Cheetahs flyer in Pro14 Dream Team

The Pro14 Dream Team for the 2018/19 season was revealed on Thursday, with two South Africans making the cut.

Eleven clubs are represented in the XV where competition in the voting was incredibly close, and only a handful of positions were selected with a clear majority.

Edinburgh, Munster, Connacht and Ulster were the only teams with more than one player in the Dream Team – which includes the Players’ Player of the Season, Bill Mata of Edinburgh.

Rabz Maxwane of the Cheetahs is another award winner included.

The Cheetahs wing scored a record-equalling 14 tries in the Pro14 season – nine of them scored away from home – and was voted in as the left wing.

Only three players from last season’s Pro14 Dream Team have been selected with the second row pairing of Tadhg Beirne (Munster) and Scott Vardy (Leinster) getting the nod while John Cooney’s impressive performances at Ulster have kept him in the No 9 shirt.

Pro14 Dream Team 2018/19

15 Dan Evans (Ospreys)
14 Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby)
13 Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues),
12 Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)
11 Rabz Maxwane (Toyota Cheetahs)
10 Jack Carty (Connacht)
9 John Cooney (Ulster)
8 Bill Mata (Edinburgh)
7 Colby Fainga’a (Connacht)
6 Peter O’Mahony (Munster)
5 Scott Fardy (Leinster)
4 Tadhg Beirne (Munster)
3 Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
2 Ken Owens (Scarlets)
1 Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)

Nominations (listed by alphabetical order):

Loosehead Prop
Dave Kilcoyne (Munster); Eric O’Sullivan (Ulster); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)

Hooker
Epalahame Faiva (Benetton Rugby); Rob Herring (Ulster); Ken Owens (Scarlets)

Tighthead Prop
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), WP Nel (Edinburgh), Marco Riccioni (Benetton Rugby)

Second Row
Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby)

Second Row
Scott Fardy (Leinster); Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors); Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys)

Blindside Flanker
Max Deegan (Leinster); Peter O’Mahony (Munster); Josh Turnbull (Cardiff Blues)

Openside Flanker
Colby Fainga’a (Connacht), Braam Steyn (Benetton); Hamish Watson (Edinburgh)

No 8
Marcel Coetzee (Ulster), Bill Mata (Edinburgh), CJ Stander (Munster)

Scrumhalf
Caolin Blade (Connacht); John Cooney (Ulster); Dewaldt Duvenage (Benetton)

Flyhalf
Jack Carty (Connacht); Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors); Jaco van der Walt (Edinburgh)

Left Wing
Darcy Graham (Edinburgh); James Lowe (Leinster); Rabz Maxwane (Toyota Cheetahs)

Inside Centre
Bundee Aki (Connacht); Willis Halaholo (Cardiff Blues); Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)

Outside Centre
Tom Farrell (Connacht); Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues); Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors)

Right Wing
Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby); Johnny McNicholl (Scarlets); Ratuva Tavuyara (Benetton Rugby)

Fullback
Dan Evans (Ospreys); Mike Haley (Munster); Matthew Morgan (Cardiff Blues)