15. Stuart Hogg
Hogg had a few errant kicks but was back to his best in terms of counter-attacking and had a lovely piece of through-the-legs skill in the second half too.
14. Anthony Watson
Stuart Lancaster took a bit of a risk in selecting the inexperienced Watson but the Bath wing repaid him nicely, finishing off his try well and making ground regularly in contact.
13. Mathieu Bastareaud
Jonathan Joseph’s try was nice but that was the only time he really threatened. Bastareaud was the top offloader for his team and was able to free his hands and create space regularly.
12. Robbie Henshaw
Henshaw performed solidly on his Six Nations debut, making a whopping 15 tackles and also carrying the ball 14 times.
11. Teddy Thomas
Not as explosive as he can be but he still made 60 metres, which was one of the highest totals this weekend.
10. George Ford
Keatley had his moments but George Ford moved his team around the Millennium Stadium expertly. His array of passing allowed his team-mates to pick lovely lines and his kicking held up under pressure too.
9. Ben Youngs
Youngs mixed his game up nicely, usually passing but sniping enough to keep the defence on their toes. It was a testament to his display that many were bemused when he was substituted for Richard Wigglesworth.
1. Jack McGrath
It was his first big game in a few weeks and McGrath acquitted himself well against Castrogiovanni for the most part. He also made five tackles and forced a turnover for a good all-round game.
2. Guilhem Guirado
The French hooker was 10/10 on his lineouts, forced a turnover and made ten tackles. France launched a lot of attacks off their maul and they needed Guirado’s darts to be sharp. They were.
3. Dan Cole
Mike Ross was good on his return but for Cole to be so dominant in his first international outing in a year was exceptional. He gave Gethin Jenkins a torrid time at the scrum for most of the day.
4. Richie Gray
His brother actually got more of the attention in the build-up but the elder Gray proved his worth at the Stade de France making almost 5 metres per carry and nine tackles.
5. Yoann Maestri
Maestri was France’s top lineout target and also made 11 tackles. He didn’t make many metres but was strong at the set-piece.
6. Chris Robshaw
Haskell got most of the post-match plaudits but Robshaw made a mammoth 26 tackles, more than anybody in round one, and also forced two turnovers. Excellent work from the captain.
7. Tommy O’Donnell
Haskell could probably feel hard done by here but given that O’Donnell had about five minutes to prepare for his Six Nations debut, the Munster flanker should be ecstatic with his performance.
8. Taulupe Faletau
He took out three defenders off the scrum to create Wales’ only try and every time he carried the ball he was able to make yardage. One of his better performances in a Welsh jersey.
