Six away wins! Up to this point, the URC has been dominated by home sides. However, it seems only Edinburgh and the Lions bothered to read that script this past week. There were historic victories for Ulster over a star-studded Sharks side, and for Munster as they sent Andy Farrell a strong message after his Ireland squad was once again dominated by Leinstermen. While all eyes were on Durban and Dublin, the Stormers quietly continued their unbeaten start to the season with a convincing win in Parma.
Back to bite his old team, Kok was at his exuberant best. Is there a harder-working winger in rugby at the moment? He certainly has to be in the conversation. He throws himself into breakdowns like a loose forward while still being quick and nimble enough to offer an attacking threat. His try, created by fantastic hands from his teammates, still required a lot of work to finish – which he executed in his typically all-action manner – 72 points
There aren’t many better finishers in World Rugby at the moment than Graham. His first try, although not from the same distance as his second, demonstrates this. He uses subtle footwork to just give him enough space to reach over the line. His second try is just pure gas and accounts for close to half of his run metres – 65 points
While his decision-making, especially in the backfield, sometimes lets him down, there can be no doubt as to his attacking utility. The Lions’ attack has seemed rudderless so far this season, which makes players like Keyter, who can create a moment of magic, that much more valuable. He often sparks life into Lion (counter)attacks with a powerful carry or offload allowing his side to maintain attacking momentum – 62 points
CE: Sebastian de Klerk – Bulls (3 try assists, 95 metres made)
de Klerk once again shows up in the TOTW. He is benefitting from being an out-of-position outside back, but his performances and scores, deserve multiple entries. The Bulls attack really got going against Connacht on Friday evening and he was often the one breaking the line. This is shown by his 3 linebreaks resulting in 3 assists showing he not only has the pace and line-picking ability but also the awareness to link with teammates – 61 points
Farrell continues his sensational URC form from last season as he was at the heart of most of the attacking efforts Munster put together against Leinster. His try was beautifully taken, expertly judging the flight of the ball over his shoulder like an NFL wide receiver. It will live long in the memory. His form has finally caught the eye of his namesake and has been rewarded with a deserved Ireland callup – 67points
FH: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – Stormers (2 tries, 1 try assist, 3 linebreaks, 98 metres carried) - Player of the Round
You have to feel this is the first of many TOTW selections for SFM this year – perhaps even the first of many Player of the Round awards. He was simply outstanding again on Saturday night, scoring 2 tries and assisting another. His first try resulted from a fortunate bounce caused by his up and under for himself, and his second came from close to the line as he spotted a weakness in the Zebre defence. His assist was a perfect pass fizzed across Zebre’s defence to allow an easy run in for Warrick Gelant – 105 points
SH: Jamie Dobie – Glasgow (2 tries, 71 passes)
Another Glasgow scrumhalf finds himself in the TOTW. Glasgow scrumhalves just can’t stop scoring tries. While George Horne grabbed two last weekend running support lines, Dobie got his two through snipes. The first was from a ruck close to the line, while his second was from outside the 22m as he took advantage of weak pillar defence– 95 points
A true captain’s performance. Bradbury was everywhere – especially ball in hand. 20 carries, with 15 crossing the gainline, is outstanding. He was also a menace at the breakdown, with one of his turnovers directly leading to Graham’s second try. He picked up a try himself with great speed to get off the back of the scrum for the next phase followed by pure power to muscle his way over the line – 62 points
Ferrie finished off a typically Glasgow flowing backline play to score his try late on in the game against the Ospreys. Elsewhere he was busy, making 12 tackles and 9 carries, of which 3 were dominant – 48 points
To beat Leinster always requires a special defensive effort. To restrict them to only 2 tries even more so. O’Donaghue was at the heart of that effort with 20/20 tackles and a turnover. His try assist was a simple pop from the base of the ruck to allow a teammate to steamroll across the line – 48 points
LK: Ben Carter – Dragons (1 try, 17 tackles)
Carter put in a mighty defensive shift in the Welsh derby, making 17/17 tackles. He made himself useful on attack as well with 9 carries. His late consolation score from a pick-and-go secures his place in the side – 55 points
LK: Alex Samuel – Glasgow (11 carries, 13 tackles, 7 lineout takes)
Glasgow’s lineout operated at 94% against the Ospreyes in no small part to Samuels’ efforts. He also carried hard, made 13 tackles, and passed a remarkable 12 times – 48 points
Schickerling carried hard in the tight to earn Glasgow valuable go forward. Remarkably, 8 of his 10 carries were dominant and beat 3 defenders – impressive for a Prop. He also completed all his tackles. The Glasgow scrum only operated at 66%, but his efforts in the tight-loose were enough to garner a spot in this team – 50 points
Set-piece perfection for the Dragons helps Coghlan land himself a place in TOTW4. All 18 of his lineout throws found a teammate. The set-piece was thus a consistent source of possession for his side. His maul try was far from simple, with Cardiff defenders all over the maul. He broke off smartly to finish off an early go-ahead score – 63 points
PR: Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh (9 carries, 12/12 scrum success)
While Edinburgh’s scrum was under pressure at times, the pack did just about enough to secure possession. Schoeman really shines in the loose and this game being no different. He made 9 carries and 15 post-contact metres in the process – 44 points
