Four South Africans Make Champions Cup Quarter-finals Team Of The Week

Photo by Johan Orton/SASPA

PlanetRugby.com selected their team of the Week after the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup which was played this past weekend. Four South Africans made the team with Cheslin Kolbe the obvious superstar.

To read the full article click on the following link: https://www.planetrugby.com/team-of-the-week-champions-cup-quarter-finals-3/.

"11 Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse): Knowing what he is going to do is one thing, stopping it is clearly another, as Jacob Stockdale found out on Sunday. Kolbe scored two trademark tries against Ulster that saw his right-foot step once again come to the fore. He finished with five defenders beaten in another box office performance that sees him get our 11 shirt ahead of Racing’s Juan Imhoff. In this kind of form Toulouse and South Africa have cheat mode in rugby.

7 Jacques Vermeulen (Exeter Chiefs): One thing that is perhaps underappreciated when discussing Exeter is their recruitment. Rarely do they bring in star names, but all their signings fit in seamlessly to the system and Vermeulen is another to excel since joining the club. The flanker has enjoyed a tremendous season but perhaps produced his best individual display on Sunday, scoring two tries, running for 47 metres and making 15 tackles. Racing’s Wenceslas Lauret, Saracens’ Jackson Wray and Northampton’s Lewis Ludlam also played well, but the South African was the clear standout.

6 Michael Rhodes (Saracens): Had it not been for injuries, the 32-year-old may have won several caps by now, whether for England, who he qualifies for on residency, or his native South Africa, but he has struggled to get out on the field over recent years. However, when fully fit, Rhodes is one of the first names on the teamsheet and showed his worth to Saracens’ cause at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. The flanker was excellent in the lineout in Sarries’ 25-17 triumph over Leinster and also superb in defence, making 15 tackles as they reached the Champions Cup semi-finals.

3 Vincent Koch (Saracens): The Premiership outfit’s scrummaging played a big part in their triumph over the Irish province and the Springbok deserves plenty of credit for that effort as he totally dominated his direct duel with Ireland’s Cian Healy. Koch won several scrum penalties but also put his body on the line on defence and completed 14 tackles."