Gallagher Prem team of the week: Genge and Smith star in Round Nine

Northampton Saints maintain their run as league leaders into a fresh calendar year, after unseating Bristol Bears from a short-lived spell at the top spot.

Pat Lam's side snuck into poll position following their narrow win over Sale Sharks under the friday night lights. However, the men in green, black and gold would reclaim their place as the PREM's resident rulers, following a one-way demolition job over a hapless Harlequins side on Saturday afternoon.

Once again, there has been a plethora of top Premiership performances to get stuck into, as we scoured the five fixtures to piece together our Team of the Week for round nine.

We kick off our XV with one of the most in-form flyers from across the country, as Northampton Saints man George Hendy continues to make a claim for an England call-up. The ginger-haired back-three star put in a tremendous display at fullback, with a series of cascading runs constantly begging questions from the Harlequins defensive line.

Hendy was a constant threat, ever-present in Northampton's attacking spells and brings the versatile trait across both wing and fullback that England head coach Steve Borthwick values so highly. We've also handed an honourable mention to Leicester's Freddie Steward, who ignited the try-scoring efforts after just four minutes against Saracens, as he gears up for a return to the England stage for the 2026 Six Nations.

Another man who continues to knock on the door for an England involvement in the 2026 Six Nations, Adam Radwan is enjoying an electric run of form for Leicester Tigers this season. One of the fastest players in the league, Radwan finished two well-taken tries against Saracens, and helped his side establish a stronghold on the front foot at Welford Road. An honourable mention is in store for Edoardo Todaro of Northampton Saints, who ran in a brace of his own in the landslide victory over Harlequins.

Ollie Lawrence is steadily getting back to his very best, with another stand-out performance in blue, black and white coming this past weekend against Exeter Chiefs. Lawrence was on hand to bag the bonus point score for Johann van Graan's side, as he celebrated his 50th Bath cap in style. Lawrence continues to set the precedence for the England midfield births, as he dominated the positional battle over his fellow England teammate Henry Slade for the most part, as Bath took the spoils of this West Country clash.

The countdown continues for England fans, as South African sensation Benhard Janse van Rensburg will be eligible to play for Steve Borthwick's side from the Summer of 2026. Whether you love or loathe the decision, you can not deny how much of a tremendous asset van Rensburg would be to the England set-up, as he once again starred for Bristol this past Friday. The centre was at the heart of the dramatic win over Sale, with arching passes in attack coupled with a series of thunderous defensive shots.

The man of the hour for Bristol, Kalaveti Rouvouvou was on hand to secure the comeback win with his stunning try in the 71st minute. The Fijian unleashed his attacking arsenal from the word go, with a blistering performance of offloads and line breaks providing a constant threat to the back-peddling Sharks. With the asterisk of a missed tackle upon Tom O'Flaherty aside, Ravouvou's attacking excellence made amends for an early defensive mishap to send the fans home happy from Ashton Gate.

If there was ever a time for Steve Borthwick to have his eyes upon Fin Smith, this was the match. It has been a tricky time for Smith, as the Northampton out-half fell down the England pecking order behind George Ford in the Autumn. However, Smith presented his defensive mettle in this hammering of Harlequins, and also enjoyed a stint in the centres to showcase his back-line versatility. Throw in a well-taken try under the sticks and some inch-perfect kicking off the tee, Smith's personal points haul of 21 included plenty to be admired.

It was a monumental victory for Newcastle Red Bulls this past Friday night, as Alan Dickens' side finally brought an end to their wait for a win in the Gallagher PREM. After 19 consecutive defeats in the English top flight, the Red Bulls triumphed 25-19 over Gloucester for their first league win in this revamped era. Simon Bentitez-Cruz was the beating pulse of the side, as he kept the tempo high in attack, orchestrated a resiliant defensive effort and even crossed the Kingston Park whitewash for a try.

We move onto the forward pack now, and begin once again with argubaly the most in-form loose-head from anywhere in the world. Whilst Genge was usurped by Ox Nche for the official World Rugby XV, the Baby Rhino's recent run of form has been a definitive reminder as to why he is held in such high regard.

Another Bristolian barnstormer followed this past Friday, as Genge emptied the tank upon both fronts in a stellar performance which included some exhaustive scrummaging spells. We hand an honourable mention to Northampton prop Danilo Fishchetti, as the Italian bagged a personal brace of tries in the landmark win over the down-trodden Harlequins.

We return back to the milestone moment of the weekend, as George McGuigan personified the 'never say die' mentality which Newcastle brought to Friday's fray. The elder statesman of the former Falcons, McGuigan bossed the scrum-time engagements and ran his set-piece with a sniper's accuracy. The hooker capped off his evening with a try, which further drove the nail into Gloucester as the Red Bulls earned their first PREM win since November 2024.

It was always going to be a big season of expectation for Joe Heyes, following the retirement of his England and Leicester teammate Dan Cole in the Summer. Heyes was propelled up the tight-head pecking order for both club and country, and continues to impress across both his domestic and international pursuits. This past weekend witnessed another top performance from the 26-year-old, who bagged a try for the Tigers in the 36-28 triumph over Saracens. On hand for a solid scrum-time effort against Welsh international Rhys Carre, we could well see these two lock horns in the 2026 Six Nations.

This was certainly one to remember for Alex Coles, as the Northampton Saints man cantered free for a stunning hat-trick of tries against Harlequins. Coles only had three tries to his name in all competitions throughout the 2025/26 season, with the lock now doubling his tally for the season across the line for a performance that he won't soon forget. A brute force over the gain-line, Coles has grown into a true leader in green, black and gold, with expectation mounting that he could well be Maro Itoje's right hand man in the row throughout the 2026 Six Nations should he maintain such strong form.

Whilst the spotlight for England's second row options would have understandably of been shown upon Alex Coles this week, Joe Owen continues to make a name for himself as a promising future star within the international ranks. As yet uncapped by Steve Borthwick, Owen did run out in the England A win over Spain in November, and he brings an exciting versatility across lock and the blindside flank. Owen was in tremendous form for Bristol in their hard-fought win over Sale, as he bagged a 40th minute try and emptied the tank with a real workhorses' effort in the proverbial engine room.

Whilst the travelling Saracens supports would have had to endure a disappointing journey back down to London, one man who can be proud of his efforts in Leicestershire was Theo McFarland. The Samoan international put in a bruising performance from the blindside flank, with Leicester's most powerful gain-line threats routinely chopped down by the 30-year-old. McFarland backed this up on the front foot, as he crashed over for a try in the 21st minute. One of the most unsung heroes from a star-studded squad, McFarland certainly earned his flowers on Sunday.

Our third and final entry from Newcastle Red Bulls, Tom Christie continues to spearhead the revolution at Kingston Park and is once again named within RUCK's Team of the Week. A frequent feature in our recent EPCR Challenge Cup installments, Christie has rolled his superb European form back into the domestic league and was a firecracker in the back row in the win over Gloucester. The New Zealander grabbed a try, tackled with a furious intent and came up clutch at the breakdowns for another strong outing. The former Crusader has lit a fuse under the Red Bulls, as Dickens men return to Europe this weekend.

We'll start this off with an honourable mention to Arthur Green, who helped Bath salvage the dramatic win over Exeter with his explosive cameo from the bench. However, we have handed the eight jersey to Alex Dombrandt, who was a rare bright spark on a dark day for Harlequins. Dombrandt battled to the very end of the tough defeat to Northampton, as he crossed over for two tries and kept picking his men up to inspire the faultering defensive effort. Proof that one man can't do it all, we tip the cap to the England international to round off our Team of the Week.