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It’s Monday, so here’s your Six Nations team of the week

Donnacha Ryan made it, but who are the 14 others to join him? Right this way.

12/03/12 1,167 Views No Comments

IT WAS SOMETHING of an odd weekend.

You can normally rely on the French to put forward a few contenders for these awards, but they appeared to take the week off. That said, England were brilliant and thoroughly deserved their win – even if if does take all the shine off our point in Paris.

Ireland were brilliantly efficient while Wales sporadic and frustrating, but still only conceded a solitary score and will lift the championship next weekend.

Anyway, without further ado, on with the slideshow.

It’s Monday, so here’s your Six Nations team of the week
1 / 15

  • 15. Rob Kearney.

    Who says he can't counter attack? Saturday was a relatively quiet one by Kearney's standards, largely because he was not soaring through the air after his own bombs. Countered brilliantly and almost provided a wonderful try for Keith Earls.

  • 14. Alex Cuthbert.

    Isn't it a bit soon to find the 'new' George North? With these two lads on either wing, the Welsh possess some wrecking balls which seem to rupture defences at will.

  • 13. Manu Tuilagi.

    The centre gives the England jigsaw an almost complete look, when once it was a jumbled mess of overturned pieces. The try in Paris was Tuilagi at his best in broken field at full flight. Unstoppable.

  • 12. Jamie Roberts.

    Not a vintage weekend for inside centres. Wesley Fofana scored another try but butchered two more. Brad Barritt is Brad Barritt and Gordon D'Arcy had another invisible day. Roberts was quiet, but epitomised the class oozing from the Welsh backs. Took his try very well to get the ball rolling.

  • 11. Andrew Trimble.

    Justified his selection after a poor showing in Paris. Loves looking for work and his power was essential as he scored Ireland's second try at a crucial time.

  • 10. Jonathan Sexton.

    As captain, Rory Best, took all the credit for going for an early line-out. In truth, the hooker was merely backing up Sexton who had already shown a preference to kick from hand. The decision was thoroughly justified, Sexton is in the team of the week despite some iffy goal kicking. His ability to play of the cuff makes Ireland exciting to watch again.

  • 9. Eoin Reddan.

    Kept the ball moving fast and efficiently, all you can ask from a scrum half. He then topped that with a Houdini act when two Scottish defenders tried to tackle him high from behind. Brilliant awareness and improvisation.

  • 8. Ben Morgan.

    Hailing Morgan as the Lions' 8 is a little premature, but the Welsh based bull will be one of English rugby's leading lights for some years to come. Moving to Bath is understandable giving the financial trouble in Wales, but the Premiership may diminish his explosive power from a standing start.

  • 7. Tom Croft.

    This back row is unbalanced and all beacuse of Croft's astounding pace to score what proved the winning try for this once-makeshift looking England side.

  • 6. Stephen Ferris.

    Put simply, Ferris is Ireland's new chief leader by example. The Ulster blind-side says he's in his best shape since the Lions tour, long may it continue.

  • 5. Donnacha Ryan.

    Took to the task of filling in for Paul O'Connell like we knew he would, like a duck to water. Up against the form second row of the competition, he never shirked and even added a little dynamism to the pack.

  • 4. Richie Gray.

    The big (big) second row is a shoe-in for a Lions test jersey, his pace for a man of 20 stone is a sight to behold - Rob Kearney did well to get out of his way.

  • 3. Adam Jones.

    The vital collision when playing Italy and, overall, Jones won his bout with Andrea Lo Cicero.

  • 2. Rory Best.

    Captain fantastic, he led by example in the first Six Nations game in over a decade where Ireland have not had either O'Connell or O'Driscoll in harness. Criticism of the Irish line-out would have been on his mind in midweek and he gave his answers with interest, barrelling over the opening score from the set-piece.

  • 1. Alex Corbisiero.

    It takes some resolve to go to Paris and take them on at their core strength, yet that is what this young, closely knit group of English players have in spades.
  • Who says he can't counter attack? Saturday was a relatively quiet one by Kearney's standards, largely because he was not soaring through the air after his own bombs. Countered brilliantly and almost provided a wonderful try for Keith Earls.
  • Isn't it a bit soon to find the 'new' George North? With these two lads on either wing, the Welsh possess some wrecking balls which seem to rupture defences at will.
  • The centre gives the England jigsaw an almost complete look, when once it was a jumbled mess of overturned pieces. The try in Paris was Tuilagi at his best in broken field at full flight. Unstoppable.
  • Not a vintage weekend for inside centres. Wesley Fofana scored another try but butchered two more. Brad Barritt is Brad Barritt and Gordon D'Arcy had another invisible day. Roberts was quiet, but epitomised the class oozing from the Welsh backs. Took his try very well to get the ball rolling.
  • Justified his selection after a poor showing in Paris. Loves looking for work and his power was essential as he scored Ireland's second try at a crucial time.
  • As captain, Rory Best, took all the credit for going for an early line-out. In truth, the hooker was merely backing up Sexton who had already shown a preference to kick from hand. The decision was thoroughly justified, Sexton is in the team of the week despite some iffy goal kicking. His ability to play of the cuff makes Ireland exciting to watch again.
  • Kept the ball moving fast and efficiently, all you can ask from a scrum half. He then topped that with a Houdini act when two Scottish defenders tried to tackle him high from behind. Brilliant awareness and improvisation.
  • Hailing Morgan as the Lions' 8 is a little premature, but the Welsh based bull will be one of English rugby's leading lights for some years to come. Moving to Bath is understandable giving the financial trouble in Wales, but the Premiership may diminish his explosive power from a standing start.
  • This back row is unbalanced and all beacuse of Croft's astounding pace to score what proved the winning try for this once-makeshift looking England side.
  • Put simply, Ferris is Ireland's new chief leader by example. The Ulster blind-side says he's in his best shape since the Lions tour, long may it continue.
  • Took to the task of filling in for Paul O'Connell like we knew he would, like a duck to water. Up against the form second row of the competition, he never shirked and even added a little dynamism to the pack.
  • The big (big) second row is a shoe-in for a Lions test jersey, his pace for a man of 20 stone is a sight to behold - Rob Kearney did well to get out of his way.
  • The vital collision when playing Italy and, overall, Jones won his bout with Andrea Lo Cicero.
  • Captain fantastic, he led by example in the first Six Nations game in over a decade where Ireland have not had either O'Connell or O'Driscoll in harness. Criticism of the Irish line-out would have been on his mind in midweek and he gave his answers with interest, barrelling over the opening score from the set-piece.
  • It takes some resolve to go to Paris and take them on at their core strength, yet that is what this young, closely knit group of English players have in spades.

Five things we learned from this week’s Six Nations

Lee Jones still in hospital, but making ‘good progess’

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Sean Farrell
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