TRU's Aviva Premiership XV TOTW Round 13

Thirteen may be an unlucky number for some, but not these guys, who all make our XV of the Week from Round 13 of the Aviva Premiership.

Home wins were the trend for the round, with Harlequins, Gloucester, Sale, Newcastle and Bath all represented well thanks to the impressive performances they put on in their own houses.

1. Joe Marler, Harlequins
Marler had the better of Fraser Balmain for much of Harlequins’ game with the Leicester Tigers on Saturday and made a compelling case for why he should retain his England starting spot, despite the fit-again Alex Corbisiero returning to contention. The loosehead continues to grow into his new role as captain and his performances have not suffered with the extra responsibility at all.

2. Marc Jones, Sale Sharks
To call the Sharks’ lineout a well-oiled machine would probably be doing them an injustice; such was the success they had in that area of the game on Saturday. Jones was on target with 100% of his 24 lineout throws at the AJ Bell Stadium, as well as chalking up a very respectable 15 tackles and contributing to a scrum that certainly outplayed their vaunted opponents.

3. John Afoa, Gloucester Rugby
The first half of the season has been a rollercoaster ride for Afoa, whose form has fluctuated wildly as he adjusts to the Premiership and his front row colleagues adjust to his lower scrummaging height. The Kiwi had one of his best games yet on Friday night however, where he took on and bested Mako Vunipola, and helped lay the foundations for Gloucester to dominate both territory and possession at Kingsholm.

4. Joshua Furno, Newcastle Falcons
Furno struggled early on in the engine room in his Newcastle career, but has since developed into one of their most effective players, now performing as well in the second row as he has ever done at blindside flanker. The Italian was a real presence at the lineout, helping Newcastle dominate that facet of the game and launch their incisive back line from a solid platform.

5. Graham Kitchener, Leicester Tigers
Kitchener continued his impressive season at The Stoop on Saturday, showing his effectiveness in the set-piece and the loose. Kitchener outplayed his teammate Geoff Parling and his form for the Tigers this season will have fans reassured that if Parling does opt to leave Welford Road at the end of the season, their team will still be in very good shape.

6. Jacques Burger, Saracens
Saracens struggled to string together multiple phases on Friday night, often giving up possession and territory to Gloucester, which made the non-stop tackling and defensive work rate of Burger all the more important. Burger’s 22 tackles and solid effort at the breakdown helped keep Saracens in the game right up until the final minute, but he has to shift over to the blindside to accommodate the upcoming openside flanker.

7. Blair Cowan, London Irish
The Scotland international was in superb form against Exeter, grabbing two tries and constantly proving to be a thorn in the side of the Chiefs at the breakdown. Cowan has been a leading light for London Irish this season and it would be extremely difficult to exaggerate just how colossal he was for the Exiles in pulling off an unexpected win against the Chiefs.

8. Nick Easter, Harlequins
Profuse apologies to Josh Beaumont, who was once again excellent for Sale, but Easter turned in a masterful performance from the base of the scrum, showing more than enough to give Stuart Lancaster a thing or two to ponder before the Six Nations. With Easter’s flawless offloading and powerful carrying, he set up two tries for his teammates and was probably the best player on the pitch at The Stoop.

9. Danny Care, Harlequins
An honourable mention is due for Dan Robson, for his exquisite try and very good all-round performance at Kingsholm, but Care shades this one due to outdueling England rival Ben Youngs and helping Quins to an unexpected bonus point victory over the Leicester Tigers. The livewire scrum-half wasn’t quite back to his best, but it was still a very impressive outing.

10. James Hook, Gloucester Rugby
It’s not be an easy debut season in the Premiership for Hook, but the Welshman turned in one of his best performances yet against Saracens. Aside from one horribly hit drop goal attempt, Hook kicked reasonably well, not least so the match-winning penalty he struck from within his own half. The fly-half also did a good job of troubling Saracens’ defence as runner, something which has been missing at times from his game this season. Hook narrowly edges out George Ford, who was just as impressive, but had the benefit of a far more proficient pack and back line to work with.

11. Sinoti Sinoti, Newcastle Falcons
London Welsh simply couldn’t contain Sinoti, who (conservatively) beat eight defenders on his way to 88 metres with ball in hand and a try for the Falcons. The power of his leg drives almost always bought Newcastle extra metres after defenders had made contact with him and it was one of these tackle-busting drives that set up Mike Blair for his score and killed off Welsh’s hopes midway through the first half.

12. Sam Burgess, Bath Rugby
A coming out party for Burgess in Union, as the most talked about man in rugby put in a very good display against Wasps at The Rec. The centre scored his first try in the Premiership after running a very nice line against Wasps’ defensive line and also put in a number of ferocious hits when Wasps were threatening the Bath try line. Burgess has been charged with a steep learning curve, but the former Rugby League man continues to impress with how he is acclimatising to his new sport.

13. Alapati Leiua, Wasps
It was a lacklustre performance from Wasps in general against Bath, starting slowly and with no urgency, but the return of Leiua was a big fillip for the playoff chasers. In addition to his try, Leiua also managed to evade the attentions of Bath’s defence on several occasions and was one of the few sources of consistent front foot ball for the visitors at The Rec.

14. Will Addison, Sale Sharks
It’s been all but impossible to keep Addison out of this spot since his transition from the midfield. The Englishman looks thoroughly at home on the wing and is quickly proving to Steve Diamond that he does not need to look elsewhere for Mark Cueto’s successor. Addison’s ability to offload was a constant threat to Northampton and a reminder of his former life as a centre.

15. Mike Brown, Harlequins
There’s no hiding from the fact that Brown has been below par so far this season, but he shook off a lot of that rust against Leicester, looking dangerous and instinctive on Saturday afternoon. The full-back went looking for the ball frequently, defended well and was solid whenever tested with high balls. If Brown was beginning to feel the pressure from Ben Foden or Alex Goode for his England spot, then he responded extremely well this weekend.