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Just one more round of matches remains in the regular season of the Guinness Pro12, with one play-off spot up for grabs and Champions Cup qualification issues still to be resolved.

But we've seen enough to make a judgement on the stand-out players in the competition this season.

Based on appearances and form, here's our elite XV of the campaign....

15. Rhys Patchell (Cardiff Blues)

The criteria I have used in picking this team is players must have made 10 league appearances this season, which is the same as applies to the selection of the official Pro12 Dream Team, which will be announced on Sunday.

So that rules out Player of the Six Nations Stuart Hogg who has sparkled so brightly during Glasgow’s spring surge and opens the way for the Pro12’s top points scorer.

Rhys Patchell’s future with the Scarlets lies at fly-half, but it’s at full-back he’s made the majority of his 19 league starts for the Blues this term and he has been outstanding there, with his ability to act as a second playmaker and enter the line at pace, crossing for six tries as part of his 174 point haul.

Read more:Will these key Wales players actually be fit to face New Zealand next month?

14. Matt Healy (Connacht)

(Image: Getty Images)

The uncapped Dubliner was called into the Ireland training squad last month and deservedly so because he has been on fire, topping the league try count with nine touchdowns, including the score against Zebre that is on the shortlist for Pro12 try of the season.

He’s so quick, so elusive and has got great feet. The Connacht flier is just a joy to watch.

An honourable mention too for young Edinburgh wing Damien Hoyland who has had such an impressive first full season in senior rugby, crossing eight times to leave him just one behind Healy, while Isa Nacewa has rolled back the years at Leinster.

Read more:The 21 Six Nations stars who could be missing when Wales play England this month

13. Bundee Aki (Connacht)

If I had to pick my Pro12 player of the season, it would be this remarkable Kiwi centre.

Born in Auckland and of Pacific Island descent, Aki has proved a superb acquisition for Connacht since arriving from the Chiefs in 2014, really coming into his own this season.

Such an influence and such an inspiration, he has the explosive edge to pierce defences and the pace to surge away on searing breaks, but also the dexterity to deliver exquisite offloads to send team-mates on their way.

He has also totally embraced the Connacht culture and wears his heart on his green sleeve. A nod too to Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey.

Read more:Leicester City's title triumph: How following in the footsteps of the Wales rugby team helped the fairytale come true

12. Ben Te'o (Leinster)

It’s little surprise that Ben Te’o is on Eddie Jones’ radar as he is an immense physical presence in midfield.

Like Aki, he is Auckland-born, but he qualifies for England through his mother and will be joining Worcester next season, so there is no eligibility issue.

He will be a big loss for Leinster, because he is such a handful with his ball-carrying power and the abrasive edge he brings from his seven years in rugby league, prior to converting to Union in 2014.

Other centres to catch the eye this season include Ulster’s Luke Marshall, while Welsh-based Kiwis Hadleigh Parkes and Rey Lee Lo have also shone.

Read more:The young Welsh outside-half yet to commit to Wales who's masterminding Bristol RFC's surge to the Aviva Premiership

11. Craig Gilroy (Ulster)

(Image: Action Images)

Second only to Rhys Webb in the Pro12 try chart last season, he finds himself in the same spot this term with one round of matches to go, lying just behind Matt Healy with eight touchdowns.

His superb side-stepping score against Treviso in October is my personal pick for try of the season and sums up his electric attacking threat, as he receives the ball in his own half and dances around three defenders before blistering away to the line.

It remains a mystery why he hasn’t had more of a chance with Ireland, winning just six caps since making his debut in 2012, because he has a real X-Factor.

Read more:These are the 28 young Wales rugby stars of the near future who carry the nation's hopes at the Junior World Cup

10. Paddy Jackson (Ulster)

(Image: Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

This was a real tight one. I found myself torn between Jackson and Sam Davies, who has had such a fine season for the Ospreys, having added a genuine running threat to his exceptional kicking game and getting the chance to prove it with Dan Biggar away on Test duty.

I almost went for the Welshman, who has figured in every single Pro12 match for his region this season and accumulated 152 points, placing him second only to Patchell.

But in the end, I went for Jackson, who has has been such a pivotal figure for the Ulstermen, with his 18-point match-winning display against Leinster last weekend just tipping the balance.

9. Kieran Marmion (Connacht)

(Image: REMY GABALDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Now, to my mind, Rhys Webb is the best scrum-half in Britain and the front-runner to be the Lions Test No 9 next year, but injury has limited him to just seven Pro12 outings this term, albeit seven hugely impressive ones. So, instead, I’ve gone for Marmion, who has made 18 appearances for Connacht and played a key role in their rise to the giddy heights of the play-offs.

It also provides another Welsh representative, of a sort, given he was raised in Brecon and was a university student in Cardiff. He was actually born in Barking, Essex to Irish parents, his father being the former Saracens centre Mick Marmion. A real livewire, he now has five caps for Ireland to his name.

1. Rob Evans (Scarlets)

Another really close call. There was a strong case for going for Leinster’s Jack McGrath, who has developed into a top class loose-head prop and established himself as Ireland’s first choice, with his huge all-round work-rate.

But I’ve gone for Evans, who has had a real breakthrough season, shining for both club and country.

We’ve always known about his ball-carrying contribution, but over the past 12 months he has really moved up a gear with his scrummaging, so much so that he was a dominant presence in the Six Nations, more than justifying his surprise selection, while he has been a real mainstay for the play-off chasing Scarlets.

2. Fraser Brown (Glasgow)

This Edinburgh-born hooker is a converted back rower and that’s evident from the impact he makes around the field.

Foot surgery meant he only made his first league appearance of the season for Glasgow in their last game of 2015, but since returning to action he’s been outstanding.

He’s like another openside with his nuisance value at the breakdown and he’s also a strong scrummager, while he is set to make his tenth Pro12 outing of the campaign this weekend, which squeezes him on board.

Others to hook with distinction include Connacht’s Tom McCartney, Scarlets stalwart Ken Owen and Ulster duo Rory Best and Rob Herring.

3. Finlay Bealham (Connacht)

Bealham grew up in Canberra and started out in rugby league before switching to union as a teenager and being selected for the Australian schools side.

But when he failed to win a spot in the Brumbies academy, he moved to Ireland and it’s been a very judicious career move.

He initially played in his grandmother’s native province of Ulster with the amateur Belfast Harlequins before joining Connacht where he has gone from strength to strength, anchoring the scrum and playing in every Pro12 game this term.

Just gets my nod ahead of Edinburgh’s WP Nel for his season-long contribution.

4. Ross Moloney (Leinster)

(Image: Huw Evans Agency)

Had never started a Pro12 game before this season and is still technically in the Academy, but this 21-year-old has really burst onto the scene in impressive fashion, grabbing his chance in the absence of the internationals.

At 6ft 6ins and 16st 12lbs, he has the raw ingredients and he is only going to grow in stature.

The conventional wisdom is that locks only start to mature physically by their late 20s, but the University College Dublin man is already more than holding his own in the lineout jungle and in the tight exchanges.

A big mention too for a big fella in the shape of Scarlets powerhouse Jake Ball.

5. Ultan Dillane (Connacht)

You don’t see players like Dillane come along too often. This kid has the lot.

It’s a long time since I’ve seen a young second row carrying the ball with such dynamism and intent, while he has the skill to go with that physicality and a great work-ethic too.

The 22-year-old has an interesting background, being born in Paris to an Irish mother and an Ivory Coast father, moving to Ireland at seven and settling in Tralee.

He also has a very interesting and exciting future ahead of him. A word too for his Grenoble-bound Connacht boilerhouse mate Aly Muldowney, Glasgow's Leone Nakarawa and Ulster’s Alan O’Connor.

6. CJ Stander (Munster)

Sometimes players struggle to live up to the reputation they establish at club level when they make the step up to Test rugby.

And sometimes their club focus can drift a little once they have made it on the international stage.

But neither accusation could be levelled at the South African-born Stander.

Having qualified on residency and earned his Irish call-up on the back of his provincial form, he proved one of the players of the Six Nations and had remained just an influential for Munster on his return to them.

Leinster’s Rhys Ruddock can also take great pride, as can his father, in the season he has had.

7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster)

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My young player of the season in the Pro12. Only had two league starts to his name going into the campaign, but what an impact he has made.

Despite what his name might suggest, he was born, bred and schooled in Dublin. The name is a headline-writer’s dream, with the likes of “Josh off to a flier” and “High-flier Josh” doing the rounds, while it’s also appropriate for an openside who flies around the park.

But it’s actually pronounced “Fleer” with his Dutch grandparents having moved to Finglas some sixty years ago. Their arrival has proved Ireland’s gain.

On the subject of young opensides, a mention too for the Welsh-based trio of Ellis Jenkins, James Davies and Sam Underhill.

8. Cornel Du Preez (Edinburgh)

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

I could have gone for Stander at No 8, such is his versatility, while the Cardiff-Blues bound Nick Williams has had an excellent final season with Ulster, demonstrating the carrying and off-loading which is likely to make him a real Arms Park favourite.

But I’ve opted for the Port Elizabeth-born Du Preez, who, like Stander, has made a big mark on the Pro12 since arriving from South Africa.

So tenacious, so strong, sets up so many scores and has been just indestructible this season, playing in every one of Edinburgh’s 21 league games. Eligible for Scotland from October of this year.