Munster's Jeremy Loughman makes OPTA European Champions Cup XV of the Yea
The OPTA statistics index rated Munster's Jeremy Loughman the top loose-head across Champions Cup rugby this season.
His 57 tackles in five games is a tremendous return for a player in the no1 shirt and all the more spectacular for a 90 percent tackle-success rate while his 29 carries was a decent contribution on the other side of the ball. Consider this too; that's also Loughman starting both headline-making Munster victories in South Africa earlier this year, against Bulls in Pretoria and Lions in Johannesburg.
2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations Team of the Championship: 15. Thomas Ramos ; 14. Duhan Van Der Merwe , 13. Bundee Aki , 12. Tommaso Menoncello , 11. JAMES LOWE ; 10. Finn Russell ; 1. Andrew Porter , 2. Dan Sheehan , 3. Uini Atonio , 4. Tadhg Beirne , 5. JOE McCARTHY , 6. CAELAN DORIS , 7. Michele Lamaro , 8. Ben Earl
Toulouse's Emmanuel Maffou is also in the second-row and were he not to be spoken about in direct relation to McCarthy would be considered 'young' but at 25 he is the elder statesman. The picking of Harlequins-based Will Evans was interesting, possibly down to what the perception of a no7 should and shouldn't do - certainly the 27 year old's 2023/24 season stats show he is a pest at the breakdown.
There is no questioning Antoine Dupont taking the no9 shirt, the man whom the Toulouse forwards refer to as 'the Alien' simply does things that are out of this world. Putting Marcus Smith in at out-half was a maybe comment on Romain Ntamack injury-blighted season, Ross Byrne's stuttering campaign, Owen Farrll's problems, Finn Russell's Bath who exited tamely to Exeter in the Last 16 and Paolo Garbisi toiling away in the Challenge Cup with Montpellier.
David Kriel stands out among the selections here in that he is South African and with Bulls, a 25 year-old who played just four 2023/24 Champions Cup games but was on the winning side each time, against Saracens, Bristol, Bordeaux-Begles and Munster.
Jeremy Loughman Joe Mccarthy Leinster Rugby Caelan Doris Marcus Smith James Lowe Robbie Henshaw European Champions Cup Andrew Porter Andy Farrell Ireland Rugby Union Team England Rugby Union Team South Africa Rugby Union Team France Rugby Union Team
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