Take five: URC's best performers

FEATURE: After five rounds we take a look at the top performers in the United Rugby Championship.

IRELAND

Dan Sheehan (Leinster)

It’s some effort for a hooker to be second on the league try-scoring chart, but then Sheehan is not your average hooker. For one thing, he’s 6ft 3ins and 17st 5lbs. He’s a big man, more than able to hold his own physically, delivering the grunt at the coalface, putting in the tackles (33 of them) and taking the fight to the enemy ball in hand, with his 40 carries and 104 metres made the most of any front row player.

But, on top of that, he’s outstanding in the loose, where he functions like another back row forward. His footwork is off the charts, helping him beat nine defenders so far – again the most within the URC front row union. He’s blessed with startling acceleration and agility and he’s a skilled handler. Add to that his predatory prowess – four tries against Benetton and another versus Ulster – and you have some player.

SCOTLAND

Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)

The one player ahead of Sheehan in the URC try table is winger Graham who has touched down no fewer than eight times. There have been some memorable scores along the way too, notably an acrobatic finish in the corner against the Lions, while there was a quality hat-trick versus the Bulls in Pretoria.

He’s got serious gas, he’s got dancing feet and he hits great lines. He must be a nightmare to defend against. The stats confirm as much. He’s made the most clean breaks (12) of any player in the league this season, run the most metres (442) and beaten the most defenders (22). The 25-year-old from Hawick is on fire.

SOUTH AFRICA

Henco van Wyk (Lions)

There have been plenty of candidates from the Rainbow Nation. You’ve got Lions No.8 Francke Horn, who has five tries to his name, Sharks wing Werner Kok, serial-tackling Bulls back row Marcell Coetzee and Stormers flyhalf magician Manie Libbok.

However, the 21-year-old centre, Van Wyk, is the one who has really caught the eye as a rising star of the game. He is so hard to contain with ball in hand, while his defensive work is exceptional. The way he tackles and then jackals in an instant is something to behold, while his try-saving intervention up in Edinburgh, where he hunted down a flying Darcy Graham, stands as one of the highlights of the season.

If you look at his stats, it points to a player with a real all-round game. He’s got the second-best figures among all the URC centres for clean breaks (five) and turnovers won (four), he’s beaten 10 defenders, made 147 metres and has a 97 per cent tackle success. It’s what you call an all-court game.

ITALY

Tomás Albornoz (Benetton)

The Argentine international flyhalf, who made his Test debut earlier this year, has been a pivotal figure in Benetton winning three of their first five URC matches. There were 19 points, including a try, in the victory over the Scarlets, with 14 to follow in the defeat of the Dragons, as he landed six successful shots at goal.

He has also been pulling the strings very effectively and serving as a real threat with ball in hand. He’s beaten 14 defenders and made 33 metres in contact, in both cases the most by any flyhalf, while there have been 32 carries and 210 metres made in all. A mention too for his team-mate Edoardo Padovani, who has made the second-most clean break from full-back, with Zebre wing Pierre Bruno another to shine.

WALES

Jac Morgan (Ospreys)

The former Scarlets flanker picked up the URC Turnover King award last season, pulling off no fewer than 24 of them in his first campaign with the Ospreys. He’s been hugely effective again this term, with his rearguard action really standing out, amid 67 tackles, more defensive ruck entries than any other player (43), the most dominant tackle contacts (9) and the most low tackles (40).

He was immense in atrocious conditions during last weekend’s draw with the Stormers and his form has now seen him called up to the Wales squad for the autumn internationals. That is some achievement given the openside options available to Wayne Pivac. Speaking of which, fellow No 7 Thomas Young – who hasn’t received a call-up – has been excellent since returning to Cardiff from Wasps, while Scarlets No 8 Sione Kalamafoni produces the goods week-in, week-out.

After an exciting weekend of the United Championship, URC StatMaster has identified the top players from R5 along with the overall top team and player performances from the league so far.

URC stats review

Top players from round five

Carries: 24 Elrigh Louw (Bulls)
Defenders Beaten: 9 Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh)
Lineouts Won: 8 Sam Lousi (Scarlets) & Eben Etzebeth (Sharks)
Metres: 144 Francke Horn (Lions)
Passes: 84 Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh)
Tackles: 23 Jean Kleyn (Munster)

Overall top players after round five

Carries: 86 Sione Kalamafoni (Scarlets)
Defenders Beaten: 22 Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)
Kicks in Play: 42 Tomos Williams (Cardiff)
Lineout Steals: 6 Peter O’Mahony (Munster)
Lineouts Won: 27 Ross Molony (Leinster)
Metres: 442 Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)
Passes: 275 John Cooney (Ulster)
Tackles: 78 Thomas Young (Cardiff)
Tries: 8 Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)
Turnover Won: 6 Toa Halafihi (Benetton), Marcus Rea (Ulster), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets)

Overall top team season totals

Carries: 664 Ulster
Defenders Beaten: 113 Edinburgh
Kicks in Play: 154 Benetton
Metres: 2133 Ulster
Points: 190 Ulster
Tackles: 797 Cardiff
Tries: 26 Edinburgh
Turnover Won: 42 Glasgow Warriors
Visits To 22: 57 Leinster