The Premiership returned after the Six Nations with derby weekend, the favourite for most fans in which every game is a must-watch.
Lots of exciting rugby was played as the race for the top four heats up.
Leicester Tigers got the most surprising scoreline, beating East Midlands rivals Northampton Saints 33-0 in the highest-ever victory in that fixture.
Elsewhere, defence was optional for Bristol Bears and Exeter Chiefs, who played out a 52-38 win for the hosts at Ashton Gate.
Here is Charlie Elliott’s Team of the Week from a great weekend of rugby.
Fullback
15- Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Tigers absolutely decimated Northampton Saints in the East Midlands derby, winning by 33 points to nil at Franklin Gardens on Friday night.
Naturally, this means that there will be a decent sized contingent from Leicester in this team.
The first of which is fullback Steward, who rolled back the years and showed his class, after being dropped by England in the Six Nations.
He was dominant in the air, as he is usually known for, and managed to break through the Saints defence a few times with some quality running.
Joe Carpenter of Sale Sharks came very close to this team with a very good game against Newcastle Falcons but narrowly missed out.
Wingers
14- Nick David (Harlequins)
David’s side made hard work of it against Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but did come out with a 23-12 win.
Much of the joy that Quins had came from his wing, and he managed to get himself a tidy assist for Will Porter’s try.
Over 100 metres were gained from his carries, showing just how dominant he was on the ball.
A real thorn in the side of Sarries across the whole afternoon.
11- Jack Bates (Bristol Bears)
Given they scored 52 points, it isn’t wholly surprising that there are three backs from Bristol in this team.
Bates blew the rest of them out of the water, with a hat trick of tries and a Man of the Match award.
He powered over after only one minute to open the scoring and set the tone for a thoroughly entertaining game of rugby.
It was slightly closer than they would have liked at the end, and without Bates’ great finishing it could have been a different result.
Centres
13- Bernhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears)
Bristol had a barnstorming first half against Exeter Chiefs, followed by a tired second half which tightened the scoreline by the end of the game, however, they did end up winning 52-38.
Janse van Rensburg was involved in much of the good work thatthe Bears did, with a try scored paired with some good defence on show.
Standard for BJVR, he also took on plenty of defenders and made key yards with the ball in hand.
12- James Williams (Bristol Bears)
Bears have not only one, but two centres in this team as Williams also put in a great shift and was arguably the better of the two.
Like his partner, there was a great mix of attacking and defensive work and the former Hartpury man bagged himself two first-half tries.
Hampered by injury this season, it was a great return, and he will be hoping to be a key player in the playoff run-in.
Halfbacks
10- George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Still a criminally underrated player, Ford was at his absolute best in Sale’s win against Newcastle.
Dictating the play with some quality kicking and passing, his highlight came when he delivered a perfect kick for Joe Carpenter to catch and score.
Only one conversion miss from five attempts and a couple of penalty kicks scored show that there is still magic in his boots.
Quins’ Jamie Benson was unlucky to miss out as his kicks proved the difference against Sarries, but Ford is a worthy inclusion.
Finn Russell was also a consideration, but Ford just about edged past him too.
9- Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
Man of the Match in the biggest ever East Midlands derby victory, does JVP’s inclusion really need justification?
His defining moment was the try he scored, in which he ran about 60 metres and finished it off with a deft kick over the last defender.
Overall, he ran the show and those who consider him not good enough for England may regret doubting him.
Especially impressive given the fact that it was his first start back from injury.
Front Row
1- Beno Obano (Bath)
Obano’s matchup with Afo Fasogbon of Gloucester was a great spectacle, in which the Bath man came out on top.
Great scrummaging was mixed with some battering-ram-esque runs to gain crucial yards, as his side won 42-26 at The Rec.
A class player and one of the main reasons behind Bath’s dominant physicality.
2- Julian Montoya (Leicester Tigers)
Not the best weekend for hookers, Montoya gets in this team by virtue of being extremely solid and being a good leader for Tigers.
Consistent at set-pieces and a great link between the forwards and the backs, he can be proud of his involvement in such a big win.
3- Thomas du Toit (Bath)
Du Toit returned to the starting XV with a bang, crashing over after only 23 minutes to get his 20th try in Bath colours, which is very impressive given his position.
Another who is key in Johann van Grann’s system, TDT is not just a monster at scrum time, but can deliver around the whole pitch.
Second Row
4- Quinn Roux (Bath)
Did his basics at the lineout extremely well and was dogged in defence, especially in the first half, where he stopped Gloucester getting any real opportunities through the guts.
Continued that work over the last 40, which led to the Cherry and Whites going scoreless in the second period.
5- Joe Owen (Bristol Bears)
Instrumental in the buildup to Bears’ second try of the game and another who was pretty good defensively despite the amount of points conceded.
Saved a certain try with a class tackle, but Chiefs went over moments later so it was to no avail.
Not many locks stood out, with Owen’s solid but unremarkable game enough to get him in.
Back Row
6- Hanro Liebenberg (Leicester Tigers)
Ever present for Tigers so far this season, Leibenberg is one of the most underrated players in the squad.
The South African was dominant from lineouts and made multiple interceptions, accompanied with some vital carries that created openings.
Four turnovers won is no mean feat and he was a big reason in Saints’ score being zero.
7- Guy Pepper (Bath)
A hugely talented player, it is sometimes easy to forget how young Pepper is given his quality in such a good team.
He showed that again with a superb game, in which his work at the breakdown was unplayable.
Earned Christian Wade a yellow with some of that trademark breakdown work but also delivered offensively when he opened the scoring with a sixth-minute try.
So, so good.
8- Olly Cracknell (Leicester Tigers)
Ball carrying wise, Cracknell made so many line breaks and looked unstoppable at times, culminating in a try scored after only 12 minutes.
Not his best defensive performance but he won’t mind given the fact his side still conceded zero points.
A key man in a very strong game for Tigers, which will give them hope that they can secure a top-four finish.
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