Team of the Week: 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup Round 1
12/09/2024 09:05 AM
The opening round of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup is in the books, with club rugby’s pinnacle competition up and running after an exhilarating weekend of action. The return of the tournament saw 12 fixtures light up the weekend, with the matches heavily hindered by the blustery gale-force winds of Storm Darragh across the UK and Ireland.
Regardless of the conditions, the following 15 players all managed to weather the storm for stand-out performances. We have reviewed the action from the first round of pool stage matches, with our blanket player ratings coverage assisting in our selection of the first Team of the Week, as the Champions Cup got up and running this past weekend. Here are our picks for the stand-out XV, from the first round of the newly commenced competition.
RESULTS: 2024/25 INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP ROUND ONE
Bath Rugby 20 – 24 La Rochelle / Hollywoodbets Sharks 39 – 21 Exeter Chiefs
Clermont Auvergne 28 – 0 Benetton Treviso / DHL Stormers 14 – 24 RC Toulon
Northampton Saints 38 – 8 Castres Olimpique / Munster Rugby 33 – 7 Stade Francais
Saracens 27 – 5 Vodacom Bulls / Glasgow Warriors 38 – 19 Sale Sharks
Racing 92 23 – 12 Harlequins / Bordeaux-Begles 42 – 28 Leicester Tigers
Stade Toulousain 61 – 21 Ulster Rugby / Bristol Bears 12 – 35 Leinster Rugby
15. James Ramm (Northampton Saints)
Covering the action for Ruck at Franklin’s Gardens was Tom Harrington, who was impressed by how James Ramm weathered the storm, as the Saints secured a big opening round win over Castres. “Strong in the air despite conditions, great line breaks constantly getting over the gain-line.”
14. Jordan Larmour (Leinster Rugby)
Ruck’s Bristol reporter Ben Thorne watched on at Ashton Gate; “Larmour had a brilliant game before being replaced midway through the second half, offering himself as a dominant force in both attack and defence. He put the big defensive shot which removed MacGinty from the game which put Bristol under pressure in the moment as the ball spilled into the Bristol 22 but also for the rest of the game with Janse van Rensburg at fly half. The Irish winger also did well to take his try, capitalising on a Lane mistake to pluck the ball from the air and score between the posts.”
13. Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Watching the action as the Sharks secured a home win over Exeter Chiefs, was Ruck reporter George Wellbelove. A stand out Shark was midfield powerhouse Ethan Hooker, who was a definitive danger-man and proved too much for the Devonshire side to contain. “Brilliant run for Sharks' third try and offload to Williams. Very solid performance in the centres.”
12. Josua Tuisova (Racing 92)
Ruck Reporter Jon Page watched on as Racing 92 dismantled Harlequins; “A force of nature and almost impossible to tackle when he gets a full head of steam. Did very little in the opening 35 minutes but dominated proceedings for the next 45 minutes to justify his rating. When he attempted to jackal a breakdown, Harlequins had to execute a neck roll just to try and shift him, such is his strength.”
11. Wame Naituvi (Racing 92)
Page also watched on for Naituvi’s high flying performance; “Finished his try well and like (Vinaya) Habosi, incredibly athletic and hard to pin down. Showed his ability to do the grunt work despite the number on his back when holding up Chandler Cunningham-South over the line.”
10. Sam Prendergast (Leinster Rugby)
Bristol Reporter Ben Thorne was impressed by Prendergast’s efforts: “The man many predict will become Johnny Sexton's long tern successor in both a Leinster jersey and an Irish jersey put in a performance that the Ireland great would have been proud of.
“A range of pinpoint kicks in the first half put Bristol under pressure with gale force winds pinning the ball back in the Bears 22. In the second half with the safety of Barrett next to him Prendergast turned it up a gear scoring brilliantly on two occasions. For the first, he ran a looping move pioneered by Sexton to run through a gaping hole to cross the line and for the second he showed his speed, receiving the ball from Snyman before motoring 30 metres to the try line, dummying Bates on the way.”
9. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors)
A hat-trick of tries for Glasgow Warriors scrum half George Horne, hands him the number nine shirt for our Team of the Week. In a Champions Cup round that witnessed a Nolann Le Garrec masterclass as Racing dispatched of Harlequins, and a triumphant Northampton Saints return of Alex Mitchell, Horne gets the go-ahead following his scintillating performance in the win over Sale Sharks.
1. James Cronin (Leicester Tigers)
Despite coming out on the wrong side of the score-line, Leicester loose-head James Cronin had plenty to be pleased with in Bordeaux. Watching the match was Ruck reporter Ollie Watson, who said: “So much of Leicester's success in the first half came from the scrum platform. Cronin was immense with the Leicester scrum dominant all day. Showed some lovely hands too, with some fine tip-ons.”
2. Dan Frost (Exeter Chiefs)
Dan Frost had a real ‘coming of age’ outing against the Sharks, as the front rower stepped up to the seismic challenge of World Champion Springbok Bongi Mbonambi. Frost wrestled well with the South African stars that decorated the Sharks squad, and Ruck Reporter George Wellbelove gave his assessment of the hooker; “Exeter's best player on the day. Brilliant carries and took his tries very well.”
3. Elliot Millar-Mills (Northampton Saints)
Ruck’s Northampton Reporter Tom Harrington awarded Elliot Millar-Mills 8/10 in his player ratings, with the tight-head amongst the stand-out performers for the green, black and golds. “Good scrummage and great at breakdowns.” A concise analysis of an excellent performance, as Millar-Mills spearheaded the Saints set-piece dominance.
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Maro Itoje had a stunning evening, as Saracens secured their first win of the tournament. The lock piled on the pressure when the Bulls attempted to maul, as he won two turnovers when defending the first half set-piece. Caught up in an early scuffle yet kept his side in check, before another big breakdown turnover from the lock at 63 minutes. Itoje ended his night by flying out the line with an air-borne superman style steal of the ball.
5. Stephan Lewies (Harlequins)
A stand-out performer of a struggling Harlequins side, Stephan Lewies left it all on the pitch as his side capitulated to a defeat in the French capital. Jon Page picked out Lewies as a diamond in the rough; “Losing the captaincy this season to (Alex) Dombrandt has seemingly motivated him. A nuisance in the air and at the breakdown and did the hard graft in attack and defence.”
6. Phepsi Buthelezi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Phepsi Buthelezi appeared off the bench earlier than expected, as he was called upon to pack down the blindside flank following James Venter’s early injury. Buthelezi stepped up for the Durban side, and capped off an impressive all-round performance with his side’s first try, that dented the hopes of Rob Baxter’s side.
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby)
Bristol reporter Ben Thorne wrote: “van der Flier was named player of the match, which was probably a fair assessment of his performance, he carried brilliantly throughout the game particularly in the first half when he needed to step up. A great piece of interplay with Kelleher got him to within a metre of the Bears line where he unfortunately spilled the ball was an example of the tireless work that the flanker put into the game.
“In the 64th minute, he was rewarded with a try as he bundled over with a monstrous carry. The 2022 World Player of the Year showed his fitness, making a brilliant half break as late as the 76th minute before putting an 'out-the-back-door' pass to McGrath who made a line break.”
8. Tom Willis (Saracens)
Willis was excellent on both sides of the ball, with two turnovers in two minutes against the Bulls. Willis picked with power from the back of the scrum, and popped up for a try out in the left corner, as Sarries established their dominance on the match. The number eight was awarded Player of the Match by the Premier Sports pundits, as Willis continues to put his hand up for future England contention with the 2025 Six Nations creeping ever closer.
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