Six Nations - Team of the Week - Round 4

Another weekend of grinding-out results, another weekend of difficulty in picking ‘standout’ players.  This is RuckedOver’s take on the weekend:

 

1. Paul James – Until his sinbinning I was impressed with the Welshman’s performance.  He was aggressive at the breakdown at gave Euan Murray all sorts of problems in the scrum.  It’s always difficult filling in for Gethin Jenkins but the Bath man made a pretty good fist of it.

2. Tom Youngs – Solid lineout this week and just so dynamic around the park.  Was one of England’s best carriers and tacklers, which is partly due to his size and build – the square – which means he can get underneath people and drive them back with his considerable power.  Pushing hard for a Lions spot.  Special mention goes to Richard Hibbard too, who scored a well taken try and Ghiraldini impressed for Italy as well.

3. Dan Cole – Adam Jones put in a great shift last round and another decent one this time round, but this week Cole edges it for his work in the loose.  He won his scrum battle and was a real jackal over the ball against Italy, acting as an extra flanker at times.  An absolute rock for England. 

4. Mike McCarthy – The Irish lock is growing in stature every game.  An abrasive presence around the pitch, he made sure the French knew about him with a couple of huge carries in the first half.

5. Joshua Furno – The Italian lock put in an awesome shift around the park but it was his superb try saving tackle on Chris Ashton that really caught the eye.  A really solid display that should see him keep his place this week.  Yoann Maestri and Alun Wyn Jones were also mightily impressive as well.

6.  Alessandro Zanni – The blindside flanker was a constant thorn in England’s side at the breakdown and was keen to truck the ball up whenever possible.  Nearly scored off Sergio Parisse’s offload and displayed his defensive solidarity throughout.  Out of the Lions lot, Ryan Jones gave another grafting display before he was injured.

7.  Sam Warburton – A great return to form for the under-pressure man from Cardiff.  A few turnovers here, a notable carry there, this was definitely a step in the right direction.  He’ll be hoping to kick on from this in his big showdown with Chris Robshaw next week.

8.  Sergio Parisse – Just edges out the ever-excellent Louis Picamoles after a superb all-round display that had the pundits purring, showing off his handling, carrying, offloading, tackling and, above all, leadership qualities throughout.  Jamie Heaslip also showed up pretty well, scoring a try in the process.

9. Conor Murray – Superb tactical performance from the scrum half in difficult conditions, and was a chief reason why Ireland were able to play in the right areas so often against France.  Mystifying as to why he was substituted.

10. Luciano Orquera – Ah, Luciano.  Pants one week, brilliant the next.  Here he was the latter, kicking beautifully from hand and setting up a delightful try for Luke Mclean with a perfectly weighted chip.  Paddy Jackson also rose to the occasion for Ireland, nailing some difficult kicks and playing with a real level of maturity.

11. Luke McLean – Extremely solid under the high ball and scored a very well taken try as well.  The Australian-born winger also made a searing break late on that had the whole English contingent of the Twickenham crowd bricking themselves.  George North also showed some form on the rare occasion he got the ball, with his run setting up field position for Wales’ try.

12.  Gonzalo Garcia – Very slim pickings at 12 this week, especially in terms of attacking prowess.  But in terms of defence, nobody did their job better than Garcia, who man marked Tuilagi and hacked him down at every opportunity.  Luke Marshall also gave a solid display to confirm that he’s ready for Test rugby.

13. Manu Tuilagi – In a weekend that proved difficult for centres, Tuilagi still stood out as the man most likely to make a break or at least make yards.  He never takes a backwards step and, although he was well marshalled by Garcia and Canale, he was a constant source of go-forward ball for England.

14.  Mike Brown – I’ve swapped him onto the right wing because he was pretty much the most dangerous runner on the park on Sunday.  One searing break in the first half was particularly impressive but he continues to wait for that elusive first try – next Saturday would be a good time to break his duck.

15.  Yoann Huget – Just edges out the superb Andrea Masi, purely because conditions were worse for the French fullback.  Magnificent under the high ball, and a rare threat in attack, this was a really accomplished performance by the Toulouse man.  Leigh Halfpenny was as good as ever and Rob Kearney also showed a return to form.

Who would you have in your team of the round?