Champions Cup Team Of The Tournament

Who makes it into our Champions Cup team of the tournament? Take a look here

Champions Cup Team Of The Tournament

Champions Cup Team Of The Tournament

The 2018-19 Champions Cup tournament has been completed and Saracens emerged victorious thanks to a stunning victory over Leinster in the final hosted in Newcastle.

Related: Saracens crowned European champions

It was a fantastic and hard-fought tournament so to celebrate this we have put together our ideal XV for the event.

Champions Cup Team of the Tournament

As you would expect several Saracens and Leinster players have made it into out team of the tournament. But by no means is every position filled by a player from the English or Irish sides…

1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens)

Mako’s consistently high level of scrummaging, carrying and work-rate gets him the nod in our XV. Special mentions should go to Cian Healy and Pierre Schoeman.

2. Sean Cronin (Leinster)

Jamie George was excellent throughout the tournament but Cronin is picked here thanks to his try tally, with his six touchdowns making him the joint top try-scorer alongside Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale.

3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)

On the face of it he didn’t appear as effective as last season but that just shows how high he has set the bar for himself. Unquestionably the top dog at tighthead, Furlong’s selection should surprise no one.

Stat stuffer: Ryan’s work-rate always sees him at the top of leaderboards (Getty Images)

4. James Ryan (Leinster)

Leinster and Ireland have found an absolute gem in Ryan. He regularly tops statistics in tackles and carries, and the term workhorse only goes some way to describing how good this guy is.

5. Tadhg Beirne (Munster)

The sole representative from Munster in our XV, Beirne led the competition with 15 turnovers and consistently helped to alleviate pressure on their defence.

6. Maro Itoje (Saracens)

Solid in every position he has been required to play in, we selected Itoje in the back row because of the work of Beirne and Ryan. That isn’t to say he doesn’t warrant his selection, though, because the England man raised his game to help his side win the title.

Tight Contest: Watson beat out several other flankers to make it into our team (Getty Images)

7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh)

Watson was vital to Edinburgh’s Champions Cup success this year. His tireless work as a ball-carrier and in defence differentiated him from Francois Louw, Jackson Wray and Rynhardt Elstadt.

8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens)

Vunipola has proved himself to be the premier No 8 in the competition, especially during the knockout rounds. His powerful semi-final and final performances are of particular note.

9. Antoine Dupont (Toulouse)

It is shocking to think Dupont is only 22 years old but his meteoric rise has seen him become one of the most incisive scrum-halves in the world. He has also shown his ability in the No 10 jersey a couple of times during the tournament.

10. Owen Farrell (Saracens)

Finn Russell and Danny Cipriani were both good during the tournament but Farrell is the beating heart of an immensely successful Saracens side.

Taking Flight: Liam Williams was imperious under the high ball (Getty Images)

11. Liam Williams (Saracens)

I cannot remember the last time the Welshman made a mistake on the wing or at full-back. He is brilliant in the air, always makes the correct decision and is more difficult to bring down than most expect. During the final his tackle and steal whilst Leinster were in the ascendency was a massive moment.

12. Brad Barritt (Saracens)

He may not be the most flamboyant back in the world but his leadership and physical play is always vital in giving Saracens key front-foot ball.

13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster)

Alex Lozowski was sublime in the final but we have gone for Ringrose here. Defensively he is arguably the best centre in the world and he offers key support in the back-line alongside Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw.

Lighting Footwork: Kolbe was one of the most exciting players throughout the tournament (getty Images)

14. Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse)

His evasive footwork and elusive running lit up the tournament. Several of the tries Toulouse scored owe themselves to his play.

15. Alex Goode (Saracens)

Once again he delivered in every single minute of Saracens successful campaign. He may not be in Eddie Jones’s thinking but he is undoubtedly one of the best full-backs in the world. He was named European Player of the Year to boot.

What do you make of our selections? Is there any who you think is missing and should have made it in? Let us know via our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.