Team of the week: The star players from Super League, the NRL and Championship
Warrington Wolves, Huddersfield Giants, Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity are all represented after the final round of Super League's regular season; Stars from the latest NRL play-offs and Championship matches feature too
Monday 20 September 2021 14:14, UK
We put together a combined XIII of the stand-out performers from the latest matches both on these shores and in Australia...
1. Tom Trbojevic (Manly Sea Eagles)
Two tries from the man nicknamed 'Tommy Turbo' helped the Sea Eagles through to the NRL play-off semi-finals as they defeated Sydney Roosters 42-6 on Friday.
Trbojevic provided an assist too, along with making 171 metres and 57 post-contact metres, and breaking the line three times. He gets in our team just ahead of Warrington Wolves full-back Matty Ashton, who scored a hat-trick in their win over Castleford Tigers.
2. Ken Sio (Salford Red Devils)
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Sio showed just why Salford are keen to tie him down to a new contract for 2022 onwards with two more tries in the 26-14 win over St Helens which took him to 19 for the season in Super League.
As well as his double, the winger carried for 199 metres with an average gain of just under 10 metres per carry and broke three tackles.
3. Jake Mamo (Warrington Wolves)
The centre gave future employers Castleford a glimpse of what they can expect from him next year as Warrington headed into the Super League play-offs on the back of a 40-24 win at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle.
Mamo grabbed two tries for the visitors and came up with an assist. He also carried for 195 metres with an average gain of 12 metres, made one clean break and broke two tackles.
4. Ricky Leutele (Huddersfield Giants)
The former Samoa international helped the Giants end the Super League season on a high as they triumphed 42-24 at home to Leigh Centurions on Sunday.
Leutele scored a try and set up two others, along with carrying for 92 metres with an average gain of around 13 metres and breaking five tackles.
5. Jy Hitchcox (Toulouse Olympique)
The French side warmed up for the Championship play-offs with an 82-12 win over Newcastle Thunder and Hitchcox played a big part in that.
The former Wests Tigers and Castleford winger ran in four tries for Toulouse to cap a memorable day which also saw them presented with the competition's League Leaders' Shield.
6. Louis Jouffret (Whitehaven)
French half-back Jouffret was at the centre of things for Haven as the Cumbrians fought back to record a first win at Odsal since 1964 and book a place in the Championship play-offs.
Jouffred ran in two tries for the visitors and assisted another with a kick as they triumphed 36-22 over another of the promotion hopefuls, Bradford Bulls.
7. Mason Lino (Wakefield Trinity)
The scrum-half has enjoyed a strong first season in a Wakefield shirt and underlined his goal-kicking prowess by setting a new record in the 44-12 win at home to Hull FC.
Lino landed his 36th consecutive conversion to break the previous best mark in both Super League and the NRL, as well as setting up several of Trinity's tries in the victory.
8. Robbie Mulhern (Warrington Wolves)
The prop made an important contribution off the interchange bench as the Wolves ended Castleford's hopes of qualifying for this year's Super League play-offs.
Mulhern was on hand to provide a try-assist, as well as making some inroads with the ball in hand by carrying for 118 metres with an average gain of around nine metres.
9. Kruise Leeming (Leeds Rhinos)
Leeming's influence on the Leeds team was again underlined by his performance as the Rhinos triumphed 36-12 over fellow play-off contenders Hull Kingston Rovers in the final round of Super League's regular season.
The hooker provided three try-assists in the win at Emerald Headingley before making way for Brad Dwyer on 52 minutes, as well as carrying for 78 metres with an average gain of around eight metres and breaking three tackles.
10. James Fisher-Harris (Penrith Panthers)
The New Zealand international put in a big shift in both attack and defence as Penrith set up a rematch of last year's NRL Grand Final against Melbourne Storm in this Saturday's semi-final.
Prop Fisher-Harris carried for 103 metres, but also came up with a team-highest 44 tackles in defence as the Panthers held off Parramatta Eels 8-6 over the weekend.
11. Kelepi Tanginoa (Wakefield Trinity)
Tanginoa continued his recent impressive form for Wakefield by helping them end the 2021 campaign on a high at home to Hull FC.
The second row ran in two tries for the home side to cap a strong display in the pack.
12. James McDonnell (Wigan Warriors)
The 21-year-old enjoyed a memorable first appearance at the DW Stadium for Wigan's senior team as they defeated table-toppers Catalans Dragons on Friday.
Second row McDonnell capped the match with a fine try after a powerful run which helped secure a 12-8 win for last year's Super League Grand Final runners-up heading into the play-offs.
13. Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos)
A strong performance from Smith in both attack and defence helped the Rhinos to victory over Hull KR and set up a trip to Wigan Warriors in the elimination play-offs.
The loose forward carried for 111 metres with an average gain of around seven metres, breaking one tackle. On the defensive side, the 22-year-old led the way with 48 tackles.