TRU's Gallagher Premiership XV of the week: Round 5

Saracens maintained their wonderful start to the season in Round 5 of the Gallagher Premiership and three of their players make Joe Harvey's Team of The Week. Let's find out who else joins them....

1. Joe Marler (Harlequins) – In the week that he announced his retirement from international rugby, Joe Marler put in a monumental performance as Quins broke their losing streak on the road.

Nullifying the scrummaging threat of Fraser Balmain, Marler also made 14 carries, 12 tackles and made 23 meters. A great sign of what Marler will be offering in a Quins shirt in the future.

2. George McGuigan (Newcastle Falcons) – Ever since returning to his first club, McGuigan has been keen to restart his rugby career with monster performance after monster performance.

What was quite remarkable was that the hooker made three turnovers in Falcons’ loss at home to Wasps. Falcons are truly blessed with a wonderfully talented player in McGuigan, who can’t be too far from a recall by Eddie Jones.

3. Titi Lamositele (Saracens) – USA international Lamositele is on this list partly due to the boots that he had to fill this weekend. With Juan Figallo out injured and Vincent Koch having been recalled by the Springboks there were questions over Sarries depth at tighthead prop.

Scrummaging really well against Jacques Van Rooyen and being very handy in the loose, the USA Eagle proved his worth to Mark McCall and maybe has given Koch some competition that he may not have been expecting.

4. James Horwill (Harlequins) – The return of James Horwill to the Harlequins team couldn’t have come at a better time. The former Wallaby made the hard carries as Quins were breaking down the Gloucester defence.

Always a top performer for his side when available, Horwill was sorely missed at the start of the season. A very good defensive coordinator, he could have been the difference in this game for Paul Gustard’s men.

5. Will Rowlands (Wasps) – It is unusual for a player from a winning side to be the only representative from his team, especially when his beaten opposition have four.

Rowlands makes his second appearance in the team of the week thanks to his carries and tackles. The second-row made nine carries but managed to make 31 meters in the process. In addition to this, he made a whopping 15 tackles and a turnover to boot. A seriously underrated player.

6. Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs) – In what was only his first start of the season, Ewers managed to score two tries against Worcester on Saturday. In addition to this, the back-row also put his body on the line for Chiefs as they maintained their winning start to the season.

Playing in the Chiefs way as always, Ewers was good at retaining the ball as well as putting to an end any Worcester attacks. It’s baffling why this was only his first start of the season so far, but it won’t be his last.

7. Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints) – Playing just over 70 minutes in this game, Ludlam had a match to remember as Northampton had a winning trip to Ashton Gate.

Scoring his first try of the season, Ludlam also made 10 tackles as Northampton started to look like their old selves again. Still only aged 22, the young flanker seems an attractive player for years to come and will only benefit from having the likes of James Haskell around him.

8. Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons) – Arguably playing out of position at number eight, Wilson has impressed many with his recent change of number. The England player had a very big game on Friday night, despite losing the fixture.

Putting in 17 tackles, it is clear to see why Eddie Jones rates the Cumbrian so highly. Not only useful in defence, the former Blaydon man made 13 carries and made 26 meters and that’s before mentioning that he bagged another try.

9. Cobus Reinach (Northampton Saints) – The scrum-half is often the heartbeat of any team, and this was never more present than for Northampton Saints in Bristol. South African Reinach’s distribution is always reliable and steady for his side.

Often giving Dan Biggar good ball, the pair have begun a good half-back partnership that Saints fans can start to get excited about. Not afraid to put his body on the line either, he made eight tackles, a surprisingly high amount for a scrum-half.

10. Owen Farrell (Saracens) – Farrell put in another very well-rounded performance for Sarries on Saturday. The England star proved his weight in gold as his team continued their perfect start to the season.

Playing fly-half in this game, Farrell made a turnover, made 49 meters and made a respectable six tackles for his team. Let’s be honest, he is a world class player and he put in a very good performance against a Bath side who probably fancied their chances after two previous wins.

11.  Sinoti Sinoti (Newcastle Falcons) – So good they named him twice; Sinoti Sinoti looked absolutely electric as Falcons fell to Wasps underneath the Friday night lights.

It is a shame that Falcons fans haven’t seen more of the former Toulon man due to injury in recent times, but the Samoan international was as entertaining as ever with mazy run after mazy run against Wasps who didn’t seem to know what they were up against.

Making 83 meters from only 12 carries, Sinoti Sinoti didn’t even score a try, but was so influential with his carries, getting Falcons continuously to the try line. Hopefully his injury problems don’t return because with him in the side, Falcons are a far more exciting prospect.

12.  Johnny Williams (Newcastle Falcons) – The fourth and final Falcons man on this list, Williams has proved his potential since being given a starting berth as a result of Josh Matavesi’s injury troubles.

Scoring two tries against Wasps, Williams finished smartly for both of his scores. Showing good pace and power for the first, his second was just pure intelligence, placing the ball at the base of the post to give Wasps some problems late on. Definitely one to look out for.

13.  Will Hurrell (Bristol Bears) – A former Championship stalwart, Hurrell has come on leaps and bounds since his first Premiership appearance. Scoring two tries against Northampton in his team’s loss, Hurrell and his centre partner Siale Piutau were really impressive at Ashton Gate.

Hurrell made 81 meters against the Saints from 14 carries. The former Doncaster and Coventry player is unlikely to get an England call-up, but with performances like the one at the weekend, you never know.

14.  Nathan Earle (Harlequins) – Some would have looked at Earle’s decision to leave Saracens and said it was rash. However, if the English winger continues to score Premiership tries, then he will no doubt prove those people wrong.

What was most remarkable about his game on Saturday was the fact that the winger made two turnovers. Not usually a skill that those in his position possess, it is a really surprising stat to say the least.

Intercepting for his first try and powering over for his second, it was really a day to remember for Earle. Living up to some of the hype that has been created around him, Earle looks set to be a Prem favourite for years to come.

15. Alex Goode (Saracens) – Goode had a quite astonishing game against Bath on Saturday. The former England player somehow managed to make over 200 meters as Sarries ran out 50-27 winners at the Allianz Park.

He did this through 17 carries and Goode even got himself two tries. It was one of those performances were you just have to ask why he doesn’t have more England caps.