Six Nations Round 2: Team of the Week

1. Jack McGrath – Ireland

The loosehead prop was immense in his sides impressive victory over Italy in round two of this year’s Six Nations. He consistently piled the pressure on his opposite number at scrum time and forced several penalties which gave his teammates a great attacking platform. He worked tirelessly in defence; making 8 tackles at key moments of the game.

2. Rory Best – Ireland

The Irish hooker once again lead by example as his side cruised to victory this weekend. He was dogged at the breakdown, solid in defence and a good attacking option with ball in hand. He was accurate at the lineout and capped off his excellent performance when he crashed over the line for a try.

3. Simon Berghan – Scotland

The Scottish powerhouse was simply immense for his side this weekend as they narrowly edged past France at Murrayfield. He made an impressive 11 carries, got through an incredible amount of work at the breakdown and made some crushing defensive hits. Scotland began to dominate at scrum time in the second half and it was largely down to the incredible work of this man.

4. Joe Launchbury – England

The big English second row forward put in an excellent performance for his side this weekend. He provided an excellent attacking lineout option and also managed to win a couple of lineouts against the throw. He was rock solid in defence, making a whopping 19 tackles including a few key cover tackles when Wales looked dangerous. He also caused the opposition an array of problems with his unwavering willingness to run straight into contact and smash his way over the gain line.

5. Jonny Gray – Scotland

The monstrous Scottish lock put in yet another phenomenal performance in his side's narrow margin victory over France. He consistently caused the opposition defence an array of problems with his combination of incredible power and direct running. He dominated the aerial battle at the lineout, got through an impressive amount of work at the breakdown and was impervious in defence, making 13 tackles and missing none.

6. Aaron Shingler – Wales

For the second week in a row, Shingler was the stand out performer in the Welsh forward pack. He completed 15 tackles and missed none, made 16 strong carries for a total of 64 metres gained and even managed to secure 2 vital turnovers for his side at crucial periods of the game. He got through a remarkable amount of work at the breakdown and consistently disrupted the speed of the England attack.

7. Chris Robshaw – England

Robshaw was one of the stand out performers in England’s close victory over Wales this weekend. As always, he was dogged at the breakdown, hitting countless rucks and consistently slowing the down the pace of the Wales attack. He was rock solid in defence, making an incredible 18 tackles including some crucial cover tackles at key moments of the game. He also showed great willingness to get on the ball, carrying 11 times for a total gain of 25 metres.

8. Ross Moriarty – Wales

The young Gloucester flanker was one of the better performers in the Wales pack this weekend. He laid down a marker early as he got in over the ball and secured a turnover for his side after just a few minutes of play. Remarkably, he was able to maintain this intensity throughout the game, completing all 16 of his attempted tackles and carrying a solid 11 times.

9. Greig Laidlaw – Scotland

The veteran Scottish scrum-half was the man of the match in his side's victory over Les Bleus this afternoon. He dictated the pace of the game well with very accurate passing and well-placed box kicks. He marshalled his backline masterfully and showed a really cool head throughout the game. Most impressive of all was his place kicking, he slotted all eight of his attempts, which was ultimately the deciding factor in this clash.

10. Jonathan Sexton – Ireland

Yet again Jonathan Sexton strolls into our team of the week with another fantastic performance in an Irish shirt. He dictated the pace of the attack beautifully with accurate passing and perfectly placed kicks. He was the glue that linked a dominant forward back with a fluid back line and a key player in Ireland securing this bonus point victory. He was also impeccable from the tee, slotting all five of his attempts at the posts.

11. Jacob Stockdale – Ireland

Stockdale looked to involve himself from the very start of the game with a few good carries early on from set piece plays. He unlocked the Italy defence with his blistering pace and excellent footwork. He showed great energy throughout, especially at the breakdown where he was able to secure a staggering four turnovers. He made a total of 132 metres, beat 6 defenders and bagged himself to two tries as he continues to prove himself to be a great future prospect for Irish rugby.

12. Owen Farrell – England

As always, Farrell was a key player this weekend in England’s victory over Wales. He was menacing with ball in hand, making two clean breaks and beating four defenders. He showed great awareness and ability to read the game as he consistently put teammates into dangerous attacking spaces with accurate passing. He also put in a huge shift defensively, making several big tackles and securing three turnovers for his side to take the sting out of the Welsh attack. 

13. Huw Jones – Scotland

Playing in the preferred role of outside centre for Scotland today, the young man was absolutely outstanding in both attack and defence. He posed a constant threat with ball in hand, consistently getting over the gain line and creating space for teammates by sucking in the opposition defenders. His tremendous attacking display was capped off when he ran a beautiful line to collect the ball and cruise through for a try. He was also a rock in defence, recording a 100% tackle success rate.

14. Teddy Thomas – France

The young Frenchman looks to be hitting top form again as this Six Nations campaign kicks into gear. He needed absolutely no time to warm up to the pace of the game as he burned Finn Russell on the outside to score a wonderful try after less than three minutes of play. He was hungry for the ball throughout and took every available opportunity to run straight at his opposite number. His combination of devastating power and blistering speed proved too much to handle at times as he gained a total of 54 metres and bagged himself a second try before halftime.

15. Mike Brown – England

The England full-back was absolutely exemplary in everything he did this weekend and looked to be returning to his incredible form of the past. His combination of pace and powerful running caused the Wales defence a host of problems throughout this fixture. He constantly put his side on the front foot, making countless breaks for a total of 118 metres gained. He also played a pivotal role defensively with some crucial last ditch cover tackles.