Now that the dust has settled on Round One of the Champions Cup, we’ve gone through the action to pick the best players from the opening games.

Unsurprisingly it is Leinster who top the representatives with four players included, while Cardiff Blues are next on three after their fine win.

So without further ado, here’s our selection.

Champions Cup: Team of Round One

15 Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues): A pivotal figure in the Blues’ impressive start to their European campaign as his guidance from full-back and lethal running was crucial. Anscombe scored a wonderful solo try and finished with a personal haul of 20 points, throwing in over 100 running metres in the 15 jersey. While he sees his international future at 10, showings such as this at full-back are hard to ignore.

14 Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse): That double step at the Recreation Ground wasn’t of this world as Bath‘s would-be tacklers were left clutching nothing but air. The Springbok is oozing confidence right now and sees off Semesa Rokoduguni to this shirt. Kolbe beat eight defenders on Saturday and those aforementioned steps set up one of his team’s tries as he again showed how deadly he is with ball in hand.

13 Sofiane Guitoune (Toulouse): Not too many 13s put their hand up over the weekend but Guitoune can be proud of his efforts in Toulouse’s win at Bath. He finished with two well-taken scores that showed his running threat. Will Addison deserves a mention as he continues to make a name for himself at new side Ulster.

12 Robbie Henshaw (Leinster): Enjoyed an ideal day at the office due in part to the front-foot ball Leinster enjoyed. The Ireland centre forms such a well-balanced midfield partnership with Garry Ringrose and sees off Stuart McCloskey, whose pass to set up Jacob Stockdale was excellent, and Newcastle‘s Johnny Williams. Henshaw finished with one try, two assists and 85 metres from his 19 hit-ups.

11 James Lowe (Leinster): Probably the showing of the round. Are New Zealand regretting not blooding him in an All Black jersey? Lowe was electric once again on Friday as his smart running and eagerness to drive his side on is infectious. He gets in ahead of Toulouse’s Maxime Medard, who scored one try and stopped one from Freddie Burns, and busy Falcons wing Sinoti Sinoti. Lowe though was another level.

10 Joel Hodgson (Newcastle): A 14-point showing from the Falcons playmaker as he shone at Stade Mayol. Leinster’s Jonathan Sexton set the bar incredibly high on Friday when he helped orchestrate much of what was good about his team’s win, while Gloucester 10 Danny Cipriani also impressed with his effort on Sunday. But we had to plump for Hodgson, whose turn of pace makes him a joy to watch at times.

9 Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues): An outstanding game from Williams as he was everywhere for the Welsh side in Lyon. He finished with a try, assist and 71 metres as the French outfit could not live with the threat he posed. To nudge out two-try Leinster scrum-half Luke McGrath was going to take some doing but this livewire performance did just that. Duncan Williams and Michael Young also impressed.

8 Bill Mata (Edinburgh): The big Fijian was superb in a losing cause against Montpellier and was one of the main reasons the Scottish outfit ran their French hosts close. Mata was Edinburgh’s go-to-man with ball in hand and finished with 45 metres gained from 20 carries with four defenders beaten and he also managed two offloads. Gloucester’s Ben Morgan and Matt Kvesic of Exeter Chiefs also caught the eye.

7 Ellis Jenkins (Cardiff Blues): The Welsh region’s skipper was superb at close quarters in his side’s victory over Lyon at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland. Jenkins did his bit as a ball carrier, gaining 41 metres from four runs which included one clean break, but also put his body on the line on defence and finished with 11 hits.

6 Maro Itoje (Saracens): Sarries were made to work hard for their win at Glasgow Warriors and Itoje was at the forefront of the Premiership outfit’s effort with a fine all-round performance. Itoje carried well and eventually gained 48 metres from 10 carries with one clean break and three defenders beaten. He also shone on defence with 13 tacles. Beats out Munster’s Peter O’Mahony and Cardiff Blues’ Olly Robinson.

5 Tadhg Beirne (Munster): His arrival from Scarlets in the off-season was always going to give Munster a significant boost to their pack. His athletism and skills combined with his physicality in the tight make him a unique talent and he was superb against Exeter – one of the toughest packs in Europe. Beirne made an impressive 16 carries and 13 tackles as Munster picked up a handy draw at Sandy Park.

4 James Ryan (Leinster): The 22-year-old played with a maturity beyond his years in his side’s one-sided win over Wasps. The Ireland international was busy on attack, gaining 33 metres from 14 carries which included one clean break, two defenders beaten and also made an offload. He also did well in the line-outs and impressed on defence with nine hits. Alan O’Connor of Ulster also played well.

3 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster): Arguably the best tighthead prop in the world, the Ireland and Lions stalwart came to the fore with a superb showing in the Irish province’s demolition of Wasps. As usual, Furlong was solid in the scrums but he also impressed as a ball carrier, especially at close quarters, and finished with 23 metres gained from 12 carries with a clean break and an offload to boot.

2 Jody Jenneker (Castres): The South African hooker finished on the losing side against Gloucester at Kingsholm but was one of the French club’s standout performers. Impressed with his line-out throw-ins as well as his other core duties and also caught the eye with his defensive work making 11 tackles. Comes in ahead of Saracens’ Jamie George, Sean Cronin of Leinster and Exeter Chiefs’ Luke Cowan-Dickie.

1 Tudor Stroe (Castres): Castres’ pack stood up well in the tight exchanges against Gloucester and like his front-row partner Jenneker, Stroe gets the nod after a fine effort at the coalface of his side’s forward effort. He scrummed well and was a willing ball carrier but made his biggest impact on defence and finished with a team-high 17 hits.