England were unceremoniously stuffed by Ireland at Twickenham, and as such it was hard to find space for any of them in our Six Nations team of the week.
However, almost half of the combined XV come from Andy Farrell’s ranks, suggesting that reports of Ireland’s demise have been exaggerated – for now at least.
So without further ado, here are the 15 Six Nations stars who get the nod this week…
Back three
Scotland’s full-back Blair Kinghorn was a gliding runner on his first appearance of this year’s Six Nations, and safe under the high ball.
The Ireland wing Rob Baloucoune built on his strong showing in the Italy win in round two, scoring the second try at Twickenham in Ireland’s 42-21 victory over England, then assisting Tommy O’Brien, and making a stopping hit on Jamie George round the front of a line-out. And our ever-present Louis Bielle-Biarrey became the first player in Six Nations/International Championship history to score a try in eight consecutive matches.
Honourable mentions: Kyle Steyn gave Scotland a try and elusive running in Cardiff plus an important defensive high-ball catch after 69 minutes as his team squeaked the win.
Scotland sub Darcy Graham was alert to a Finn Russell restart kick for a crucial score.
Centres
Eddie James was like a high-stepping Welsh male can-can dancer, if you can imagine such a thing. “Brutal go-forward” was how former Welsh skipper Sam Warburton described James’s eye-catching carries on TV.
And I had to check it really was Stuart McCloskey running down the Marcus Smith break (although… should Smith just have kept going?), while a line break for fellow Ulster player Baloucoune’s try epitomised the centre’s power.
Half-backs
Gibson-Park was a constant threat for Ireland against England (Photo: Getty Images)Jack Crowley gave Ireland the calm guiding hand that Sam Prendergast had been lacking in their first two matches. But Scotland’s fly-half Finn Russell gets the nod for constantly creating, plus a crucial try after 27 phases to cut into Wales’s 20-5 lead, then a brilliant conversion on top of a wickedly clever restart that bounced just right for Darcy Graham to score, to bring it back to 23-19. It was a ploy ex-captain John Barclay says Scotland have used for a number of years – but Wales didn’t spot it.
At Twickenham, Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park had one of those days when a scrum-half gets his own timing right – see the tap for Ireland’s first try – and anticipates everything the opposition is up to.
Honourable mentions: Tomos Williams carried the fight for Wales, while the mighty Antoine Dupont made two belting tackles to quell Italian attacks in the second quarter, among his usual plethora of quality contributions.
Front row
TV close-ups showed Italy’s (and Northampton Saints’) loosehead prop Danilo Fischetti pouring sweat as he made life a misery for the French scrum under the Lille roof.
Hooker Dan Sheehan’s line-out darts weren’t perfect but he never lets up, as seen in his double clear-out for the Baloucoune try, and team-mate Tadhg Furlong was putting it about again for Ireland, as a poleaxed Tom Curry would testify.
Honourable mentions: Pierre Schoeman came on early for Nathan McBeth, and finished strongly with a scrum penalty in 77th minute of Scotland’s 26-23 win. Wales’s Rhys Carre contributed a short-range try and a few carries. Simone Ferrari put the England scrum on warning for Rome in two weeks’ time.
Second row
France lock Flament marked his promotion to the starting XV with an excellent performance against Italy (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)Thibaud Flament was a French force in the line-out, whether catching or spoiling. Wales locks Dafydd Jenkins and Ben Carter made 45 tackles between them, and many of Jenkins’s were memorable in defence.
Honourable mention: Joe McCarthy got stuck into the England line-out and maul, made a big hit on Henry Pollock, and a short pick-and-go for Gibson-Park’s opener.
Back row
Scotland’s Josh Bayliss had a big impact as a replacement for Max Williamson (it wasn’t only England who made a couple of first-half hooks), with two key carries leading to the late winning try.
At Twickenham, if it wasn’t Josh van der Flier’s red scrum cap popping up all over, it was the blue of Tadhg Beirne, while Caelan Doris’s lovely pass helped created O’Brien’s score, and he burst through a soft defensive line manned by Ollie Chessum and Ellis Genge.
Honourable mentions: In Cardiff, Rory Darge was named man of the match as he gradually outshone opposite number Alex Mann. For a revitalised home side, Aaron Wainwright brought great energy with ball in hand.
(Graphic: The i Paper)Hence then, the article about our six nations team of the week without a single england player was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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