TRU's European Rugby Champions Cup XV Round 6

The European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage is now over and the Six Nations looms large on the horizon. Before we turn our attentions fully to international rugby, we bring you the final ERCC XV of the Week from the pool stages of the tournament.

1. Joe Marler, Harlequins
Marler tore into Castres’ Ramiro Herrera, who is also Argentina’s first-choice tighthead prop, at Stade Pierre-Antoine on Saturday afternoon. The loosehead took Herrera apart at scrum time and was also able to get his side off to a very good start in the south of France, crossing for a try and playing a pivotal role in Quins’ bonus point win.

2. Dimitri Szarzewski, Racing Métro 92
The veteran French hooker, who has been left out of Philippe Saint-André’s international squad, was in fine form at Franklin’s Gardens, contributing significantly to a precise and powerful Racing set-piece. He also carried effectively and regularly, helping the French side dominate both territory and possession.

3. Carl Hayman, Toulon
The injury-ridden tight five of the Scarlets was always going to be sorely tested by the powerful unit of Toulon and in no confrontation was that more evident than Hayman’s duel with promising, but inexperienced, loosehead Rob Evans. The former All Black, with the help of his front row colleagues, had the upper hand against Evans and his teammates at Parc y Scarlets in the scrum and laid a steady foundation for the Toulon back line to exploit.

4. Bradley Davies, Wasps
The Welsh lock was a big part of Wasps’ comeback to salvage a draw against Leinster, as he made 19 tackles in the game, most of which were in the first half when the Irish side were in complete control of the game. His considerable bulk was also a significant factor in a Wasps scrum which generally had the upper hand against Leinster’s pack.

5. Alan O’Connor, Ulster
O’Connor turned in a very solid performance for Ulster against Leicester, helping the home side establish their lineout and build off of set-piece parity. Ulster were superior to Leicester in almost all facets, but credit is due to the Leicester tight five, who certainly showed up, and had it not been for O’Connor’s impact, Leicester may have been able to establish dominance at the set-piece and the game could have gone very differently.

6. Jack Clifford, Harlequins
Nick Easter’s presence is clearly having a good effect on the development of Clifford, who definitely resembled his veteran teammate on Saturday afternoon. Clifford’s 12 carries brought Harlequins 53 metres and a try, whilst his offloads were effective and kept alive Quins’ forays into Castres territory with the English side desperate for a bonus point to keep alive their then European dream.

7. Wenceslas Lauret, Racing Métro 92
It was a good all-round game from Lauret on Satuday, as he proved his worth as a carrier and workhorse. His 51 metres with ball in hand were the most of any forward at Franklin’s Gardens, as were his 17 carries. Lauret’s contributions at the breakdown and the set-piece were also noteworthy and he laid down a very strong marker ahead of France’s opening Six Nations game against Scotland.

8. Steffon Armitage, Toulon
Armitage shifts to eight from openside, as he so often does for Toulon, thanks to a typically domineering performance at the breakdown. This is Armitage’s third selection in this team during the six pool games and it’s hard to think of a man in better form in this year’s competition. The inclusion of Armitage at eight consigns both Nick Easter and Nathan Hughes to honourable mentions, but both should be applauded for good displays.

9. Antoine Dupont, Castres Olympique
The 18-year old scrum-half was a breath of fresh air for the misfiring Castres side, as he grabbed a try and consistently threatened Quins’ defensive line, particularly around the fringes, in his European debut. His distribution was also crisp and he was certainly the best player in a Castres shirt this weekend.

10. Sam Christie, Benneton Treviso
No fly-half stood out so spectacularly to make this position their own this weekend, but New Zealander Christie put in a tidy and measured performance which guided Treviso to their only win of the group stages. Christie kicked well from hand, played with ambition when needed and wasn’t afraid to take the ball to the gain line against the Ospreys.

11. Lucas Dupont, Montpellier
Two tries within three minutes and 107 metres with ball in hand were enough to see Dupont take this spot over Craig Gilroy, who was very impressive for Ulster. The Frenchman was vital in Montpellier upsetting the odds and beating Toulouse and completely changed the momentum in a game that seemed to be heading towards a Toulouse win.

12. Alex Dunbar, Glasgow Warriors
Dunbar didn’t need to do anything flashy on Sunday, just doing the simple things well was enough to see him cruise over for a try and he was unlucky not to add to his tally as he pierced the Bath defensive line two more times and brought big territorial gains for Glasgow. His game was cut short with what looked like a head injury, but his 45 minutes were enough to earn him the nod over Ian Madigan, who was excellent with ball in hand, but his errant boot arguably cost Leinster a win against Wasps.

13. Darren Cave, Ulster
Undervalued and underappreciated by many when it comes to who belongs in Ireland’s 13 jersey, Cave put on as fine a Six Nations audition as he possibly could on Saturday evening, pilfering the Leicester Tigers for a hat-trick. Intelligent lines were the key for Cave’s performance at Ravenhill and the Tigers just could not pick him up defensively. Both Jonathan Joseph of Bath and Gaël Fickou deserve honourable mentions for their performances.

14. Fergus McFadden, Leinster
McFadden put in an industrious performance at the Ricoh Arena, looking for work wherever he could find it and consistently gouged the Wasps’ defence for significant gains. His early try helped Leinster establish a 14-point lead at the half, whilst his committed defending in the second half proved just enough to prevent a spirited comeback from Wasps.

15. Simon Zebo, Munster
The winger carved up the Sale defence from the unaccustomed position of full-back, chalking up over 100 metres with ball in hand, two tries and a further try assist. Clermont’s Nick Abendanon and Racing Metro’s Benjamin Lapeyre both put in praiseworthy performances, but neither matched the effectiveness of Zebo, albeit against a disorganised Sale side.