Six Nations Team of the Week: Round One
OPINION: England made a big statement when they bullied Ireland in Dublin on Saturday to record a famous 32-20 win.
After Saturday’s impressive display, England are now favourites to win this year’s tournament and their players lead the way with nine players in our Six Nations Team of the Week for Round One.
In the backline we have Stuart Hogg at fullback with George North and Blair Kinghorn on the wings. The midfield consists of Henry Slade and Manu Tuilagi.
Owen Farrell is our choice at flyhalf with Ben Youngs getting the No.9 spot.
In the pack we have Louis Picamoles at No.8 with Justin Tuperic and Mark Wilson at No.7 and No.6 respectively.
Alun Wyn Jones and Maro Itoje are our second-row picks and in the front row we have Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George and Mako Vunipola.
Team of the Week – Round One:
15 – Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
His kicking game was excellent against the Italians and he was a constant threat on attack. He scored a great try as well.
Bubbling under: Liam Williams (Wales)
14 – George North (Wales)
Scored two crucial tries in the second half against France. One came from a horrendous mistake from Yoann Huget. His second was a great intercept that gave his side the win.
Bubbling under: Jack Nowell (England)
13 – Henry Slade (England)
He was a great playmaker for England in the midfield. He switched roles with Manu Tuilagi nicely. He was solid on defence and he scored two tries in the second half.
Bubbling under: Jonathan Davies (Wales)
12 – Manu Tuilagi (England)
A powerful presence in the English midfield. He sucked in defenders around him with some big carries and caused a few headaches with some bone-crunching tackles.
Bubbling under: Sam Johnson (Scotland)
11 – Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
Scored three tries in the wing against Italy. His third try was particularly good with his speed and guile on display.
Bubbling under: Jonny May (England)
10 – Owen Farrell (England)
He controlled things nicely with some good decisions for England in Dublin. His distribution to his backline was good and he also did a lot of work on defence for his team.
Bubbling under: Finn Russell (Scotland)
9 – Ben Youngs (England)
He outplayed his opposite number (Conor Murray) on Saturday. He was tactically brilliant, especially his kicking game.
Bubbling under: Tomos Williams (Wales)
8 – Louis Picamoles (France)
He was a colossus for France against Wales. He made metres whenever he carried the ball and he was a monster on defence as well.
Bubbling under: Ryan Wilson (Scotland)
7 – Justin Tuperic (Wales)
He played out of his skin on defence for Wales. In the second half he played a key role in trying to disrupt the French attack and he was a nuisance at the breakdowns. He also made a truckload of tackles.
Bubbling under: Tom Curry (England)
6 – Mark Wilson (England)
One of England’s great defenders against the Irish in Dublin. He smashed some of the Ireland stars backwards and he won a few turnovers as well.
Bubbling under: Josh Navidi (Wales)
5 – Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
An important cog in the Welsh pack that stood up to the French in a crucial second-half performance.
Bubbling under: James Ryan (Ireland)
4 – Maro Itoje (England)
He had a high work rate before he left the field with a knee injury in the second half. He put the Ireland players under pressure when he led England’s defensive line and he was a force in the line-outs as well.
Bubbling under: Sebastien Vahaamahina (France)
3 – Kyle Sinckler (England)
He had a few nice touches with ball in hand against Ireland. He handled the pressure from Cian Healy well in the scrums and did his fair share of work on defence.
Bubbling under: Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
2 – Jamie George (England)
He put in a huge shift against Ireland. He found his line-out jumpers and carried the ball well. George also made his presence known on defence as well.
Bubbling under: Stuart McInally (Scotland)
1 – Mako Vunipola (England)
He was simply outstanding in Dublin. He carried the ball with great vigour and was a menace at the breakdowns as well. He handled the scrum pressure well against Tadhg Furlong. He also put his body on the line on defence making over 20 tackles.
Bubbling under: Cian Healy (Ireland)
Our individual selections:
Jan de Koning XV: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 George North, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Justin Tuperic, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Paul Dobson XV: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Jonny May, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Justin Tuperic, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Stuart McInally, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Warren Fortune XV: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 George North, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Justin Tuperic, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 James Ryan, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola.
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