The thrills and spills of Guinness PRO14 rugby continued into the new year and there were plenty of players who stood out to make it an opening weekend of 2020 to remember.

Leinster made it ten wins from ten at the top of Conference A to equal their Guinness PRO14 record, while there were victories elsewhere for Ulster, Edinburgh, Scarlets, Zebre, Glasgow Warriors and Dragons.

But while seven teams conquered there was no shortage of individual brilliance across the Round 10 matches, so here are your Guinness PRO14 heroes of the weekend.

Rampaging Ruddock leads from the front

Leinster were one of the main beneficiaries of the weekend with a 54-7 win over Connacht and captain Rhys Ruddock was a key protagonist, setting the tone for his side with a brilliant performance in the back row.

The No.6 racked up an impressive 19 carries and made 24 crunching tackles, keeping Connacht at bay while watching his teammates clinically complete the try-scoring duties further up the pitch.

McCloskey makes it miserable for Munster

It was a stunning team performance from Dan McFarland’s Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium as they brushed aside Munster 38-17, but centre Stuart McCloskey was the standout star following his second-half try, and not for the first time this season.

The 27-year-old delivered a complete performance in both attack and defence, representing a key cog in McFarland’s Ulster machine as they maintained pressure on Leinster at the top of Conference A.

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↳📂 @JacobStockdale scoring an intercept try pic.twitter.com/0rbPPXBWo1
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) January 4, 2020

Ratuva frustrates Blues in Cardiff

Scarlets were jubilant after their close-fought 16-14 win over Cardiff Blues in the Welsh capital, and look no further than second-row Tevita Ratuva for the visitors’ most impressive performer.

The 24-year-old showed a potent combination of both Fijian flair and defensive solidity, gaining 19 metres for his team and making nine tackles to help Brad Mooar’s men record a memorable away day triumph.

George takes the bull by the Horne in Italy

Glasgow Warriors scrum-half George Horne delivered a majestic performance as Glasgow Warriors beat Benetton 38-19, dictating play with an impressive tempo while also scoring twice.

The No.9 was an omnipresent force in Treviso, also showing commendable defensive resilience to make it an Italian visit to remember for Dave Rennie’s men.

Try bonus-point secured 💪@georgehorne10 gets his second of the afternoon as href=“https://twitter.com/GlasgowWarriors?refsrc=twsrc%5Etfw”>@GlasgowWarriors look to pull away 🛡

Can @BenettonRugby get back into it?#GuinnessPRO14 #BENvGLA
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— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) January 4, 2020

Jubilant Johnstone jinks past Kings

There were standout performers all over the park for Richard Cockerill’s Edinburgh, as they racked up an eight-try victory over Isuzu Southern Kings at BT Murrayfield.

But it was centre James Johnstone who glowed most brightly under the lights, representing an indefatigable force in the midfield and getting on the scoresheet with a deserved second-half try.

Dyer defies struggling Ospreys

Wales Sevens international Rio Dyer was close to not starting in Dragons’ 25-18 win over Ospreys, but Dean Ryan will be delighted he did as the winger was on stunning form at Rodney Parade.

The precocious 20-year-old provided a constant outlet for the home side, making an impressive 89 metres and notching 11 carries as his team seized the south Wales bragging rights.

Junior shows no shortage of experience

Michael Bradley’s Zebre enjoyed a successful Round 10 outing over Toyota Cheetahs, picking up their second win of the Conference stages with an emphatic 41-13 triumph.

And full-back Junior Laloifi was the Italian side’s most prized possession at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, showcasing his dependability under the high ball and setting up a try to help Zebre pick up a deserved victory.