This week’s Six Nations produced some of the craziest games that we have seen in years.
Ireland were pushed hard in Dublin on Friday night by Wales. Scotland caused a huge upset against France with a 50-40 win before Italy picked up their first ever win over England. It sets up an incredible round five.
Six Nations Team of the Round: Forwards
1- Alex Carre
Carre was outstanding against Ireland, making a huge effort in defence and also scoring one of the most incredible tries that we will ever see from a loosehead prop.
Schoeman also deserves massive credit, but it would be hard to overlook that try.
2- Dewi Lake
Lake was ferocious in his appearance against Ireland. Some of his tackles were outrageous, and he made 24 tackles in 56 minutes. Four of his tackles were dominant, more than any other player on the pitch. Takes a lot of resilience as a captain to lead your team through all that Wales have been through in recent years.
3- Zander Fagerson
Fagerson had a rare appearance off the bench although this appeared to be a purposeful tactic from Gregor Townsend to get the best out of his scrum. The tighthead pickings were slim this week but the Scotsman was impactful in the second half.
4- Nico Cannone
Cannone made the most carries on the Italian side with 11 and made 12 tackles. Two of his tackles were dominant, which was the joint most of anyone on the pitch.
5- Daffyd Jenkins
Jenkins put in a massive shift for Wales as they fought against Ireland, but came up short. While Mann broke the record for Six Nations tackles with 32, Jenkins followed him up with 29. A very important performance for the young second row.
Back Row
6- Alex Mann
Mann broke the record for the most tackles made in a single Six Nations match with 32. He also made a crucial interception on the goalline which could have made the gap too big in the first half and would have changed the mentality of the Wales team heading towards halftime.
7- Manuel Zuliani
Zuliani was immense against England, making the most tackles on the pitch with 15. He won 100% of his tackles as Italy managed their first win in their history against England.
8- Ben Earl
On his 50th England appearance he put in a strong running performance despite the end result. He made 20 carries for a total of 58 metres. He also beat six defenders, the second highest amount on the pitch.
Six Nations Team of the Round: Backs
9- Ben White
White headed up the Scottish attack by keeping the ball moving quickly. His leading of the forwards and pass selection was outstanding. It was no surprise that Scotland didn’t score a try after he went off. He scored the try that started the second half off strong.
10- Finn Russell
Russell ran the historic victory over France excellently. He kicked 15 points and also kicked to the comer well to allow Scotland to take advantage of the decisions they made.
11- Kyle Steyn
Steyn picked up player of match award against France in an incredible game. He carried for an incredible 110 metres and scored twice to help Scotland to victory.
12- Sione Tuipolotu
Tuipolotu put in a true captain’s performance as he led Scotland to a famous victory over France. He made 13 carries, more than any back on the pitch and made nine tackles.
13- Tommaso Menoncello
Menoncello scored the first try for Italy and assisted the second as Italy pulled off a huge win over England. He made three line breaks and made two dominant tackles. He carried for a total of 89 metres.
14- Darcy Graham
Graham set a spark to the game against France as he scored in the opening five minutes. He also scored a second to bring Scotland 26 points ahead at the time. Graham was working hard in defence and moved across the pitch effectively to pop up in surprising areas.
15- Thomas Ramos
Despite defeat for France, Ramos provided 20 points, including scoring two tries. He assisted the first French try and scored the fourth, which was crucial for making them favourites for the Championship.
