Six Nations done, Rucked Over has had some fun and picked
our team of the tournament – who would you change?
1.Gethin Jenkins.The Welsh loosehead’s return to form went
hand in hand with a reversal in the Welsh side’s fortunes – he’s that critical
to this team.Destructive in the set
piece and the loose, he held off the challenges of the scrum-master Thomas
Domingo, and the powerful Cian Healy – who was a real threat when he wasn’t
stamping on people.
Runners up:Thomas Domingo, Cian Healy
2.Leonardo Ghiraldini.The Italian hooker has had a great
tournament, looking after a generally solid lineout and charging around the
park like a man possessed.Richard
Hibbard and Tom Youngs were both mightily impressive in open play but their
throwing wobbled on occasion.
Runners up:Richard Hibbard, Tom Youngs.
3.Nicholas Mas.An odd one because the French prop has been consistently good
without being spectacular – doing a strong shift in the scrum and carrying a
fair bit too.Adam Jones finished brilliantly
but started very average, whilst almost the opposite could be said for Dan Cole
– they both shone brighter on occasion but couldn’t match Mas’ consistency.
Runners up:Adam Jones, Dan Cole.
4. Jim Hamilton.I’m generally critical of him because I always think a bloke his size
could be even more destructive, but what do I know?Behind some extremely resilient performances
and was especially important against Ireland when the backs were to the
wall.He holds off the slightly more
mobile challenges of Mike McCarthy and Joe Launchbury.
Runners up:Mike McCarthy, Joe Launchbury
5. Geoff Parling .Parling has grown into a leader and stalwart
of the England side.He’ll be
disappointed that the lineout wasn’t always perfect but his work in defence and
the carries he made put him at the forefront of anything good the English pack
did.Alun Wyn Jones only returned for
the last 2 games but was a colossal presence whilst Donnacha Ryan was abrasive
in the close exchanges for the Irish.
Runners up:Alun Wyn Jones, Donnacha Ryan.
6.Ryan Jones.Nothing spectacular but a lot of graft.It’s a shame he missed the final game because
he was excellent in the middle three games, where he led Wales to their
recovery through intelligent leadership and shear hard work.Alessandro Zanni enjoyed an outstanding end
to the tournament whilst Sean O’Brien, whilst playing 7, performed a 6s job
well enough with a huge amount of trademark carries.
Runners up: Alessandro Zanni, Sean O’Brien
7.Chris Robshaw. England’s star player, the
flanker could have been man of the match in the opening three games and still
showed up well in their defeat in Cardiff.A tireless worker who was constantly a rallying point for his side.Justin Tipuric deserves a mention for his
virtuoso display against England, whilst Kelly Brown was outstanding in defence
for Scotland.
Runners up:Justin Tipuric, Kelly Brown
8.Sergio Parisse.The Italian number 8 was a force of
nature and a one man team at times.A
shame he was banned for the game against Wales, but his power and offloading
skills were a key asset to the Italian game plan and was an inspirational
figure throughout.He was pushed hard by
Louis Picamoles, who enjoyed a standout tournament despite playing in a chaotic
French pack, whilst Johnnie Beattie was a defensive rock for Scotland in
addition to showing the odd flashes of brilliance with the ball in hand.
Runners up:Louis Picamoles, Johnnie Beattie
9.Greg Laidlaw.A mixed bag for the scrum halves, but only Greg Laidlaw showed any
form of consistency.The Scottish 9 was
superb of the tee and tactically astute, and he holds off the challenge of Mike
Phillips, who finished the tournament superbly after being average and Ben
Youngs, who started it superbly before being average.
Runners up:Mike Phillips, Ben Youngs
10.Luciano Orquera.I can’t not pick Luciano.Who’d have expected it before the
tournament?The diminutive 10 put in
fantastic displays against France, England and Ireland to guide Italy to some
decent results, demonstrating a fantastically cultured group in the
process.Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar
were both solid in the main, with the odd flash of inspiration thrown in.
Runners Up:Owen Farrell, Dan Biggar
11.George North.In a lean tournament for wingers, North still strikes me as one of
the most dangerous runners around.His
ability to consistently beat men with his footwork, power and speed is
sensational – if only he could get his hands on the ball more.Mike Brown also put in a good shift
considering he was out of position and Luke McLean was a solid and intelligent
option for Italy.
Runners up:Mike Brown, Luke McLean
12. Wesley Fofana.After playing the first two games on the
wing, Fofana was finally moved to centre and there he showed what he could do,
scoring a stunning individual try against England.His footwork and ability to spot a gap are
just superb.Elsewhere, Brad Barritt was
the usual impenetrable defensive barrier he is for England, whilst Matt Scott
showed some nice touches for Scotland on the rare occasion he got the ball.
Runners up:Brad Barritt, Matt Scott
13.Manu Tuilagi.A difficult tournament for outside centres.All of them seem to have played one great
game and one awful one, but I think Tuilagi just edges it because of his impact
against France where he walked all over the mighty Bastareaud.There were also occasionally strong showings
from Bastareaud himself and the legend that is Brian O’Driscoll, especially
against Wales.
Runners up:Brian O’Driscoll, Mathieu Bastareaud.
14.Alex Cuthbert.I’ve had my doubts about his intelligence
and defensive abilities but there is simply no substitute for speed and
finishing ability, and he showed these – in particular against England.He’s built like an Ox and knows how to pick a
line too.Young Craig Gilroy also showed
he ha s a poacher’s instinct for Ireland, whilst Giovanbattista Venditti was a
powerful presence for the Italians.
Runners up:Craig Gilroy, Giovanbattista Venditti
15.Leigh Halfpenny.In contrast to the wing, there was a
wealth of quality here – probably because of all the kicking – but Halfpenny
was almost flawless.From his solidarity
under the high ball to his high pressure kicks, he was simply fantastic.Just beats the burgeoning talent of the
electric Stuart Hogg to top spot, whilst Andrea Masi was superb for the
Italians.
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