IT SEEMS THE fates decided that we lost the run of ourselves last year, so this time around there will be no super duper grand finale day in the Six Nations. With a week to go, England are champions, Italy will take the wooden spoon and Ireland, Scotland, France and Wales will just be jostling for position somewhere in between.
Still, it was a good weekend for three of the four founding members, here’s who stood out for us.
15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
Check that hang time.
14. Andrew Trimble (Ireland)
A relentless force for Ireland (when selected).
13. Duncan Taylor (Scotland)
Solid in defence, sensational in attack.
12. Owen Farrell (England)
Embodies the return of Bad Boy England with unshakable confidence no matter which position he’s in.
11. Anthony Watson (England)
Fast on his way to ‘prolific’ status with a ninth try in a short international career. Excellent counter-attacker and high-fielder.
10. Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
He takes a beating, because he continually invited charging defenders onto himself to free up runners just outside.
9. Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)
Probably not in the top three starting 9s in the tournament skills-wise, but his all-round game, leadership and ability to coax a replacement 10 through a difficult situation is exemplary.
1. Alisdair Dickinson (Scotland)
An irresistible force against a vaunted French scrum and terrific in defence.
2. Dylan Hartley (England)
Loathe him or loathe him, the England skipper has somehow turned in to a steadying influence in the white pack. Maybe his reformation has made team-mates feel the need to up the crazy stakes.
3. WP Nel (Scotland)
Played 70 minutes as the cornerstone of a momentous forward effort.
4. Maro Itoje (England)
Saracens’ wonder-kid can do it all. He steals in the air and on the ground, eats up yardage is a menace to carriers. Some day he’ll have a poor game, some day…
5. Jonny Gray (Scotland)
11 big tackles for the cause against Les Bleus, though his brother wasn’t bad either.
6. CJ Stander (Ireland)
An immensely valuable addition to the Ireland setup. Excelled when the game was still tight and his efforts ensured it wouldn’t be for long.
7. John Hardie (Scotland)
Continues to come up with vital steals at pivotal moments while never shirking his tackles.
8. Billy Vunipola (England)
More closely marshalled than earlier in the tournament, but he continued to make on average three metres per carry and made space for his fellow champions to flourish.
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