Monday 7 May 2018 11:59, UK
From knockout matches to final days of the regular season, it was an action-packed weekend of domestic rugby and we've combined the standouts to form our latest team of the week.
Peruse our XV and have your say when it comes to the most influential player of the weekend with our vote below...
15. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh)
Munster may have taken the spoils at Thomond Park, and progressed into the PRO14 semi-finals, but Edinburgh made them work very hard for it and their 21-year-old full-back turned heads - and not for the first time.
Kinghorn was solid under the high ball, constantly threatened and was instrumental in the build-up to Nathan Fowles' slick second-half score.
In all, the full-back made 157 metres on the day, 80 more than any other player and beat eight defenders.
14. Keith Earls (Munster)
The man of the match at Thomond Park, Earls' work under the high ball is second-to-none and was greatly tested by his opponents in their semi-final qualifier.
Overall he was excellent and there were standout moments in each half. In the first, defensively he halted a certain try when Edinburgh had a three-man overlap and in the second he finished the superb work of Simon Zebo to score using his electric pace.
13. Matt Banahan (Bath)
On Saturday the 6'7" back played his 264th and final match for the blue, black and whites at The Recreation Ground and finished his 12-year-career there with a hat-trick of tries.
Banahan's three scores pushed his tally up to 99 for the club and only a ruling of a double-movement prevented him from reaching the century.
The man who switched from the pack to the wing when he joined back in 2006, started his final game by providing a try-creating offload and he excelled from there.
12. James Wilson (Bath)
It's an all Bath midfield this week because you don't put nine tries on the board through lacklustre parnterships.
Alongside the departing Banahan, this Kiwi had an excellent day at the Premiership office. He topped the round's rankings for carries [20] and metres made [169].
Wilson also beat five defenders, made two offloads and produced four clean breaks.
11. Ben Lam (Hurricanes)
At the Westpac Stadium, Ben Lam scored his first five-pointer after just seven minutes, shrugging off the attentions of two defenders and racing in unopposed.
He made it look simple and it was a sign of what was to come from him.
For Lam's second he created his own gap between three defenders, in a situation few would have been able to ground the ball in, and his third was a run-in from even further out.
10. George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
Across all of the leagues, there were standout fly-halves but the performance of George Ford at the AJ Bell Stadium clinched our No 10 jersey.
The England international secured a full-house with one try, three conversions, two penalties and a drop-goal.
He played flat to the line and used his first-class vision to orchestrate proceedings with purpose.
A tip of the hat must also be made to Robert du Preez. The Sharks fly-half accumulated a personal points haul of 18 during their 38-12 victory over the Highlanders and continues to drive their standards alongside his two younger twin brothers.
9. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and Nathan Fowles (Edinburgh)
Clearly, it's unusual to have a duo as our scrum-half - impossible in fact with just one jersey - but the combined 80 minutes that Hidalgo-Clyne and Fowles produced at Thomond Park means we're going off-piste this week!
For 55 minutes the man that will be a Scarlet next season, Hidalgo-Clyne, was superb. His boot kept Edinburgh's scoreboard ticking, his service was crisp and he was as dynamic as they come.
Then Fowles entered the fray, earlier than perhaps some expected, and was just as inspired. The replacement upped the energy once again, delivered pinpoint kicking from hand and duly deserved his 59th-minute try.
In summary, they were the perfect double act.
1. Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)
The Stormers picked up an eye-catching 29-17 Super Rugby victory over the Bulls on Saturday, and key to their success was the performance of loosehead Kitshoff.
Dominant at scrum time, the Springbok also contributed a try assist for fellow prop Wilco Louw's score, seven tackles and seven carries.
2. Rhys Marshall (Munster)
In Limerick, the 25-year-old hooker put it all on the park once again for the 69 minutes he played and put in another superbly classy showing.
Marshall's ninth-minute try showcased his considerable power and skill as he pounced on an overthrown lineout from his opposite number, sidestepped one man and powered past another couple to ground the ball.
The hooker was strong in the loose throughout, as he made 10 tackles and was solid at the set-piece.
3. Ciaran Parker (Munster)
The second Munster man in our front-row entered the arena much sooner than he would have expected to, replacing Stephen Archer after just 16 minutes.
As the fourth-choice tighthead at the province behind Archer, John Ryan and Brian Scott, Parker was playing in his very first game at Thomond Park, and must have been feeling immense pressure.
The 22-year-old took everything in his stride during the knockout fixture, however, helping to lock out the scrum, while also making 10 tackles and a turnover.
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
He may not have stood out this season to the same extent as he has done in the previous two years, but on Saturday Itoje was back to somewhere near his brutally physical best.
The second row's workrate was off the charts on Saturday as Saracens put 62 points past Gloucester at the Allianz Arena.
Itoje made a staggering 17 tackles, while also making nine carries and scoring a try.
5. Tomas Lavanini (Los Jaguares)
The Jaguares won a fourth game in succession to finish their tour of Australia and New Zealand in style on Friday.
Inside their engine room, the lock led the carrying charge as he delivered 17 - six more than any other player.
His hard carrying and overall work-rate caught the eye of many and, as you'd expect, he was at the heart of the side's driving maul that produced their penalty try.
6. Marnus Schoeman (Lions)
The flanker, who was making his first start for the Lions, put in a strong display in defeat.
The 29-year-old made a round-high tackle count of 21, beat four defenders and produced two turnovers. The cherry on top for Schoeman was burrowing over from close-range after 57 minutes.
7. Cpl Matthew Dawson (Army XV)
In front of 80,000 people at Twickenham Stadium, the Army secured The Babcock Trophy with a 22-14 victory over the Navy.
The Army capitalised on a first-half sending off of Sam Matavesi, scoring three tries shortly after the incident, and flanker Cpl Matthew Dawson was brilliant.
Dawson's rumbustious carrying and excellent offloading skills were hugely significant during the encounter.
8. Viliame Mata (Edinburgh)
The final place in our team of the week goes to another Edinburgh Rugby man that was highly distinguished in defeat.
The No 8's work-rate, a trademark of his game alongside his ball carrying, was exceptional and he caused Munster all manner of issues whilst on the park.
Mata made 15 carries for 75 metres, beat five defenders and showed exactly why he's been one of Edinburgh's standout men this PRO14 season.
