Get Newsletter

Team of the Week: Dragons fire

Wales' impressive win against France on Friday saw them claim the most places in our Six Nations Team of the Week after Round Three.

The defending champions kept their hopes of retaining their title alive with a comfortable win over the previously unbeaten French side, which also earned them five places in our selection.

They are followed closely by England whose gritty win over Ireland at Twickenham saw four of their players crack the nod from our selection panel.

Scotland's dramatic victory over Italy in Rome could have gone either way and as a result both have two players in our side along with Ireland.

Ireland only narrowly went down to England, and their fighting performance is recognised in our Bubbling under selection, with six Irish players, four each from England and Wales and one from France.

Here is our weekly selection:

15 – Mike Brown (England): The England fullback cannot seem to do much wrong at the moment, solid on defence and a dangerous attacking option from the back as well.

Bubbling under: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)

14 – Yoann Huget (France): Despite his team's heavy defeat Huget's stunning form at the moment is too good to ignore. Looks a threat whenever he gets the ball.

Bubbling under: Alex Cuthbert (Wales)

13 – Alex Dunbar (Scotland): Duncan Weir's last-minute drop-goal may have got the headlines, but it would not have been posiible without Dunbar's brace.

Bubbling under: Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)

12 – Jamie Roberts (Wales): A typically destructive game from the big Welsh battering ram who left plenty of defenders in his wake.

Bubbling under: Wesley Fofana (France)

11 – Sean Lamont (Scotland): A busy outing from the wing who worked hard off the ball and made a crucial break for Dunbar's second try.

Bubbling under: Jonny May (England)

10 – Owen Farrell (England): The English pivot controlled the game well and ultimately guided his team to a tense victory.

Bubbling under: Jonny Sexton (Ireland)

9 – Danny Care (England): The livewire scrumhalf proved a threat around the fringes as usual with his pace and urgency and his try was what swung the game for his team.

Bubbling under: Rhys Webb (Wales)

8 – Sergio Parisse (Italy): The Azzurri skipper is all class and showed it once again with some deft touches, although it was not enough to get his team over the line.

Bubbling under: Toby Faletau (Wales)

7 – Sam Warburton (Wales): An inspirational display from the Wales captain who led by example and really got stuck into the French at the breakdowns.

Bubbling under: Chris Robshaw (England)

6 – Yannick Nyanga (France): His team might have been blown away but Nyanga certainly pulled his weight in a committed performance.

Bubbling under: Tom Wood (England)

5 – Joshua Furno (Italy): The hard-working lock was a juggernaut for his side and deservedly got on the scoresheet after working his socks off.

Bubbling under: Paul O'Connell (Ireland)

4 – Luke Charteris (Wales): The lanky lock ruled the line-outs and also got through plenty of work around the park as well as the Welsah pack took the game to France.

Bubbling under: Joe Launchbury (England)

3 – Adam Jones (Wales): The grizzled tighthead needed all of his experience against the French front row and helped get his side on the front foot regularly.

Bubbling under: Mike Ross (Ireland)

2 – Dylan Hartley (England): The combative hooker relishes tough and physical contests,m which he certainly got against Ireland.

Bubbling under: Rory Best (Ireland)

1 – Gethin Jenkins (Wales): He may have been sent to the sin bin along with French tighthead Nicolas Mas after too many scrum penalties, but there is no doubt who got the better of that contest.

Bubbling under: Cian Healy (Ireland)

Our individual selections:

Quintin van Jaarsveld XV: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Gethin Jenkins.

Paul Dobson XV: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Jonny May, 10 Jonny Sexton, 9 Danny Care, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Josh Furno, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Rory Best, 1 Gethin Jenkins.

Michael de Vries XV: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Gethin Jenkins.

Jan de Koning XV: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 George North, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Gethin Jenkins.

Previous selections:

Team of the Week – Round One: 15 Rob Kearney (Ireland), 14 Yoann Huget (France), 13 Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), 12 Jamie Roberts (Wales), 11 David Kearney (Ireland), 10 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), 9 Danny Care (England), 8 Sergio Parisse (Italy), 7 Chris Robshaw (England), 6 Yannick Nyanga (France), 5 Pascal Papé (France), 4 Devin Toner (Ireland), 3 Nicolas Mas (France), 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini (Italy), 1 Cian Healy (Ireland).

Team of the Week – Round Two: 15 Rob Kearney (Ireland), 14 Yoann Huget (France), 13 Luther Burrell (England), 12 Wesley Fofana (France), 11  Dave Kearney (Ireland), 10 Johnny Sexton (Ireland), 9 Conor Murray (Ireland), 8 Louis Picamoles (France), 7 Chris Robshaw (England), 6 Peter O'Mahony (Ireland), 5 Paul O'Connell (Ireland), 4 Pascal Papé (France), 3 Mike Ross (Ireland), 2 Dylan Hartley (England), 1 Cian Healy (Ireland).

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Fresh Starts | Episode 1 | Will Skelton

ABBIE WARD: A BUMP IN THE ROAD

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 8

James Cook | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

New Zealand victorious in TENSE final | Cathay/HSBC Sevens Day Three Men's Highlights

New Zealand crowned BACK-TO-BACK champions | Cathay/HSBC Sevens Day Three Women's Highlights

Japan Rugby League One | Steelers v Sungoliath | Full Match Replay

Rugby Europe Women's Championship | Netherlands v Spain

Write A Comment