Six Nations - Team of the Week - Round 3

So after another weekend of drama, RuckedOver takes a look at the standout performers from the latest round in the Six Nations and who from the British and Irish teams has got one hand on a ticket to Australia this summer.

 

1. Gethin Jenkins – Finally, we saw the old Geth show up.  Taking apart Castrogiovanni in the scrum is no mean feat, but to combine that with some great work in the loose – winning 2 turnovers – was sensational.  A special mention to Ryan Grant (who made 15 tackles) and Thomas Domingo (who had the nudge on Dan Cole) as well.

2. Benjamin Kayser – the French hooker was a victim of Saint-Andre's bizarre decision making on Saturday, but his work in the lineout was flawless and got about the field impressively.  From the Lions candidates, it was Tom Youngs' 30 minute cameo which caught the eye, as he showed off his defensive and carrying abilities.

 

3. Adam Jones – A great recovery from the Welsh veteran tighthead.  After Cole suffered similar struggles against the French scrum as Jones did a fortnight ago, the hairy one gave an utterly dominant performance against Lo Cicero to get Wales a foothold in Rome.

4. Richie Gray – Perhaps not the most standout performance, but a colossal effort in defence.  How someone can be so mobile at his size is beyond me.

5. Jim Hamilton – Making up an all-Scottish second row is Big Jim.  He may look like a troglodyte but he demonstrated his rugby brain by wreaking havoc on the Irish lineout and causing problems in the loose, too.

6.  Ryan Jones – The Welsh captain gave another assured display on the flank which demonstrated his leadership and grafting qualities.  Unspectacular? Sure.  But never takes a backward step, and may now in fact have taken a significant step forward towards Lions selection.

7.  Chris Robshaw – Yet another standout performance from the England captain.  Just edges out Scotsman Kelly Brown (another fantastic defensive performance) because of his abilities in attack.  He simply does not make errors – he takes high balls, he carries strongly, he tackles well and he's a jackal over the ball at the breakdown.  His captaincy claims for the Lions rise with every match.

8.  Louis Picamoles – A destructive performance from the big number 8, especially in the first half where he carried powerfully and smashed Englishmen back in the tackle.   Tom Wood, still playing out of position, ran him very close however with an all-action performance for England, although he does lack that "Le Oomph" of his French counterpart.

9. Greg Laidlaw – Unnervingly accurate with the boot, the Scotland scrumhalf's accuracy when going for goal proved to be a key difference between the 2 sides.  Morgan Parra was also impressive but I can't allow him in the team of the week after the appalling impression of an Italian footballer when Owen Farrell brushed past his face.

10. Dan Biggar – Not a great weekend for the 10s, but the Welsh fly half certainly didn't make many mistakes and used his intelligent kicking game to frustrate the Italians throughout their contest.  Francois Trinh-Duc was also solid for the French and seemed to be doing a decent job until he was hauled off for no apparent reason.

11. Alex Cuthbert – Didn't see a lot of the ball but certainly took his try well, spotting the gap and powering over into the corner.  There's no doubting his raw talent but how does he perform under pressure?

12.  Wesley Fofana – So, so good when he gets the ball in space which, unfortunately, isn't too often.  It's easy to dismiss his try as being down to awful English defence but that's a little harsh – his footwork and speed were simply superb.  Luke Marshall also turned heads with a couple of scything runs on debut against Scotland, whilst Brad Barritt continues to impress with his solidarity week on week.

13. Manu Tuilagi – The tank is back.  Destroyed Bastareaud in the 'Battle of the Beasts' and took his try well with a great show of pace – all whilst his ear was hanging off the side of his head.  Strong performance from the Leicester man and a reminder of what England miss without him.

14.  Craig Gilroy – It wasn't a particularly fruitful weekend for wingers as they saw little ball but, like Cuthbert, the young man from Ulster took his one opportunity well, spinning over the line to score a try from close range.

15.  Leigh Halfpenny – An absolute rock at the back yet again.  His goal-kicking is almost tedious in its accuracy and the last time he missed a tackle for Wales was apparently back in the 2011 Six Nations.  Unbelievable consistency.

 

Who would you have in your team of the round?