Bok duo in Euro Team of the Week

Two Springboks and a South African Premiership star are among the players selected for a data-powered Opta European Club Rugby Team of the Week.

Thirteen different teams across the Premiership, Top 14 and Vodacom URC are represented within the Team of the Week selected based on Opta Stats.

Edwill van der Merwe, who marked a return from injury with a brace of tries in the Lions’ thrashing of Edinburgh at Ellis Park, is one of two Springboks and three South African players to make the team.

Van der Merwe added a try assist to his match stats and, according to Opta, it is the third time he has both scored and assisted a try in a Vodacom URC match.

Elrigh Louw is the other Bok representative in the team, as the Vodacom Bulls co-captain produced a powerful performance against Ulster at Loftus Versfeld. Louw made a team-high four successful carries and beat four defenders, scoring a 77th-minute try to wrap up a 47-21 bonus-point win.

Meanwhile, Bristol centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg also made the cut, after his try-scoring performance in the Bears’ away win against last season’s Premiership finalists Bath.

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images