Leicester's Toby Flood did enough for us but was England manager Martin Johnson impressed? © Getty Images

With their European aspirations now shelved until December, the Premiership's finest returned to domestic duties this weekend with varying results. While some may have suffered a Heineken Cup hangover, others had something to prove - just a shame none of them were at Headingley on Friday night.

So who did make the grade for our latest Premiership Team of the Week?

15. Geordan Murphy (Leicester)

The Tigers' fullback saw more than his fair share of the ball due to the wind, rain and hail served up at Welford Road and quite literally rose to the challenge.

14. Topsy Ojo (London Irish)

A lively showing from the Exiles winger who notched up an impressive 88m with the ball in hand during a closely-fought clash with Exeter where space came at a premium.

13. Kameli Ratuvou (Saracens)

The Fijian centre celebrated his 100th appearance in Sarries' colours with a trademark power-packed performance that hammered the Newcastle defence.

12. James Downey (Northampton)

A key attacking weapon for the Saints who combined pace, strength and smart angles to great effect against Wasps.

11. Noah Cato (Saracens)

The fleet-footed Sarries winger lit up his side's narrow victory over Newcastle with a couple of blistering breaks.

10. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)

The Tigers' fly-half has not long been off the treatment table but you would not have known it had you witnessed his display against Bath at Welford Road. His performance was not perfect but his efforts in defence and attack will have been welcomed by England manager Martin Johnson.

9. Danny Care (Harlequins)

The Quins scrum-half obviously refuses to acknowledge that Leicester No.9 Ben Youngs is a dead cert to retain the England No.9 shirt. His lively showing against Gloucester included a 60m try after pouncing on a loose ball.

1. Soane Tonga'uiha (Northampton)

The prolific Tongan was amongst the tries again whilst making his presence felt against Wasps at Adams Park. He already has five tries to his name this season!

2. Dylan Hartley (Northampton)

The Saints skipper steered his side to one of the most impressive victories of the season so far against Wasps at Adams Park and marhsalled a rampant pack in the process.

3. Chris Budgen (Exeter Chiefs)

The veteran tight-head rolled back the years against London Irish to the delight of the Sandy Park faithful.

4. Courtney Lawes (Northampton)

Another appearance in our selection for the Saints lock who gleefully rampaged at Adams Park but was equally forceful in defence.

5. Christian Day (Northampton)

A pivotal player within a Saints pack that dominated Wasps at Adams Park - notably riding roughshod over Joe Simpson and taking a couple of other defenders with him for the ride.

6. Phil Dowson (Northampton)

The Saints flanker did his England chances no harm at all with an eye-catching display during his side's demolition of Wasps.

7. James Scaysbrook (Exeter)

The Chiefs' openside produced an industrious display that helped set the tone for a physical team showing that rattled league leaders London Irish.

8. Thomas Waldrom (Leicester)

Back-to-back Man of the Match awards for the strong running Kiwi ensure he cements his place in our line-up. He clocked up the metres with ball in hand - a vital component for the resurgent Tigers.

Leinster's Jonathan Sexton fills the No.10 shirt in our Team of the Round © Getty Images

The second round of this season's Heineken Cup came up trumps once again with a host of enthralling clashes and plenty of headline-grabbing individual performances. But who did enough to earn selection in our Team of the Round? Find out below...

15. Nick Abendanon (Bath)
The Bath fullback delivered a man of the match performance in his side's victory over Aironi with an all-action display in defence and attack. A game-breaking 91m with the ball in hand included the Premiership side's first try.

14. Doug Howlett (Munster)
The veteran Kiwi winger tormented the Toulon defence and racked up the metres with ball in hand but it was the class he showed in collecting Ronan O'Gara's cross kick and touching down for one of his two tries that nailed his selection.

13. Matt Smith (Leicester)
The often over-looked centre played his part in the Tiger's demolition of the Scarlets grabbing the last of their six tries. The stats reveal a priceless ability to break the gainline while shouldering his fair share of the defensive workload.

12. James Hook (Ospreys)
The ever-influential Hook did little to harm his market value - far from it. Not long back from injury, he was at creative best in conjuring a try for team-mate Tommy Bowe and although he failed to prevent London Irish's Sailosi Tagicakibau from powering over you have got to respect his effort and those attempts to tap-tackle the winger.

11. Shane Williams (Ospreys)
The 'Human Scalpel', as coined by Sky Sports commentator Mark Robson, conjured another outstanding individual score - this time against London Irish. The Welsh wing wizard chipped ahead before collecting his own kick and speeding away leaving the Exiles' defence in his wake. Yet another score for the show reel.

10. Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)
The resurgent Sexton saw off some stiff competition to claim the No.10 shirt in our latest selection thanks to a superb all-round display that included a try, six penalties and a conversion. A threat with the boot and with ball in hand, he steered his side to a priceless away victory at Wembley Stadium - red posts and all. One for the scrapbook.

9. Ben Youngs (Leicester)
The increasingly-assured No.9 set the tempo in a blistering 10-minute second-half spell that saw the Tigers blow the Scarlets away at Welford Road. A lively presence throughout, he is growing in confidence and his partnership with fly-half Toby Flood will have England boss Martin Johnson sleeping easy.

1. Wian du Preez (Munster)
The South African loose-head stood up to the challenge of Toulon's very own master craftsman - Carl Hayman - to help Munster lay down a very impressive marker in Limerick.

2. Rob Webber (Wasps)
Webber was at the heart of a largely-dominant Wasps pack against Glasgow at Adams Park. Clocked up an impressive 26m in the loose and conjured a couple of turnovers but a couple of penalties will mean a trip to Trevor Woodman's office this week.

3. Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester)
The Tigers' tight-head was his usual industrious self and sparked the home side's rally against the Scarlets - driving over for a try as he did last week. And as last week, he gets the nod in our team.

4. Ryan Jones (Ospreys)
A switch to the Ospreys' second row may not have been to his liking but you would not have known going by his action-packed performance. A formidable pairing with the equally impressive Alun-Wyn Jones helped the Ospreys dominate London Irish and get the region's euro hopes back on track.

5. Fraser McKenzie (Edinburgh)
The Edinburgh lock may have been on the losing side against Northampton but an eye-catching display earns him a place in our team. Some powerful running and link work kept the Saints defence busy and he also racked up 11 tackles and four lineout claims.

6. Tom Croft (Leicester)
Two tries brought the Welford Road crowd to their feet and underlined the versatile flanker's enviable work-rate. A significant threat in the loose he took the game to the Scarlets but was also a key player as part of a dominant Tigers pack and lineout.

7. Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse)
The Toulouse skipper livened up a kick-fest at Rodney Parade with the opening try of the game that heaped woe on the hapless Dragons and kept the defending champions on course for back-to-back victories that leave them on top of Pool 6.

8. Thomas Waldrom (Leicester)
Waldrom delivered his latest man of the match performance in the Tigers' romp against the Scarlets. He racked up an impressive 84m with the ball in hand, a clean break, a couple of off-loads and two turnovers but just four tackles - something to improve on then Thomas?

Rod Macqueen welcomes Cipriani to Melbourne - sadly no. The headline-grabbing fly-half poses with designer Giorgio Armani in London earlier this month © Getty Images

'Coming Soon' promises Danny Cipriani's website - an apparent work-in-progress that goes a long way to summing up the elusive 22-year-old's current status in the game.

The England outcast took a major gamble earlier this year by opting for a move to Australia as the first and arguably most high-profile signing by expansion side the Melbourne Rebels. The trouble is he has yet to clock in with his new employers while his team-mates have already knuckled down to the rigours of pre-season and the equally important task of fostering new links with the community and sponsors in a region previously untouched by Super Rugby.

The trouble with Cipriani is exactly that - trouble appears to be plaguing his bid to return to the top of the game. His undoubted talent laid the foundation for his rapid rise to prominence but his reported attitude has seen him make as many enemies as fans in that time - most notably within the England management.

If he intends to use his stint in Australia as the springboard back into the international set-up then it would make sense to have the Rebels on-side but Cipriani is seemingly intent on burning bridges before they have been built with coach Rod Macqueen and his new team-mates.

Cipriani's continued dalliance with football had his coach fielding calls on the player's commitment to the Rebels earlier this summer and heightened speculation that he wanted out of his reported £175,000 (A$300,000) a season contract. But having explained that one away - at least twice - his pre-season no-show will have had Macqueen reaching for the Nurofen again. And let us not forget the rest of the Rebels - forced to watch this circus while sweating out the excesses of the off-season and glad-handing for the corporate dollar.

Cipriani strikes you as an intelligent man and his public school education would suggest that so it makes you wonder why he failed to complete his visa application in the six months between the announcement of his move in February and the start of pre-season in October. But let's him the benefit of the doubt and assume he has been a little busy and the break-up of a long-term relationship can spark some erratic behaviour. The focus then falls on his management - the Sports PR Company - but perhaps they are finding the player equally elusive? Either way someone has dropped the ball and it has landed in the brown stuff.

Cipriani may have been out of action since injury curtailed his final season with Premiership side Wasps earlier this year but he has hardly been out of the public eye since be it London Fashion Week or on the arm of his now ex-girlfriend Kelly Brook. A quick search through the archives of our photo supplier Getty Images emphasises this fact with the 50+ pictures from the Cipriani social calendar that appear before we see him in rugby kit leaving you wondering what it is he is famous for.

But the wait is over. He is due to arrive in Australia today but if he thought playing his trade on the other side of the world would save him from the media spotlight think again. The media pack may not be present at the impressive AAMI Stadium for his debut next year with their focus on an all-important Six Nations but rest assured they will ensure that their Sky Sports subscriptions are up-to-date.

Before then we can expect Cipriani to still hit the headlines thanks to stories like this recent broadside aimed at the Rugby Football Union and the faith of others - like Jonny Wilkinson.

Even if Cipriani tears up the Super Rugby stage it is highly unlikely that he will force his way back into the international reckoning unless England manager Martin Johnson has a major change of heart - such is the frosty nature of their relationship. And if Cipriani is serious about making amends he needs the support of those around him at his new home which makes his behaviour all the more baffling. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot.

"We have stressed that this new team is not about individuals and opportunities for individuals," stressed Macqueen this week following a team-bonding session. "It is about a cohesive squad performing together. When the team is successful they will be successful. The players grasped the concept and the team ethos we wanted to create and have now taken ownership of it."

Sadly, Cipriani was not present. Let's hope he got the memo.

Maybe he likes it this way and thrives on the chance to prove himself when others are all too keen to write him off? But he should remember that this is a team game and reaching that goal will be a lot easier with a little help. Let's hope his work ethic and commitment to the Rebels' cause leaves them in no doubt from this moment on as no-one likes to see a talent such as his sit idle.

Stephen Jones starts at fly-half in our Team of the Round © Getty Images

The first round of the Heineken Cup produced the usual level of thrills and spills, with a couple of performances to savour, but who has made the cut for our first Team of the Round?

15. Rob Kearney (Leinster)
The Leinster fullback rounded off a brilliant try in his side’s 38-22 win over Racing Metro and commanded the air at the RDS – showing flashes of his aggressive best in disrupting Racing at the restart and keeping the pace up with a series of raids from deep.

14. Topsy Ojo (London Irish)
The former England winger scored the decisive try against Munster at the Madejski – racing in from halfway off a predatory interception. He’s scoring for fun at the moment.

13. Casey Laulala (Cardiff Blues)
The Blues have bags of quality in the backs but you wouldn’t have known it as they spluttered past Edinburgh on Saturday. Laulala was a rare shining light, creating space whenever he was granted possession by the conservative Dan Parks and scoring what was to be their winning try.

12. Seilala Mapusua (London Irish)
The Samoan centre picked up the Man of the Match award in Reading following a towering defensive display. We all know what he can do with ball in hand but it was his industrious work in shutting down Munster that garnered plaudits on this occasion.

11. Shane Williams (Ospreys)
The Ospreys’ pocket dynamo went close to securing the spoils against Toulon at the Stade Mayol, but his moment of individual skill for their only try of the game proved to be mere consolation as the home side bit back late on.

10. Stephen Jones (Scarlets)
The Wales fly-half finished his side’s thrilling win over Perpignan with 28 points including their bonus-point try. Always a cool head, he offered plenty of playmaking nous as the West Wales team carved their French rivals apart. Honourable mentions go to London Irish’s Ryan Lamb, Toulon’s Jonny Wilkinson and Wasps' Dave Walder.

9. Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz)
He may not be the most exciting scrum-half in the game but without Yachvili Biarritz would not have beaten Bath. He kicked his goals and showed plenty of patience and nerve - something that eluded his opponents.

1.Nathan Catt (Bath)
Bath may have shown a distinct lack of maturity in failing to find a way past Biarritz, but the young loose-head prop was among the few players to make a positive impact. He was a handful in the loose and more than held his own in the scrum against Campbell Johnstone.

2. William Servat (Toulouse)
The France hooker was at his burrowing best against London Wasps as he consistently made hard yards around the fringes in the driving rain at the Stade Municipal. While Wasps’ lineout disintegrated in the conditions Servat’s throwing was reliable enough.

3. Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester)
Leicester’s Italian tight-head prop produced a Man-of-the-Match performance, which included a try, as the Tigers snatched victory in Treviso. Castrogiovanni was a force around the field and he crashed over the line early in the second half.

4. Bob Casey (London Irish)
Alongside fellow lock Nick Kennedy, Casey laid a platform for London Irish’s victory over Munster. The Dublin-born second-row was solid on Irish’s own throw and stole a couple of crucial lineouts against his countrymen.

5. Joe Tekori (Castres)
The Samoan second-row ignited hopes of a Castres victory against Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night with a wonderful pick up at the side of a ruck for a try - a great moment of skill from the big man.

6. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon)
Toulon successfully shut down the Ospreys' attack and their attempts to put pace on the ball, thanks in no small measure to the influence of the French side’s ubiquitous back-row. The 28-year-old was everywhere; tackling around the fringes, turning ball over and consistently taking the ball forward.

7. George Smith (Toulon)
Like Fernandez Lobbe, the former Australia captain was integral to stifling the Ospreys’ attacking intention. But he also had a significant impact with ball in hand; showing some soft touches throughout and playing a central role in Paul Sackey’s late try.

8. David Lyons (Scarlets)
The 30-year-old Australian gave the Scarlets the all-important momentum with a number of barracking runs and some adept offloading. He consistently made big yards, which allowed the backs to reap the rewards of front-foot possession against Perpignan.

Saracens' Schalk Brits delivered yet another eye-catching display against Leicester © Getty Images

The weather did its best to ruin the latest round of the Aviva Premiership as a spectacle but we're glad to report that the clubs rose to the challenge of Mother Nature to ensure the league ended on a high note before the start of the European hostilities next weekend.

But which players did enough to earn selection in our latest Premiership Team of the Week?

15. Chris Wyles (Saracens)

The US Eagles fullback has been quietly effective in recent weeks but another good display against Leicester and a growing number of plaudits will ensure he soon emerges from the shadows.

14. Scott Hamilton (Leicester Tigers)

The Kiwi wing/fullback is so often a reassuring and inspirational presence in the Tigers' backline as was the case against Saracens at Vicarage Road.

13. Mike Tindall (Gloucester)

A vintage display from the veteran centre helped the Cherry and Whites score a rare victory over Bath at The Rec. Stung into action by the selection axe the previous weekend, he was a thorn in Bath's side throughout with an excellent all-round display.

12. Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu (Gloucester)

The former Bath centre returned to haunt his previous employers with an influential display at The Rec. An elusive runner and pivotal link-man, he was more than a handful and showed great hands to put Lesley Vainikolo in for a try.

11. Sailosi Tagicakibau (London Irish)

The Samoan came off the bench for the league-leading Exiles and grabbed to two tries to help cement his side's place at the top of the table.

10. Ryan Lamb (London Irish)

The Exiles' No.10 bagged four penalties and three conversions in his side's romp against Leeds but it was the finer details of his performance that suggested the 24-year-old has finally settled in at Irish with more improvement to come.

9. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)

Recalled to the Sarries line-up for the clash with the Tigers, the scrum-half rewarded his coach with a high-energy display that gave his side direction and brought him his first try of the season.

1. Joe Marler (Harlequins)

The rising star retains his place in our line-up after a Man-of-the-Match display in Quins' victory over Newcastle. Equally impressive at scrum time and in the loose, it is just a shame that Quins' plans to limit the 20-year-old's work load will slash our chances to see him in action.

2. Schalk Brits (Saracens)

Hailed as one of the best players in the world by ESPN analyst Austin Healey, the fleet-footed South African hooker delivered another outstanding display in his side's victory over Leicester. A seemingly ever-present force in defence and attack, he grabbed a try and was only thwarted when knocked unconscious by the Tigers' defence.

3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)

The Tigers' tight-head issued a reminder of his class by handing out a scrummaging lesson to Saracens rival Deon Carstens - with a little help from his friends.

4. Nick Kennedy (London Irish)

Back in the Exiles line-up, the lock was a towering presence and generated some impressive stats - 10 tackles, four lineout wins, one clean break and 30 metres gained.

5. Tomas Vallejos-Cinalli (Harlequins)

The Argentine lock gobbled up an impressive 20m on the hoof and five tackles as Quins out-muscled Newcastle at the Twickenham Stoop.

6. Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester)

Along with back-row colleagues Andrew Hazell and Brett Deacon, Scotland international Strokosch helped inflict more Friday Night Lights woe on Bath at The Rec. A momentum-robbing total of 13 tackles in the game.

7. Jacques Burger (Saracens)

Arguably the player of the season so far, Burger has made the most tackles in the Premiership this season and extended his tally with a game-leading 12 against Leicester at Vicarage Road.

8. Nick Easter (Harlequins)

The England international may not have the Quins captaincy but continues to lead by example. Another industrious display will enjoy the review of his side's victory over Newcastle having racked up 15 tackles, one clean break, two defenders beaten, two turnover and four lineout wins with one penalty blotting his copybook.