Round 10 in the URC was a week of upsets, and near-upsets, as the sides towards the bottom of the table demonstrated their potential. The Sharks ambushed the Stormers in Cape Town while the Scarlets toppled Ulster. Elsewhere, Munster had to rely on a last minute kick to overcome the Dragons and Glasgow had to withstand a late surge by Zebre. Remarkably, the Lions drew their second game in as many weeks but will rue a wasted opportunity in the final moments of the game to earn a full 5-point return.
Hopkins made a remarkable 16 carries, significantly more than any other outside back, against the Lions on Friday night. The Ospreys spent long periods of the clash on the attack and Hopkins offered himself as a carrying option time and time again. His try was one of the easiest he’ll ever score as Hardy’s wonderful bridge pass allowed him to just fall over the line – 68 points
A day the young man will surely remember for a long time. Mee scythed through the Ulster defensive line with the clock in the red to seal a famous victory. It has been a tough season for the Scarlets but a late victory over in-form Ulster may kickstart their campaign. Outside of his wonderful try, Mee was a handful, beating 3 defenders but also forcing 2 turnovers – 51 points
OB: Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh (1 try, 7 defenders beaten, 2 dominant tackles)
Duhan has the unfortunate reputation of never performing to his full ability when facing South African teams. That, however, was not the case this past week as he gave a typically Duhan performance up against his former side. He beat 7 defenders, bettered by no one across the round, and expertly finished a try with little space to work with – 56 points
A captain’s knock. ‘Andre the Giant’ was simply sensational as he led his side to a much-needed shock win over the previously unbeaten Stormers. He was his usual belligerent self with 9 of his 13 carries crossing the gainline – only matched by the similarly built Stuart McCloskey. However, he also stepped up with a crucial turnover and chased a winger down to make a try-saving tackle – 51 points
Forde was a threat ball in hand all game long as Connacht attempted to breach Leinster’s defence. He topped the charts among centres for defenders beaten and racked up an impressive 42 post-contact metres – giving his side valuable go-forward – 49points
FH: Sam Costelow – Scarlets (2 try assists, 5/5 kicks at goal, 3 defenders beaten)
A consummate fly half performance from the young Welshman. In a game where every point mattered, he was perfect off the tee. His passing game was equally impressive, with his two assists demonstrating different passing skills. His assist for Murray was excellent as he fixed two defenders close to the line before pulling the ball back to the fullback. However, his second was more impressive: with the game all but over, he flashed a wonderful pass across the face of the defence, allowing Mee to drift and hit the hole at pace – showcasing excellent execution under pressure – 61 points
So much of what Ulster do well runs through Doak. He plays with the maturity of a far more experienced player, always taking the right option to keep his side on the front foot. Such is the extent of his influence on each game that even when they lose, Doak scores well. He completed 88 passes – only bettered by his countryman Fintan Gunne – one of which was his assist for Bryn Ward – 47 points
Jansen racked up points across a number of categories this round as Connacht gave Leinster a scare before the blue juggernaut pulled away. His 2 dominant tackles, 2 turnovers, and 2 offloads were all league highs for loose forwards. Additionally, he completed a heroic 18 tackles in an attempt to halt Leinster momentum – 72 points
The Ospreys couldn’t lay a finger on the Lions’ captain as he sauntered in for two crucial tries in Swansea. He beat two defenders for his first try – a classic edge forward effort – and another three for his second as he profited from tired bodies towards the end of the first half. As ever, he brought a sense of calm to his side on a tough away day – 68 points
Perhaps the busiest player across the round – Deaves constantly involved himself, contributing 33 combined tackles and carries. That being said, it was not a performance only of quantity, but quality too. He beat a joint-high, for a forward, 5 defenders and won 2 turnovers – 66 points
LK: Ryan Smith – Ospreys (4 defenders beaten, 2 offloads, 53 metres, 11 passes)
A dominant attacking performance from the Australian lock. He topped the charts among locks for nearly every attacking statistic. He made the most offloads, passes, carries, and metres, beat the most defenders, and was the only lock to register a line break – 76 points
Despite being on the weaker side on the day, Ruzza went about his work in his typically understated fashion. He cleaned countless breakdowns and was a reliable source of lineout ball. Ultimately, Ruzza makes this week’s TOTW due to his late try through a dominant carry, which unfortunately proved to be little more than a consolation for the Italians – 62 points
We have had quick-footed, hot-stepping props in the past, but how many of them have been over 150kg? Ntlakabanye, on Friday night, delivered a performance which exemplified the duality of the modern-day prop. He was an integral part of a dominant Lions scrum and beat 4 defenders – more than any other prop – 70 points
HK: Johan Grobbelaar – Bulls (1 try, 1 turnover won, 40 post-contact metres) – Player of the Round
While the Bulls’ lineout struggled at times, when the ball was won the maul was nigh on impossible to stop legally. Grobbelaar was a key figure in this, as he steered the maul expertly from the back. In the tight-loose, Grobbelaar was equally impactful as he added intensity with each carry and tackle. Additionally, he popped up at a key moment to win a momentum shifting breakdown penalty – 81 points
PR: Steffan Thomas – Ospreys (2 dominant tackles, 14 carries)
Thomas is the fourth Osprey and sixth player from their evidently high-scoring draw at home against the Lions. This was a fiercely competitive clash that provided many opportunities for players to score points. Thomas earns his spot in TOTW10 through a heavy carry workload and 2 dominant tackles – 54 points
