There were some impressive performances over the second weekend of club rugby – here is who furthered their cause to start for the Lions next year.

GOING UP

Tommy Seymour
What is the best way to get yourself into the newly appointed coach’s thinking? Score four tries. And that is exactly what Tommy Seymour did in Glasgow’s very impressive win over Leinster. The third was the pick of the bunch as he showcased quick thinking and impressive feet to slip through the middle of the Leinster team and score. The fourth was also a good ‘un as Seymour picked an excellent line of the shoulder of Henry Pyrgos. Seymour really is in a rich vein of form at the moment (with six tries in two games); expect him on the plane and pushing for a starting jersey if he keeps this up.

George Ford
When the opposition coach, and the notoriously surly Dean Richards no less (hardly a man to shower praise on players at the best of times), says someone was ‘by far the best player on the field. He was outstanding’, you know he had a good game. And Ford did – scoring 18 points, including another drop goal, in an all-round brilliant performance as he pulled the strings in an eight-try dismantling of Newcastle. Ford didn’t have the best of seasons last year, but judging on the first two games of the season he is responding to whatever Blackadder is feeding him with interest. Keep it up George.

Semesa Rokoduguni
Another Bath player to impress, Roko score an excellent brace, which arguably should have been a hat-trick given Bath’s early penalty try came from him ghosting through three tackles and chipping ahead, only to be denied by Vereniki Goneva’s rogue hand. His salmon-like leap over a player to score for his second was first-class finishing. Rokoduguni may only have a solitary cap to his name but he surely must be in Eddie Jones’ thinking for the Autumn tests.

Rhys Webb
Amidst all this sunshine and on the hard ground the backs are unsurprisingly stealing the headlines, and another guy to bag a brace this weekend was Rhys Webb ? the first try in particular demonstrated surprising strength as he drove over from close range. His rival, Gareth Davies, put in a strong performance last week and this was a great way for Webb to respond. His game management, and interestingly, while wearing the captain’s armband, was also exemplary.

GOING DOWN

Ellis Genge
A player in the ‘going up’ column last week, Genge finds himself at the other end thanks to his yellow card for taking a man out in the air. It was unnecessary and after a strong fightback by Leicester his yellow marked the start of a(nother) period of Wasps dominance, possibly what cost Tigers the match. Genge is a bristling and combative player, but he needs to watch he doesn’t get a reputation for the wrong kind of aggression. This is exactly the kind of thing which will make international coaches think he is a liability.

Matt Kvesic
With Haskell out, the England seven shirt is suddenly up for grabs. However, what you do not do, Matt Kvesic, is butcher an overlap which would have won your side the game. The margins are very fine at the top and this kind of decision making is what separates the very best from the just good.

Who caught your eye this weekend? Likewise, who had a match to forget? Let us know below.

By Henry Ker

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images