Following the conclusion of round 14 of the PREM season, here is the latest Planet Rugby Team of the Week!<\/p>\n
There were big wins for Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Northampton Saints and Gloucester across the weekend, as the run-in takes another twist heading into the European break.<\/p>\n
Without further ado, here is who made our\u00a0PREM<\/a>\u00a0XV!<\/p>\n PREM Rugby Team of the Week<\/p>\n 15 Tom O\u2019Flaherty (Sale Sharks):\u00a0Max Malins\u00a0yet again sees himself the honourable mention, but Tom O\u2019Flaherty gets the nod at full-back this weekend after a really tidy outing against Harlequins. Offered a real flick of flair ball-in-hand, creating all sorts of havoc in that slightly freer role at 15 and notched 115 metres from 17 carries alongside a tally of five beaten defenders and two linebreaks, and grabbed himself a deserved try as well.<\/p>\n 14 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints<\/a>):\u00a0It seems it doesn\u2019t matter what position you play him in, he will do serious damage ball-in-hand. Freeman was again in great touch ball-in-hand for the Saints in their win over Bath<\/a>, making a game-high 141 metres from his 15 carries, while also beating five defenders and notching three linebreaks. Opposite number Louie Hennessey also impressed out wide, while Christian Wade was a bright spark on an otherwise tough night for Newcastle.<\/p>\n 13 Seb Atkinson (Gloucester):\u00a0A tough call at 13, with Gloucester\u2019s actual outside centre\u00a0Max Llewellyn\u00a0and Bristol\u2019s Mat\u00edas Moroni\u00a0both going well this weekend, but Atkinson gets the nod. The England back was again front and centre of Gloucester\u2019s win, injecting himself into the game when it mattered most and stepping up with huge efforts on both sides of the ball. Ended with a healthy stats sheet of 18 tackles (a joint game-high) and 13 carries for 40 metres.<\/p>\n Northampton v Bath: Five takeaways as Fin Smith saves Saints\u2019 blushes while Johann van Graan\u2019s \u2018B team\u2019 claim \u2018psychological victory\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n 12 Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears):\u00a0This was a performance that will have Steve Borthwick drooling ahead of his qualification for the national side. Ran the show in a thumping win against Newcastle, making 16 tackles and 16 carries for 87 metres, all while acting as that crucial link-player to spread the play wide. A proper all-court effort. Fraser Dingwall\u00a0was a close second, though.<\/p>\n 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs):\u00a0Ollie Sleightholme and Ben Loader were very close to this team, but England\u2019s<\/a> Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was simply immense at Kingsholm and gets the nod in the process. Consistently made positive impacts ball-in-hand when his team needed a spark, notching a tidy 178 metres from just 10 carries alongside five linebreaks and a tally of 13 defenders beaten, and got himself a try as a result. Phenomenal.<\/p>\n 10 Tom Jordan (Bristol Bears):\u00a0The toughest pick of the weekend, with Ciaran Donoghue dropping a proper reminder of his quality on his comeback from injury, but the Scotland ace just gets in ahead. Jordan\u2019s dual threat of playmaking and running allowed him to consistently trouble the Red Bulls\u2019 defence on Friday, ending his shift with a healthy 73 metres from 12 carries for good measure, and got the Bears playing some lovely stuff in the process.\u00a0Fin Smith\u2019s\u00a0latest match-winning moment also deserves a mention.<\/p>\n 9 Tomos Williams (Gloucester):\u00a0Sensational return for the British and Irish Lions tourist, who pips\u00a0Charlie Bracken\u00a0into this selection in the process. Had the Exeter defence on strings for the full match, offering his traditional threat around the fringes of the ruck and creating space for the rest of the backline to pour through, alongside some gorgeous offloads as well. Got the rewards his efforts deserved with a well-taken try too.\u00a0Harry Randall\u00a0also looked back to his best for Bristol, which was pleasing.<\/p>\n The forwards<\/p>\n 8 Will Trenholm (Gloucester):\u00a0Has had to bide his time this season, but boy oh boy did he take his chance back in the starting line-up. His gritty work in the tight was a huge part of Gloucester\u2019s win on Sunday, chipping in with a game-high 22 carries for 60 metres, while also tying with the aforementioned Atkinson on a game-high 18 tackles.\u00a0Henry Pollock\u00a0was also in good touch for Northampton Saints.<\/p>\n 7 Miles Reid (Bath):\u00a0A good weekend for back-rowers, with Lewis Ludlow and Ben Earl\u00a0both impressing, but we couldn\u2019t overlook Reid in this selection. The Bath flank just charged around the park like he was angry at the ground, throwing himself into every tackle, breakdown and carry with proper venom and ending with a strong tally of 21 tackles, two turnovers, and 16 carries for 26 metres. Cannot be ignored for Test honours for much longer, you would feel.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n 6 Guido Petti (Harlequins):\u00a0The Stoop was treated to a fine battle between the sixes, with\u00a0Jacques Vermeulen\u00a0impressing for Sale Sharks, but Petti just edges ahead. The Argentine ace threw his body around with no regard for his own safety at times, almost single-handedly keeping Quins in the game against Sale, and that was reflected in his healthy tally of 11 tackles, 32 metres ball-in-hand and two turnovers.<\/p>\n 5 Tom Lockett (Northampton Saints):\u00a0Potentially not a headline-grabbing display from Tom Lockett, but one that absolutely set the foundations for Northampton\u2019s win against Bath. Led the defensive efforts for his side with a healthy 17 tackles, and was always seen in and around the action.\u00a0Ollie Chessum\u00a0went pretty well for Leicester as well.<\/p>\n 4 Maro Itoje (Saracens):\u00a0This was Maro Itoje at his absolute best, and he played a crucial role in Saracens\u2019 narrow win over Leicester. Tackled his heart out all game with 17 for good measure and just pestered the breakdown expertly well, winning two turnovers as well. Ernst van Rhyn impressed for Sale too.<\/p>\n