'Lions stars shine' - Team of the Week: Premiership Round 16

This past weekend witnessed two special events from Test match amphitheaters. Bristol Bears secured the spoils of their battle with Bath in Cardiff's iconic cauldron, whilst Harlequins hammered Gloucester for their 'Big Summer Kick-Off', for an impressive win at the Allianz Stadium.

With the British & Irish Lions squad announced this past Thursday, places on the plane to Australia were no longer on the line. However, there were plenty of stand-out performances from the soon to be Lions tourists, and also from those players that are gunning to be apart of their respective international tours this Summer. We've pieced together our Team of the Week from the latest round of the Premiership, with these stand-out stars all putting their names forward for Test match action in the coming months.

Welcome back to the Premiership stage, Jake Gardside. The 22-year-old made his first Premiership start this past weekend, as he was named at fullback for the battle with Exeter Chiefs. Garside has previously ran out in green, black and gold as a replacement scrum half, with this positional alteration asking plenty of questions for the former Bedford Blues man. Garside stepped up for a rare run in the 15 jersey, and bagged the opening try for Phil Dowson's side. Whilst the Saints failed to take a win away from Sandy Park, Garside's performance was a stand-out for Northampton, with this man showcasing a bright future.

Harlequins contribute two high-flying wings to our Team of the Week, with Rodrigo Isgro slotting in seemlessly on the right touch-line. The powerful Argentine outside back marked the 'Big Summer Kick-Off' with two tries against Gloucester, in what was a statement of intent ahead of his Pumas hopes. Argentina take on the British & Irish Lions in Dublin next month, before hosting England for a two-match series that Isgro would be desperate to be apart of. A stand-out effort for the imposing Argentine.

The count-down clock continues for Benhard Janse van Rensburg, as he will become eligible for an England call-up at the start of the 2025/26 season. The South African-born star was unplayable in Bristol's trip across the River Severn, and was comfortably the best player on the pitch despite a 10-minute trip to the sin bin. A try assist for Rich Lane and a thunderous hit in the opening minutes were stand-out moments, from the centre who Steve Borthwick will certainly have an eye on ahead of the next campaign.

There is no doubt that the 22-year-old centre has a bright future, with eligibility for both England and Tonga on the cards for his international career. The former Wasps, Ampthill and Caldy man has been plying his trade throughout the tiers, whilst also being a star of the England U20s set-up. A stand-out try for the Sharks was a 'write-home' moment, in an otherwise difficult defeat for Alex Sanderson's men. Tonga's Summer plans are as-yet unconfirmed, but the Sea Eagles could well swoop in and select Ma'asi-White for this November's Test against Scotland. Borthwick would have to act fast if he wants to nail down the midfielder for a future in the red rose.

There were several stand-out performances in the 11 jersey this week, with the likes of Bristol's Gabriel Ibitoye, Exeter's Paul Brown-Bampoe and Leicester's Ollie Hassell-Collins all worthy of honourable mentions. However, there is only space for one man upon the left touch-line in our Team of the Week, with Quins flyer Cadan Murley getting the accolade after his hat-trick of tries against Gloucester. The wing made his England debut in the opening match of the 2025 Six Nations, and Murley is expected to be on his way down to Argentina to pick up more caps after an injury curtailed his initial run in Borthwick's side.

It will certainly be a changing off the guard down at Welford Road, when the 2024/25 Premiership season comes to a close. Handre Pollard joins the likes of Ben Youngs and Julian Montoya who are departing the club, with Pollard set to leave big shoes to fill in the 10 channel. It was a clinic of inch-perfect goal kicking from the double World Cup winner, as the South African sensation nailed 19 points from the tee, that kept the Tigers score-board ticking over nicely and out of range for Sale to compete with. Mesmeric, talismanic, mercurial, you can use whatever fly-half superlatives you like when Pollard is at his quintessential best.

Make no mistake about it, it is rare to have a member of a losing side in a Team of the Week when they succumb to such an almighty defeat. Saracens got the tails up this past weekend, as they thumped Newcastle Falcons with a 75-28 score-line. However, Sam Stuart was the unsung hero of the Falcons, with two tries to his name giving the travelling fans something to celebrate at the StoneX Stadium. The 33-year-old has been a stalwart of Kingston Park since 2017, and amidst a revolving door of transfers in and out of the club, Stuart once again kept the back-line ticking despite the heavy defeat.

In a performance which put Andrew Porter on notice, Ellis Genge has made it evident that he wants to be the starting loose-head for the British & Irish Lions test series. Hot off the back of being named on the tour to Australia, Genge could have rested on his laurels and cruised through Bristol's 'Big Day Out' in Cardiff. None of the such followed, as the Baby Rhino rampaged over Wales prop Archie Griffin, as the Bath man capitulated time and again under the England prop's power at scrum-time. Couple this with some high-tempo carries, and Genge is gearing up for a memorable Summer in the red jersey.

In a similar fettle to that of Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie is out to make the Lions' two jersey his own this Summer. The Sale hooker earned his call-up this past Thursday, and surpassed the heavily favoured former England captain Jamie George to a place on the plane. Cowan-Dickie was fired up from the get-go, as he crossed over for a try within two minutes as Sale took an early lead against Leicester. Whilst the Sharks lost their grip on the lead, Cowan-Dickie's strong performance was something for the Mancunian fans to sink their teeth into.

Tight-head was a tough one this week, with so many stand-out loose-heads making light work of their opponents on the opposite side of the scrum. We've settled for Harlequins number three Titi Lamositele, who provided a solid foundation for the Londoners to strut their stuff and kick into their high-flying attack at the home of English rugby. A strong work rate around the park saw Lamositele hold his own on the front foot, with some neat tip-offs sending the outside backs racing away in the famous quarters.

The Bath captain did all he could to take his side forward, yet it would take more than the mighty lock's hard work to get his men over the line. Leading from the front with a relentless mentality, Richards was at the bottom of every breakdown and led the charge in the clattering Cardiff collisions. The second row even made his way over the try-line in a rare score, with a nice show of skill to skip past James Williams on his way to the whitewash.

The newly minted British & Irish Lions captain for the upcoming tour of Australia, Maro Itoje is back to his incredible best that rightfully put him in the conversation. After a whirlwind week that included his brother's wedding and being named to lead the iconic touring side this Summer, Itoje turned on the style for Saracens' one-sided win over Newcastle Falcons. Ruling the skies with his trademark set-piece prowess and domiant at the break-down as you'd come to expect, Itoje even added a try to Sarries ever-building tally. It will be an unforgettable Summer for the England skipper, as he pursues a history making tour.

Once again proving that even though a player was on the losing side of the score-line, their individual contributions are more than worthy of recognition. It was a stunning outing from the Bath blindside, who made a stand-out cover tackle that got a lift out of the Principality Stadium crowd. Bayliss was constantly on the shoulders of his speedier halfbacks and centres, with plenty of supporting breaks building his personal carries tally. An asterisk of his game was a miss-pass that led to a Bath try, in what was a 9/10 shift from the Scotland international that could be bound for New Zealand this Summer.

The man whom the British & Irish Lions are praying they don't run into on June 20th, Argentina back row Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso will be out to curtail Andy Farrell's touring plans with some monstrous (yet legal) collisions in Dublin. The Saracens back row has rightfully built a reputation as one of the best loose forwards in the Premiership, with an unfathomable appetite for contact coupled with an awareness of how to break free for a try. The Pumas man racked up a devastating hat-trick against the Falcons, as he hit his revered top gear in North London this past weekend.

Sticking with Saracens for the final entry of our Premiership Team of the Week, Ben Earl rounds off our picks after an epic showing at the StoneX. Two tries to his name in the one-sided drubbing of the Falcons, Earl had a real spring in his step after being named upon the Lions touring squad and showcased his very best at the expense of Newcastle's efforts. Earl had a priceless reaction to being called-up for the tour, as a video showed him, Theo Dan and Andy Christie celebrating in his living room. Earl's passion is well documented in his celebrations, and he gave the Sarries faithful plenty to cheer about this past weekend.