It really was a weekend of attacking in the Premiership, with some huge scorelines showcasing some of the best attacking talent in domestic rugby.
While purists may not like the defence, optional approach that teams seemed to use, it made for very good viewing for the neutral.
There were still games for those who prefer the nitty-gritty, such as Exeter Chiefs’ 17-15 win over Newcastle Falcons, or Sale Sharks’ 27-24 narrow victory over Northampton Saints.
With European rugby on the horizon for most of the league, here is Charlie Elliott’s Team of the Week from a hugely entertaining weekend of rugby.
Outside Backs
15- Santi Carreras (Gloucester)
Carreras is one of those players who you just have to watch and admire when they are at their best.
The whole Gloucester side were extremely fluid in their huge 53-28 win against Bristol Bears, with the Argentina international being no exception.
Two assists in the first eight minutes is just obscene, but that is exactly what he did at Kingsholm, before the Cherry and Whites secured a bonus-point within the first 20 minutes.
For the opener he played a deft kick over the last defender for Christian Wade to collect and finish with ease.
A neat offload while falling on the ground followed for his second.
Later, he got another assist to get the hat trick, with a neat pass out to Wade.
14- Will Muir (Bath)
Bath barely left third gear but still managed a comfortable 47-28 win against Harlequins at The Rec, proving their title credentials yet again.
Winger Muir managed to get himself a brace of tries, the first of which was the highlight.
He received the ball wide and bounded past a couple of tackles to dot down and make it 24-0 to the hosts at the time.
One of the main reasons why his side won was his aerial dominance over Rodrigo Isgro, which was a big matchup going into the game and one which ‘The Horse’ definitely won.
11- Christian Wade (Gloucester)
Another hat-trick hero for the Cherry and Whites was winger Wade, who is now a Premiership record breaker.
He officially holds the most hat-tricks in Prem history after overtaking Chris Ashton for the accolade.
A proper winger who just loves to score and knows where the try line is, it was vintage from the Gloucester man and he put Bristol to the sword.
Centres
13- Max Ojomoh (Bath)
Chris Harris was a big contender with is strong performance alongside Seb Atkinson, but Ojomoh having a slightly bigger moment gets him in.
During a time when Quins looked to be coming back against Bath, Ojomoh intercepted a pass and ran from just outside his own 22 to dive down and guarantee the win.
Ollie Lawrence’s injury doesn’t seem to have impacted Bath, and that is credit to just how good Ojomoh is.
12- Seb Atkinson (Gloucester)
The star of a show in a game where his team scored 53 points, Atkinson had to make this team.
A hat-trick of tries didn’t go unnoticed by fans, who are now calling for the centre to be picked for England duty in the summer.
With Steve Borthwick in the crowd, there was no better time for him to shine and his head coach George Skivington is also keen on him getting a call-up.
It was just too easy for him, and his runs were exceptional, with him continuously getting himself in the right position and breaking the defensive line countless times.
Halfbacks
10- Finn Russell (Bath)
Russell produced a vintage performance in Bath’s big win, absolutely running the show and being the playmaker that we all know he can be.
The control that he has of the ball is out of this world, and the game was played entirely on his terms all across the 80 minutes.
His 50/22 after plucking the ball out of the air just summed up what the man can do with his hands and feet and why he is so revered across the rugby world.
Plenty of variation on his passing, most of Bath’s joy came from the Scot.
9- Tomos Williams (Gloucester)
Enough has been said already about the general quality that Gloucetser showed, as the sheer number of players in this team suggests.
Wales international Williams is another maverick who is a perfect fit for Skivington’s side, and he delivered again.
A no-look, basketball-esque assist is exactly what we want to see on a rugby pitch, and his set up for Atkinson has been compared to the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Welshman could be a Globetrotter this summer, as he is slowly making his claim for a spot on the Lions tour, should he continue his form at club level.
Front Row
1- Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks)
Sale just about beat Northampton Saints 27-24 in the Friday night game after causing issues for themselves.
Rodd was one of the few Sharks players who were just steady, which was exactly what they needed.
Solid in the scrum, good carrying the ball and a few great tackles, the loosehead bagged himself a try just after half time when he powered over.
There was a noticeable difference when he came off, such was his impact on the team.
2- Tom Dunn (Bath)
Bath’s forward pack is unstoppable, and hooker Dunn is the glue that holds it all together.
In their win over Quins, he gained 55 metres while carrying and was in double figures for tackles.
Just an absolute workhorse who gives his all for the team.
Officially Player of the Match, for a forward to get awarded after his team scored 47 points, says it all about how good he was.
3- Josh Iosefa-Scott (Exeter Chiefs)
Newcastle Falcons tried the power game against the fluid Chiefs and it didn’t work, as the hosts won 17-15 at Sandy Park.
Kiwi tighthead Iosefa-Scott was an absolute tank in his 50-minute cameo, proving too strong for Adam Brocklebank to deal with.
Only his second start of the season, he made the most of his chance.
Ball-carrying wise, he gained over 35 metres, which was crucial for his backs to work off.
Second Row
4- Stephan Lewies (Harlequins)
Lewies might have been on the losing side, but he can hold his head high after a very solid performance in which he competed with the strong forward pack of Bath.
A try assist, double figures for tackles and 25 metres gained with ball in hand paints the picture of how effective he was for Quins.
Consistent from the lineout too, all in all it was a strong game and one to build on for the South African.
5- Theo McFarland (Saracens)
Both McFarland and Maro Itoje went very well in Sarries’ 29-22 win away at Welford Road against Leicester Tigers, and both could have made this team.
The former makes it in by virtue of it being slightly more unexpected, given that Itoje is England’s captain.
Still a very good Prem player, the lock made some great carries and was part of a forward pack that won the game for the visitors.
Defensively solid with all the fundamentals that his position requires, it was a shift to be proud of.
Back Row
6- Hanro Liebenberg (Leicester Tigers)
A pure ball carrier who has really come into his own this season for the Tigers, the South African got a brace of tries following some expert carrying all afternoon.
Quality as always defensively and from the lineout, the team around him needs to start improving should they properly push for the top four spots.
7- Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Saints may have lost, but it was the Henry Pollock show at the Salford Community Stadium.
The youngster created two tries out of absolutely nothing to give his team some hope going into the final minutes.
For Emmanuel Iyogun’s try, he ran through the defence like they weren’t even there before delivering a tidy pass out wide for the prop.
His own try came from taking on numerous defenders, kicking it over the last man’s head and dotting down with ease.
What a player and what a talent.
The only shame was that he came off injured, hopefully, it was nothing serious, and he will be back in action soon.
8- Tom Willis (Saracens)
Not at his absolute top level of power that we have become accustomed to, Willis was still busy and still made things happen for Sarries.
A below-par Willis is still better than most of the league, and 75 metres gained while carrying despite not being at the top of his game is simply brilliant.
He got plenty of touches and made things happen, which is enough to get him in the team.
An honourable mention goes to Chiefs’ Greg Fisilau, who very nearly made it in after scoring their winning try.
