Siya Kolisi of the Sharks, Teddy Williams of Cardiff and Embrose Papier of the Bulls.
Following another enthralling weekend of United Rugby Championship (URC) action, here is the Planet Rugby Team of the Week for Round Seven.
With a full round of games, plenty of teams are represented but South African duo, the Sharks and Bulls, lead the way with three apiece, while Zebre Parma are rewarded for their superb victory over the Ospreys.
15 Aphelele Fassi (Sharks): The speedster was always an excellent player at club level, but playing regularly for the Springboks has seemingly taken his game up another level. Fassi was outstanding against the Stormers after being a threat with ball in hand and impressing under the high ball. He saw off stern competition from Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster), Wes Goosen (Edinburgh) and Cam Winnett (Cardiff).
14 Canan Moodie (Bulls): Jake White may not think he’s quite at his best – although Planet Rugby has since learned that his ‘buffet’ comments were a Bulls in-joke – but he was still pretty damn good on Saturday. Connacht could not handle the flyer as he made the most metres of anybody over the weekend to take the spot from the Sharks’ Ethan Hooker, Jordan Larmour of Leinster and Edinburgh’s Darcy Graham.
13 Ben Carson (Ulster): Tough on the Lions’ Henco van Wyk, who scored the try of the weekend, and Ospreys powerhouse Owen Watkin, who put in a big defensive shift, but Carson did all he could to get Ulster over the line. The 22-year-old could not quite manage it but two tries and some big carries was a mighty fine effort in a losing cause.
12 Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks): Although Marius Louw was a defensive rock, his fellow South African shone the brightest in his side’s victory over the Stormers. Since returning to Durban, Esterhuizen has settled back in nicely and showed his class at the weekend by making 79 metres with ball in hand. He is an excellent all-round centre nowadays and continued his fine form in 2024.
11 Simone Gesi (Zebre): It was some result for the Italians, who got the better of the Ospreys for their second victory of the season. Gesi is diminutive but a real threat with ball in hand if given space and the lively wing punished the Welsh region with two tries. Munster’s Thaakir Abrahams is another who punches above his weight and he was equally impressive in the victory over the Lions.
10 Callum Sheedy (Cardiff): Was key in their victory over fellow countrymen the Dragons, scoring a try and converting all four of their scores in the 31-23 triumph. Sheedy also added a penalty for good measure as his kicking was key to keeping their opponents at arm’s length, particularly with the visitors threatening a comeback late on.
9 Embrose Papier (Bulls): One of those who is incredibly unfortunate not to break into Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad just yet considering his consistently excellent performances for the Pretoria outfit. Papier handled the difficult conditions in Connacht superbly, dictating play as the Bulls recorded a comfortable victory over in Galway. Continue playing like this and it won’t be long until Erasmus comes calling.
Several strong showings among the forwards
8 Siya Kolisi (Sharks): There were impressive performances from Jack Mann of Glasgow Warriors and Gavin Coombes of Munster but it wasn’t enough to keep out the Springboks skipper, who delivered a fine all-round performance in the Sharks’ win over the Stormers. Kolisi shone as a ball carrier, and was rewarded with a try for his efforts, but also did his bit on defence and at the breakdowns where he won three turnover.
7 Bautista Stavile (Zebre): The Argentine back-row was one of Zebre’s heroes in their victory over the Ospreys as he delivered an outstanding 80-minute performance. The 27-year-old did what was expected of him with ball in hand but made his biggest impact on defence and finished with 18 tackle completions. In other action, Nick Timoney and Ben Muncaster also had good games for Ulster and Edinburgh respectively.
6 Jack O’Donoghue (Munster): The Munsterman came to the fore with a huge performance as his side returned to winning ways with a hard-fought triumph over the Lions at Thomond Park. The 30-year-old toiled manfully as he was a willing ball carrier and put his body on the line on defence. O’Donoghue comes in ahead of Josh Macleod of the Scarlets and Jamie Ritchie of Edinburgh.
5 Teddy Williams (Cardiff): The young Wales lock is the second Cardiff player to get a spot in our team and his selection is a deserved one as he caught the eye with a fine all-round effort against Welsh rivals the Dragons. As expected, the 24-year-old did well in the lineouts but also shone as a ball carrier as he made two line breaks, but is biggest contribution was on defence where he put in a whopping 20 tackles.
4 Ruan Vermaak (Bulls): Although the Bulls were without his namesake, Springboks second-row and regular Bulls skipper Ruan Nortje, Vermaak stepped up to the plate for the men from Pretoria in a deserved away triumph against Connacht. The 26-year-old won his fair share of lineout possession but also put in a big defensive shift, especially at close quarters.
3 Rabah Slimani (Leinster): The former France international’s experience proved valuable as the Irish province consolidated their position at the top of the standings and their unbeaten status with a narrow away win over Ulster. The 35-year-old’s experience came to the fore in the forward exchanges during a 72-minute stint, with his scrummaging particularly impressive.
2 Johnny Matthews (Glasgow Warriors): The 31-year-old hooker continued with his outstanding attacking exploits as he crossed the whitewash in his side’s narrow win over the Scarlets and he now sits at the top of the try-scoring charts. Matthews was a genuine attacking threat as he finished the match with 14 carries made and also won two crucial turnovers.
1 Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh): In Durban, Stormers veteran Ali Vermaak made a solid return to action in a losing cause against the Sharks but it Schoeman edges him out for a spot in our side. The Scotland international impressed with the execution of his core duties with his scrummaging solid throughout a 62-minute stint on the field and he also impressed on attack with 14 carries made.
