TRU's Gallagher Premiership XV of the week: Round 4

What a weekend Round Four was. Worcester toppled Leicester in their own back yard, Bristol Bears showed they mean business and Saracens produced a champions performance.  From those fixtures as well as wins for Bath, Wasps and Exeter, TRU's Joe Harvey selects his Gallagher Premiership XV of the week.

1. Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby) – Both of Bath’s props put in a shift lasting the majority of the match at the Rec. Added to this, it was a very wet day at the Spa town so it would have made those 70 plus minutes feel a whole lot longer.

Catt made more tackles than any other of his front-row colleagues with 14 and on top of this, the England international even created a turnover. He was impressive and he is starting to put his name in the thoughts of Eddie Jones with so many loosehead props injured and unavailable for England selection

2. Harry Thacker (Bristol Bears) – This was Thacker’s second start for Bristol since his summer move to Ashton Gate after sitting on the bench for the past two weekends. Not in the traditional hooker mould, Thacker makes key carries for whatever sides that he plays for and on the weekend, he made 26 meters through seven carries ,12 tackles and also made a turnover. Thacker was key in Bristol’s victory over Harlequins.

3. Will Stuart (Wasps) – Only signing a fully professional deal over the summer at Wasps, Stuart has performed superbly at tighthead. Scoring a try in Round Four along with scrummaging well he was also able to nullify the threat of Ross Harrison.

4. Ed Holmes (Bristol Bears) – Holmes was a safe pair of hands at the weekend, not coughing up the ball at all. He made six carries over his 80-minute shift and it was a very solid display from the former Exeter Chiefs man.

5. Luke Charteris (Bath Rugby) – Charteris showed his strength in defence on a very miserable afternoon at the Rec. He 13 tackles in torrential conditions and he also made a turnover at Bath grinded out a win over Northampton.  The importance of Charteris in defence is undeniable.

6. Maro Itoje (Saracens) – So many superlatives have been spoken about Maro Itoje since his playing career began, so there is little more to say. Playing the full 80 minutes at blindside flanker, Itoje silenced Jake Polledri after the Italian international’s performance the previous week. Itoje got three turnovers in this game, as well as making an astonishing 15 tackles for Saracens. It would be fair to say that Itoje is one of the best in the league.

7. Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors) – What is there to say about this 19-year-old? The teenager had a magnificent performance at Welford Road in Worcester’s surprise victory at Leicester Tigers. Coming off the bench around the 25-minute mark, Hill had a longer debut than perhaps expected. Making 11 tackles and eight carries, Hill impressed throughout. However, it is his two tries that will be best remembered. Scoring in the 52^nd minute for his first try, it was Hill’s effort on the 78-minute mark that secured victory for Worcester. Showing very little nerves in Tigers back yard aged just 19, Hill was magnificent.

8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs) – Omitted from the England training squad on Thursday, Simmonds’ response was perfect. Scoring two tries that can only be described as classic forwards scores, Simmonds was the man of the match at Kingston Park on Friday night. It’s not really clear why Simmonds hasn’t been included in the England squad, but he surely can’t be too far from the reckoning.

9. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens) – In this game, Wigglesworth broke the record for the most Premiership appearances. Playing 60 minutes before being replaced by Ben Spencer, the England scrum-half had a solid afternoon at the Allianz Park.

10. Duncan Weir (Worcester Warriors) – It’s a 32-point haul that puts Weir in this week’s Premiership XV of the Week. Weir started the game at lightening pace, scoring three tries by the five-minute mark and converting each of these scores. Added to this, the Scottish international ran the game with relative ease for large chunks of the game.

11. Bryce Heem (Worcester Warriors) – Heem was probably the most influential winger in the league last weekend, without actually getting on the scoreboard for Warriors in their Welford Road victory. He made a total of 129 meters, more than anyone else in Round Four and that’s before you even consider that the kiwi made more breaks and even more offloads than anyone else in the league. A remarkable performance.

12. Michael Le Bourgeois (Wasps) – Putting in a man of the match performance on just his second Premiership appearance is an impressive feat from the former Bedford Blues man. Already developing a good relationship with Lima Sopoaga and seemingly with Elliot Daly too, it’s amazing to think that the inside centre has never played top level rugby before. Making a total of 63 meters from just the eight carries, as well as putting in 12 tackles for his new club, Le Bourgeois was a top performer at the weekend.

13. Elliot Daly (Wasps) – Another instrumental cog in Wasps’ AJ Bell victory, Daly has impressed in the two positions that he has played in so far this season. Whilst this wasn’t a game in which Daly stole all the headlines, he performed his role extremely well. Making important runs and acting as the link man to the wingers, Bassett and Wade, Daly’s well-rounded game came into play against Sale.

14. Sean Maitland (Saracens) - Making 57 meters over the course of 80 minutes, Scotland winger Sean Maitland looked very sharp against the Cherry and Whites. Maitland had to put in a defensive shift too, tackling on seven occasions, which for a winger is really quite a high amount of tackles. Also scoring a try, this was a very well-rounded performance from the winger who is probably keen to be involved in Scotland's Autumn internationals.

15. Willie Le Roux (Wasps) – Fresh from beating the All Blacks in their own back yard, Willie Le Roux didn’t look fatigued at all on his return to Premiership action. A very adept playmaker from fullback, Le Roux contributed again and again to Wasps’ attack. Carrying the ball for 67 meters and making 19 passes from 15 proves how instrumental the Springbok is to Wasps. In addition to this, Wasps looked a lot better with him in the side and many will be keeping a close eye on whether he goes back on international duty with South Africa.