There wasn’t anything at stake for Munster against Sale but Zebo still excelled at fullback, carrying the ball 18 times for 118 metres. Those huge tallies contributed to the Corkman scoring two of Munster’s ten tries on the day.
14. Fergus McFadden
He showed nice strength to fend off Tom Varndell for his try and McFadden worked hard all day for Leinster. He showed an eagerness to run back kicks, which saw him finish as one of Leinster’s top carriers on the day.
13. Darren Cave
Presseye / Darren Kidd/INPHO
Presseye / Darren Kidd/INPHO / Darren Kidd/INPHO
Cave’s strong season continued with a lovely hat-trick against Leicester. None of his tries required spectacular breaks but for all of them Cave showed great awareness to track his team-mates runs and strength to finish them off.
12. Ivan Dineen
Most Munster fans probably wanted JJ Hanrahan to be sprung from the bench after Dennis Hurley got injured early on but Dineen turned in one of his best Munster performances. He made a series of half-breaks and it will give him a big confidence boost as Munster turn their attention to the Pro12.
11. Craig Gilroy
When Gilroy sets off on one of his fun-runs, it gets you out of your seat. His pirouette in the build up to one of the Ulster tries was sensational and with Dave Kearney’s injury, Gilroy might have forced himself into Joe Schmidt’s plans.
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10. Ian Humphreys
Ian Cook / INPHO
Ian Cook / INPHO / INPHO
He is firmly entrenched as Paddy Jackson’s back-up but Humphreys’ beautiful dart and instinctive offload for Cave’s try should give Ulster fans hope that they can cope with Jackson’s injury.
9. Duncan Williams
Like Dineen, Williams has gotten a lot of stick this season but will have silenced the doubters for a little while at least with a solid effort against Sale.
1. Michael Bent
The Leinster scrum was under a bit of pressure against Wasps at the RDS but Bent was part of a much improved effort in Coventry on Saturday.
2. Duncan Casey
After the lineout debacle against Saracens, Casey was under a bit of scrutiny going into yesterday’s encounter but that part of Munster’s game was much improved as they only lost one lineout all day.
3. Marty Moore
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Over the last three weekends Moore has played himself into the Ireland side. His scrummaging was very strong against Wasps and he tackled ferociously as well.
4. Devin Toner
Leinster’s lineout was perfect on Saturday and Toner was a huge reason for that. He has been one of the most consistent performers for Matt O’Connor this year.
5. Alan O’Connor
Seven lineout successes for O’Connor gave Ulster a great platform to launch attacks and they took full advantage.
6. Iain Henderson
Presseye / Darren Kidd/INPHO
Presseye / Darren Kidd/INPHO / Darren Kidd/INPHO
Henderson justified his selection in Joe Schmidt’s extended 6 Nations squad with a physical performance in his return from injury. He was on the bench for last year’s tournament and he staked his claim for inclusion once again.
7. Jordi Murphy
Murphy’s made a big impact since returning from injury and after great early season performances from Dominic Ryan it looks like the former Blackrock schoolboy has nudged back ahead in the pecking order.
8. Roger Wilson
Wilson was Ulster’s second highest ball carrier and made a team-high 18 tackles. A very busy performance from the number eight.
Here's our Irish team of the weekend after the last round of the Champions Cup pool stage
15. Simon Zebo
There wasn’t anything at stake for Munster against Sale but Zebo still excelled at fullback, carrying the ball 18 times for 118 metres. Those huge tallies contributed to the Corkman scoring two of Munster’s ten tries on the day.
14. Fergus McFadden
He showed nice strength to fend off Tom Varndell for his try and McFadden worked hard all day for Leinster. He showed an eagerness to run back kicks, which saw him finish as one of Leinster’s top carriers on the day.
13. Darren Cave
Cave’s strong season continued with a lovely hat-trick against Leicester. None of his tries required spectacular breaks but for all of them Cave showed great awareness to track his team-mates runs and strength to finish them off.
12. Ivan Dineen
Most Munster fans probably wanted JJ Hanrahan to be sprung from the bench after Dennis Hurley got injured early on but Dineen turned in one of his best Munster performances. He made a series of half-breaks and it will give him a big confidence boost as Munster turn their attention to the Pro12.
11. Craig Gilroy
When Gilroy sets off on one of his fun-runs, it gets you out of your seat. His pirouette in the build up to one of the Ulster tries was sensational and with Dave Kearney’s injury, Gilroy might have forced himself into Joe Schmidt’s plans.
10. Ian Humphreys
He is firmly entrenched as Paddy Jackson’s back-up but Humphreys’ beautiful dart and instinctive offload for Cave’s try should give Ulster fans hope that they can cope with Jackson’s injury.
9. Duncan Williams
Like Dineen, Williams has gotten a lot of stick this season but will have silenced the doubters for a little while at least with a solid effort against Sale.
1. Michael Bent
The Leinster scrum was under a bit of pressure against Wasps at the RDS but Bent was part of a much improved effort in Coventry on Saturday.
2. Duncan Casey
After the lineout debacle against Saracens, Casey was under a bit of scrutiny going into yesterday’s encounter but that part of Munster’s game was much improved as they only lost one lineout all day.
3. Marty Moore
Over the last three weekends Moore has played himself into the Ireland side. His scrummaging was very strong against Wasps and he tackled ferociously as well.
4. Devin Toner
Leinster’s lineout was perfect on Saturday and Toner was a huge reason for that. He has been one of the most consistent performers for Matt O’Connor this year.
5. Alan O’Connor
Seven lineout successes for O’Connor gave Ulster a great platform to launch attacks and they took full advantage.
6. Iain Henderson
Henderson justified his selection in Joe Schmidt’s extended 6 Nations squad with a physical performance in his return from injury. He was on the bench for last year’s tournament and he staked his claim for inclusion once again.
7. Jordi Murphy
Murphy’s made a big impact since returning from injury and after great early season performances from Dominic Ryan it looks like the former Blackrock schoolboy has nudged back ahead in the pecking order.
8. Roger Wilson
Wilson was Ulster’s second highest ball carrier and made a team-high 18 tackles. A very busy performance from the number eight.
They’re out of the Champions Cup but Glasgow scored one of the tries of the season today
Here is the complete quarter-final line-up in the inaugural Champions Cup
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European Rugby Champions Cup dream team Leinster Munster Ulster