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19 year old James Gaskell features in Planet Rugby's Team of the Week

Four Sharks Players Named In Planet Rugby's Team Of The Week

Tuesday, October 20th 2009

Planet Rugby’s Heineken Cup Team Of The Week for last weekend included four of the Sale Sharks team that defeated Cardiff Blues at Edgeley Park. The Sharks' players named were Lee Thomas, Sisa Koyamaibole, James Gaskell and Andrew Sheridan.

The Full XV named was:

15 Scott Hamilton (Leicester) - Mr Consistent enjoyed an excellent day at the office on Saturday in Italy. Filling in while Geordan Murphy continues to recovery from injury, Hamilton crossed three times and once again was faultless for Richard Cockerill's injury-hit Tigers.

14 Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz) - The winging jerseys were hotly contested this week with Farid Sid, Timoci Nagusa and Napolini Nalaga putting across good claims for selection. But the American's hat-trick of scores against Gloucester deserves a spot as he looked back to his devastating best.

13 David Marty (Perpignan) - The USAP centre provided a threat whenever he touched the ball against Northampton on Friday. Alongside his running strength, Marty provided good support, smart linking with his team-mates and finished off an excellent try with sheer pace taking him home.

12 Lee Thomas (Sale Sharks) - One part of the Sharks' well-oiled midfield machine, Thomas was vital in keeping the Stockport outfit's Heineken Cup season alive and well with a strong running game alongside Andy Tuilagi hurting Cardiff Blues throughout. The perfect outlet for Charlie Hodgson.

11 Matt Banahan (Bath) - Sunday's performance has surely turned Banahan from possible to probable starter when England step out at HQ against Australia on November 7. A constant thorn in the Parisians' side for 70 minutes, the Bath man was at his bulldozing best at the Recreation Ground.

10 Nick Evans (Harlequins) - All Black general Evans was at his authoritative best on Saturday with an assured effort outside Danny Care. The 29-year-old's distribution kept his back-line on the front-foot and he was very unfortunate to finish up on a losing Quins team.

9 Julien Dupuy (Stade Francais) - Steve Meehan has already revealed that he is sick of the sight of this classy French scrum-half. Dupuy does not seem to get flustered when the pressure is on and was once again a Heineken Cup star on Sunday as he kicked the life out of the West Country side.

8 Sisa Koyamaibole (Sale Sharks) - Power, power and yet more power from the colossal Fijian. Koyamaibole has certainly stepped into Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe's shoes with a different style of play that worked wonders against Cardiff Blues on Friday. A nailed on starter from Round Two.

7 Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse) - France's new captain proved just how vital he is to both club and country with his tireless effort at the Twickenham Stoop. The flanker's unbelievable tackle count and general work-rate makes him arguably the best openside in the northern hemisphere right now.

6 Jerry Collins (Ospreys) - New Zealand's battering ram was in top form for the Ospreys at Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Discounting his yellow card for a no-arm tackle during the second half, Collins added a steely edge to what is a sound back-row combination with Marty Holah and Ryan Jones.

5 Luke Charteris (Dragons) - A captain's performance from the Wales international was topped off with a well-worked try late in the first-half. Charteris is leading the Dragons superbly this term and after signing a contract extension that keeps him at Rodney Parade until 2012, this form should continue.

4 James Gaskell (Sale Sharks) - Another highly impressive Heineken Cup performance from Sale's rangy 19-year-old forward. Playing at lock before switching to flank when Sean Cox emerged from the bench, Gaskell scored a fine try and played a key part in captain Dean Schofield's five-pointer.

3 Thomas Domingo (Clermont) - This was a tough one but the replacement's impact on events at Liberty Stadium was so impressive that he edges BJ Botha out of our number three shirt. Solid at scrum-time while scoring one and setting up another for Alexandre Lapandry against the Ospreys.

2 Matthew Rees (Scarlets) - The Pool Six pace-setters have surprised many in the opening two rounds of this season's Heineken Cup by beating Brive and most recently London Irish. And Wales hooker Rees typified the Scarlets' physical approach with another solid performance on Saturday.

1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks) - Let's get one thing straight, this selection is not out of sympathy. Sheridan will head in for shoulder surgery this week following those painful events at Edgeley Park but his effort both in the scrum and around the field proved that he remains one of the best in the business.