Tuesday 15 December 2015 12:41, UK
Eight teams contribute players this week with Racing 92 being the clear winners, however Exeter also feature after their heroics against Clermont Auvergne.
15. Alex Goode (Saracens)
Goode made 16 carries with an average of 8.3 metres against Oyonnax, and he also scored a lovely try. The 27-year-old was sensational on attack and ran some excellent angles and support lines.
14. Taqele Naiyaravoro (Glasgow)
What a performance from the Glasgow winger against Scarlets. Not only did he get a hat-trick but he made an incredible 231 metres - some teams don't even make that combined! He also beat nine defenders in the display of the weekend.
13. Elliot Daly (Wasps)
A nod to Exeter's Jack Nowell who made a last minute switch from the wing to midfield and was superb against Clermont. However, Daly produced yet another excellent performance and must surely be firmly on the Eddie Jones radar. His pace and distribution is second to none.
12. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)
The big man showed some lovely skills to score his try as he glided past Yoann Maestri. He made 10 strong runs and topped the table for defenders beaten in this game with eight while also toppoing the backline tackle table with nine hits.
11. Vereniki Goneva (Leicester)
It looked like Munster had him well covered when Youngs slipped a long pass out to him on the wing - however Goneva had other ideas as he went through Ian Keatley's tackle and then evaded the cover defence of Denis Hurley and CJ Stander to score in the corner.
10. Dan Carter (Racing 92)
Well done to George Ford for his pressure kick to give Bath the win, but Dan Carter gets the nod for his classy debut for Racing 92. He's been off for six weeks but the World Player of the Year slotted back into his rhythm as the Parisians staked their claim as serious European contenders.
9. Ruan Pienaar (Ulster)
Ben Youngs had a great game for Leicester but Pienaar was very sharp as Ulster destroyed Toulouse. His pass off his knees to set up Trimble's try showed vision and awareness as did his cross-field kick for Luke Marshall's try.
1. Eddy Ben Arous (Racing 92)
Didn't allow the usually impressive Kieran Brookes to get any dominance upfront, which ultimately put Northampton on the back foot - in fact he gave the England hopeful a bit of a lesson. Also scored a great try and carried well.
2. Jack Yeandle (Exeter)
The Chiefs skipper did a fabulous job in keeping his side focussed and refused to let them panic when Clermont scored two classy tries. Instead he led from the front with some excellent carries and solid defence and made sure that Exeter's set-piece fired on all fronts.
3. Ben Tameifuna (Racing 92)
His rampaging run left a trail of Saints players in his wake and he followed that up with a lovely off-load to full-back Brice Dulin who went over for Racing's bonus-point try. His performance in the scrum put the Saints front-row under pressure.
4. Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Wasps may have lost to Bath but Launchbury put in a massive all-round performance. He carried very strongly, competed in the set-pieces and showed some lovely, soft hands. Happy to do the grunt work of a second rower but has got an impeccable skill-set that sets him apart.
5. Michael Fitzgerald (Leicester)
A big ball-carrier for the Tigers and was at the heart of some impressive driving mauls. Got on the scorecard when Munster overthrew at the lineout near their line, but it was his defence where he really shone with 15 big tackles.
6. Michael Rhodes (Saracens)
Had a hand in two tries against Oyonnax - unselfishly handing on to Maro Itoje for an easy finish. Impressed at the breakdown and put in 11 tackles. Combined very well with Will Fraser and Billy Vunipola in a finely tuned Sarries back row.
7. Steffon Armitage (Toulon)
Against Leinster, Armitage was superb at the breakdown and stifled any quick ball which slowed down all Leinster attack. Playing with a juggernaut of a pack, Armitage is always going to be impressive but performances like this are going to keep the England debate raging on.
8. Thomas Waldrom (Exeter)
Twenty-three carries for the Chiefs tank who also scored a a brace of tries as Exeter stunned Clermont with a bonus-point win. Waldrom has scored five tries in two weeks and would have certainly given the watching Eddie Jones plenty to think about.
