Five England Lads Smash It in Our Premiership Team of the Week for Round 5!
Yesterday at 10:50 AM
After the regional bragging rights were secured in the Premiership’s derby weekend, the marker was firmly laid down for the fifth round of the English top flight. What followed in Round Five of the Gallagher Premiership was edge of your seat action, with two matches decided in the closing moments, and Newcastle Falcons getting their long awaited win after 19 long months of sorrow.
Newcastle set the tone for the incredible weekend of sporting drama, with Steve Diamond’s side getting off the mark with a victory over Exeter Chiefs. A brace from hooker Jamie Blamire put the nail in the coffin for the men from Devon, handing Chiefs their fifth league defeat in a row – their worst ever start to a Premiership season. Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks battled it out alongside the triumph in the North East, with Tommy Freeman starring at centre in a strong win for the green, black and golds.
Saturday’s action saw two nail-biting fixtures play out back-to-back, as there was late drama at Ashton Gate and the Twickenham Stoop. Both sets of visiting sides snatched late victories, with Saracens stealing a last-ditch win over Bristol by the boot of Alex Lozowski, to silence the regularly rowdy West Country crowd. Bath followed suit with Francois van Wyk’s match-winning try, to wrap up a dramatic win in South West London for the blue, black and whites.
Sunday’s fixture was another high scorer, and despite the best efforts of Gloucester’s hat-trick hero Max Llewellyn, Leicester Tigers clawed a way back for a win at Welford Road. So, who makes it into Ruck’s Team of the Week, after such a drama-fuelled round of the Gallagher Premiership. Here are our picks for the top performers of each position, from the fifth round.
Join the RUCK's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
RESULTS: PREMIERSHIP RUGBY ROUND 5
Friday: Newcastle Falcons 24 – 18 Exeter Chiefs / Northampton Saints 47 – 17 Sale Sharks
Saturday: Bristol Bears 35 – 37 Saracens / Harlequins 24 – 26 Bath Rugby
Sunday: Leicester Tigers 29 – 26 Gloucester Rugby
15. Elliot Daly (Saracens)
Bristol Bears reporter Ben Thorne watched on, as Saracens sealed a dramatic win over at Ashton Gate, with England star Elliot Daly at the forefront of the action. “Daly was immense in everything that he did today and earned himself man of the match.
“He managed the backfield brilliantly throughout the game and stepped into the first receiver role during Alex Goode's yellow card period. The full back also showcased his attacking ability on numerous occasions, he finished his tries brilliantly in the second half and was instrumental in the setting up of Rotimi Segun's try in the first. Daly should 100% be in the team of the week this week.”
14. Rodrigo Isgro (Harlequins)
Harlequins wing Rodrigo Isgro was a minute away from the debut of dreams, before Bath stole their glory with a last-gasp try. Isgro was on top form for his first run out in the famous Harlequins quarters, and certainly impressed his new head coach Danny Wilson. After the match, Wilson said:
"Excellent. I thought, you know, considering he's had a one training week. Really the Saracens week, he did a little bit, but that was his first time in the building. So on this week, he trained fully, only a six day turnaround, and went out and really pleased with his first game. He's a great character. He's fit in really well, but I think we saw a fair amount of what he's capable of, which is exciting."
13. Max Llewellyn (Gloucester)
There were plenty of top candidates for the outside centre jersey this week, as England talents Tommy Freeman and Alex Lozowski both starred in the 13 shirt. Lozowski’s match winning penalty in the final kick of the match was a cold as ice, as he turned away after striking the ball and walked into the arms of his delighted teammates. Freeman starred for Saints at 13, and provided England head coach Steve Borthwick with a viable option should Henry Slade not return in time for the Autumn Tests.
However, we’ve awarded the Team of the Week spot to Max Llewellyn, with the Gloucester man taking it upon himself to bring the fight to Leicester Tigers single-handedly. Llewellyn crossed over for an impressive hat-trick, yet the Cherry and Whites could not rally upon his efforts any further on the front foot.
12. Will Butt (Bath)
Stepping up to start after initially not being named in the match day 23, Bath midfielder Will Butt provided the emergency response required from Johann van Graan. Butt entered the fray shortly before kick-off, as Cameron Redpath dropped out with a tight leg muscle. Butt went on to have a storming match at the Stoop, and was ever present in the attack.
"He (Redpath) should be back in next week.” Van Graan said. “And then again, it's just next man. I thought Will Butt was excellent tonight. And we had a bit of sickness in in camp just before the game, and it's just about getting the job done. So. Really proud of this, this playing group."
11. Rotimi Segun (Saracens)
Joining his Saracens teammate in the Team of the Week’s back three, Rotimi Segun was a solid performer in the Londoners dramatic win at Ashton Gate. Segun racked up an impressive 81m with the ball in hand, and crossed over for a significant try to keep Sarries in the match. Segun was unleashed upon the Bristolian defence, as every single won of his 10 carries asked questions of Pat Lam’s side.
10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Watching on at Franklin’s Gardens was Ruck’s Northampton Saints Reporter Ben Grundy, who was impressed by the efforts of the England fly half: “Great kicking throughout the game found vulnerabilities in Sharks' defence. He unlocked the northern side many a time allowing for his teammates to put seven tries past Sale.”
9. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Having observed the performance of the Bristol Bears scrum half, Ruck’s Ben Thorne wrote: “Harry Randall was selected in Steve Borthwick's England squad this week and he justified his position very well today. He played the role of scrum half perfectly, running fantastic cheat lines to get on the end of Bristol breaks out in the wide channels. Randall played from all over the park as is inline with the way that the Bears play but he also kicked the ball well in the second half, putting pressure on the Saracens line-out.”
Harry Randall was certainly one of the best players on the pitch this afternoon, as he is often and his coach Pat Lam was delighted with his scrum half's performance today. The Bears Director of Rugby said: “I think he's in hot form, he plays brilliantly within our structure and gives us so much quick ball which is instrumental to our attack.”
1. Francois van Wyk (Bath)
Johann van Graan took note of his South African roots, as he unleashed the ‘Bath Bomb Squad’ upon Harlequins to turn the tide in the second half. The introduction of South African props Thomas du Toit and Francois van Wyk were critical to winning momentum against the run of play, as the two towering front rowers overwhelmed Quins at scrum-time. Van Wyk gets the nod for our squad, after then powering over from close range to score the match winning try.
2. Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons)
An integral part of Newcastle’s first win in the Premiership since March of 2023, was England hopeful hooker Jamie Blamire. The front rower put in an astounding effort against the Chiefs, as he twice muscled his way over the try-line. Watching the match was Ruck Reporter Jordan Jones, who said;
“Jamie Blamire scored two tries in a mesmerising display for the Falcons. The England international added himself to the short list of hookers to score a brace in a Premiership game. The driving ability of Newcastle’s pack was too much foe Exeter, and Blamire was the man at the forefront of such a power.”
3. Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints)
The tight-head spot was a tricky one to chose this week, with Bath Bomb Squad member Thomas du Toit firmly in for contention. The Springbok’s replacement appearence helped fizzle out Harlequins, yet we have given the accolade to Northampton Saints tight-head Trevor Davison. Davison was a workhorse in the win over Sale Sharks, and was evidently out to prove his worth to Steve Borthwick for the Autumn, following his recent call-up to the England camp.
4. Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Ben Thorne gave his thoughts on Nick Isiekwe’s performance, as the England lock made a milestone appearence for Saracens. “Isiekwe came off the bench this afternoon to make his 150th appearance for Saracens and certainly made an impact when he came onto the field. He was supremely physical during his period on the pitch and stood up as a real leader to the younger players on the field.
Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall then said: "Isiekwe was immense today, when he came onto the field I thought he made a real impact on the game and was probably one of the main reasons why we came back to win."
5. Irne Herbst (Harlequins)
Harlequins resident no-nonsense hard hitter had an early arrival off the bench, as Italian international Dino Lamb suffered a head knock. Lamb’s head injury was a significant one, as the lock was not given the opportunity to return to the pitch, following a bypass of the HIA. Irne Herbst had a solid introduction, as he battled valiantly around the breakdown and was influential in Harlequins resolved defensive effort for the majority of the match. His three carries dug in for the hard yards, as a safe option to recycle the ball.
6. Toby Knight (Saracens)
Despite playing on the openside for most of Saracens match against Bristol, we hand Toby Knight the six jersey. This is due to Sam Underhill being immovable from the seven spot, yet Knight impressed with strong versatility across the back row. Ben Thorne was impressed with what he saw from the young back row, and wrote the following from Ashton Gate.
“Knight was instrumental in Saracens phase play, doing a lot of hard unseen work throughout the match. The 22-year old flanker was brilliant either side of the ball, coming up with multiple turnovers in defence and carrying the ball physically. Knight even managed to get on the scoresheet as he crashed over in the 16th minute.”
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)
Sam Underhill set the tone of the afternoon, as he came crashing into Will Evans off the first line-out. The England back row was at his blistering best in blue, black and white, with bruising hits that left his opponents feeling the affects of their collisions.
Underhill’s stand out hit of his 11-tackle effort was on Marcus Smith, with the Harlequins fly half folded up like a deck chair after carrying the ball high to the line. Underhill expressed how he even apologised to the England fly half after the hit, with all eyes turning towards the collective effort England face ahead of their All Blacks Test next month.
8. Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears)
Rounding off the XV for Ruck’s Team of the Week for Round Five of the Premiership, Fitz Harding was on brilliant form for Bristol, despite having the win pulled away from him at the last moment. Harding led from the front with a hat-trick against Saracens, and after the match his Director of Rugby Pat Lam was on hand to provide his analysis on the Bears back row. Reflecting on Harding's performance, Lam summed up his performance, simply saying “he's a winner, he's a competitor, he's a fighter, overall he is absolutely outstanding and today he showed that'”
5 England Hopefuls Who Bottled It This Weekend
The Premiership action this weekend saw some England hopefuls looking to make their mark. Unfortunately, for a few, things didn't quite go to plan.
Here's a look at five players who'll be hoping for a quick turnaround after a tough weekend on the pitch.
Rus Tuima – Exeter Chiefs
Exeter Chiefs were left reeling as Newcastle Falcons snapped their 25-match losing streak with a 25-18 win. Tuima, who's been in the conversation for England, had a day to forget.
His biggest issue? Giving away careless penalties in the middle of the field. These gave Newcastle perfect opportunities to kick for the corner, setting up camp in Exeter's half and ultimately piling on the pressure. For Tuima, this was definitely one of those “could've done better” days.
Ethan Roots – Exeter Chiefs
It was a rough week for Roots. Dropped from the England squad ahead of the Autumn internationals, the flanker had a chance to make a statement against Newcastle. But instead, his frustrations got the better of him.
A reckless late hit on Falcons fly-half Grayson gave away a penalty at a crucial moment, allowing Newcastle to relieve the pressure and gain valuable ground. Petulant moments like this won't win you points in the England selection room.
CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO
The post Five England Lads Smash It in Our Premiership Team of the Week for Round 5! appeared first on Ruck.
