After another weekend of drama in European rugby’s big three leagues, find out who made our data-powered Opta Team of the Week.
As we head full steam towards the first international period of the 2024-25 season, countless players have put in impressive performances as they bid for a taste of Test rugby this autumn.
We take a look below at which players may have caught the eye of the coaches, using the unique Opta Index to select our data-powered Team of the Week.
Ten different teams are represented in the XV this time around, with Bristol and Saracens’ high-scoring affair providing two players from each side in the selection. Stade Toulousain and Ulster also have two representatives each after victories this weekend, while two Cherry and Whites stood out, despite Gloucester relinquishing an 11-point half-time lead against Leicester Tigers.
Opta’s Star Player of the Week
Fitz Harding was the player of the week, according to the Opta Index. Despite ending on the losing side, he couldn’t have done much more, crossing for a hat-trick of tries for Bristol Bears against Saracens.
He was involved all over the pitch, making 21 carries in total – only Leicester’s Olly Cracknell made more in the Premiership over the weekend – while he completed 15 tackles. In fact, his tally of 36 carries and tackles combined was the most of anyone in the English top flight across Matchday 5.
Once stopped he was still a threat, offloading the ball out of contact on four occasions, once again a round-high tally for any Premiership player.
The Best of the Rest
It felt like only a matter of time until Antoine Dupont made our Team of the Week. After a hat-trick from the bench last weekend, he has made the team with his first start of the season, ranking as the top scrum-half thanks to a weekend-high two try assists.
No scrum-half in Europe made more carries (9) than he did, while he made more offloads (4) than any other number nine across the TOP 14, Premiership or URC at the weekend. He topped off his performance by beating the joint-most defenders of any scrum-half in the French top flight (4), alongside Baptiste Couilloud.
The 2023 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Rodrigo Isgro has shown that he has what it takes to excel in the 15-a-side code too. He crossed the try line twice for Harlequins against Bath, making four line breaks in total during the match – more than any other player in Europe at the weekend.
Defensively he was solid too – his 11 tackles were the most of any winger in the Premiership in MD 5, with three of those tackles being dominant which is an impressive tally for any player let alone a winger.
Elliot Daly was unlucky to miss out on being named Star Player after just being pipped by Harding, although he will of course be able to console himself that his efforts ended in a win for his side.
Like Harding, Daly was directly involved in three tries, with the Saracens full-back crossing for two tries and registering an assist, while his tally of eight defenders beaten and 110 metres gained didn’t hurt.
With Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher both out, the next man up in the number two jersey for Leinster this season has been Gus McCarthy, and he has taken his opportunity with both hands.
Like Sheehan, McCarthy has shown his attacking ability so far this season and gained 72 metres with ball in hand against Connacht, the most of any tight-five forward in Europe at the weekend.
His tally of 15 tackles was also the joint most of any front rower across the United Rugby Championship, Premiership and TOP 14, alongside Stade Rochelais’ Reda Wardi. With Ireland currently enduring an injury crisis at hooker, Andy Farrell will surely have taken note of McCarthy’s impressive outing.
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