already accrued two England A appearences, and Borthwick could well unleash the hot-stepper for a Test debut in the 2026 Six Nations. We hand honourable mentions to Bath's Cam Redpath and La Rochelle's Simeli Daunivucu, who were also both breathless across the gain-line.

As we return to the wide channels, there is once again a trio of talented outside backs that are deserved for a spot upon our Team of the Week. We hand deserved honourable mentions to Sale flyer Tom O'Flaherty, following his brace-bagging performance in the battle of the Sharks, whilst also recognising the efforts of Kalaveti Ravouvou. The Bristol powerhouse muscled his way free for two tries against the Bulls, in a statement making performance in South Africa. However, the two tries from Rotimi Segun proved pivotal in Saracens' statement making win over Stade Toulousain, as the six-time kings of Europe were humbled at the StoneX this past Sunday.

Leicester Tigers linchpin Billy Searle won't long be forgetting his efforts from the weekend, as he crossed over for a tremendous hat-trick of tries in the win over Bayonne. The 29-year-old had long been a feature of French rugby before arriving in the East Midlands, following stints with Agen, Toulouse and Biarritz. His arrival at Welford Road signalled his England intentions, despite the stacked pecking order of players all vying to be Steve Borthwick's number 10.

Searle's stand-out efforts in Leicester's latest win have certainly done him no wrong, in staking a claim for the wider training squad for the 2026 Six Nations. We hand Harry Bryne an honourable mention following his clutch performance from the bench for Leinster, to secure the Dubliners a dramatic one-point win with his decisive match winning penalty. His opposite man, La Rochelle out-half Ihaia West, also put in a note-worthy performance, as he raced free for two tries which pushed the hosts to the very limit at the Aviva.

Scotland and Lions halfback Ben White completes our back-line for this latest installment of RUCK's Team of the Week, following his blistering performance in RC Toulon's win over Munster. The dynamic number nine was on hand to cross over for a try against the Irish province, whilst keeping the attacking tempo firing at a sizzling rate. We hand worthwhile shout-out to Martin Page-Relo of Bordeaux-Begles, who could not be contained by Northampton Saints. The Italian international skipped free for a try, and also nailed five conversions to bolster the ever-growing points tally.

We roll into the forward pack now, with the first pick going to a man that will be eager to bring this solid club form back into the international stage. Bevan Rodd looks to be gearing up for a strong run in the 2026 Six Nations, with his latest outing in Sale colours reminding Borthwick of his skill-set. Rodd muscled his way across the line for a try against the Sharks, as he expertly matched the physicality of Springboks tight-head Vincent Koch at scrum-time.

We hand an honourable mention to Edinburgh hooker Ewan Ashman to begin with, as the front rower was impactful across both fronts with a try-scoring contribution in the comeback win over Gloucester. However, we hand the Team of the Week spot to Bath's Tom Dunn, who also made an impact upon the score-board in a dominant display of forward strength from the blue, black and whites. Bath's imposing pack left no margin for doubt as they dropped the hammer on Castres, to lay the foundations for a stunning win in France.

Paul Hill was part of the aforementioned replacement pack that upped the intensity against Gloucester, however Hill's afternoon began sooner than the tight-head would have anticipated. Ollie Blyth-Lafferty was withdrawn at the half hour mark, with Hill emptying the tank upon an arduous 50 minute effort up front. The eight-capped England international calmed the nerves of his Edinburgh teammates, as he anchored the set-piece to turn the tide against the Cherry and Whites.

Back to the Bears now, with plenty of top Bristol talents to chose from this week following an incredible away win against the Bulls. Pedro Rubiolo was one such stand-out performer from Pat Lam's side, as the lock was a constant physical threat at the gain-line with an exhaustive effort upon both sides of the ball. Rubiolo was able to get his name on the score-board mid-way through the second half, with a personal addition to the frenzy of try-scoring in Pretoria. However, it was the gain-line dominance and set-piece prowess which stood out the most from the young Argentine forward.

Joining Rubiolo in the engine room is England and Lions lock Ollie Chessum, who continues his resurgence back to his best in time for the 2026 Six Nations. Steadily becomming a frequent feature of our Team of the Week's, Chessum put in another commanding performance as Leicester made light work of Bayonne this past weekend. The second rower got himself a try to cap of his impressive performance, which featured a litany of line-out success coupled with a thumping presence at the gain-line.

The next two entries come from the same match, with the flanking options populated by stand-out stars from Bordeuax-Begles v Northampton Saints. Beginning on the blindside, we hand the six jersey to France international Cameron Woki, after the versatile forward crossed over for a stunning hat-trick to silence the Saints. This re-match of the 2025 Champions Cup Final was headlined by the enigmatic back row battle, between Woki and the next entrant on this list...

Whilst Henry Pollock did in fact take the eight jersey for Northampton's defeat in Bordeaux, you can not overlook the man we have selected to round off the pack. Pollock is an experienced openside, with his latest efforts in green, black and gold once again catching the eyes of the rugby world with some viral moments.

The Bordeaux crowd rained booes down upon the England international, with Pollock responding with a phenomenal kick-chase solo score from along the left wing. The British & Irish Lion grabbed two tries as he embraced the 'pantomime villain' role, with plenty of pulse-checking on hand from the heartbeat of the Saints pack.

Rounding off the pack is Tom Willis, who got the better of his brother in a personal battle within the war. England fans got a glimpse of what they could have had, as Tom went toe-to-toe with Jack Willis, in this battle of the ex-patting back rowers.

It's no secret that Tom Willis is off to Bordeaux at the end of the season, yet the one-man wrecking ball still has plenty to give for this Saracens side, in a stand-out shift upon a famous win over Toulouse. Saracens and England fans alike will be sad to see Willis depart their shores come the end of the season, so savour these performances whilst they last in North London.