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Six Nations team of the week: Which players impressed in round four?
The Six Nations title fight will be settled on the final day after a vintage penultimate weekend left it all to play for on “Super Saturday”.
A stunning performance from Scotland threw the championship wide open as Gregor Townsend’s side conquered France in a 90-point epic, ending Les Bleus’ grand slam chances.
Ireland, too, remain in the title mix having survived a spirited performance from Wales in Dublin under the Friday night lights.
History, meanwhile, was made by Italy as they beat England for the first time in their history at the 33rd attempt.
But which players impressed in round four? Here are our picks for the Six Nations team of the week:
Loosehead prop: Rhys Carre, Wales
Was Carre’s sensational solo score enough on its own to earn inclusion here? Almost certainly, but his superb work in wider confines was matched by a number of thumping hits in the tight, as well as a strong scrummaging effort. The loosehead has fully emerged as an international force in this campaign, although faces plenty of competition for this spot: Pierre Schoeman, Jean-Baptiste Gros and Danilo Fischetti can count themselves unfortunate.
Hooker: Ronan Kelleher, Ireland
Kelleher perhaps went under the radar for Ireland yet showed again why he is such a fine deputy to Dan Sheehan, averaging three metres per carry to show his might and chipping in with 17 tackles. Giacomo Nicotera went well for Italy but for one moment of madness that saw him sent to the sin bin.
Tighthead prop: Zander Fagerson, Scotland
Credit must go to for D’Arcy Rae for getting Scotland off to a strong start, and to Gregor Townsend for holding Fagerson in reserve before sending his top prop on just before half time. The tighthead got around the park superbly, producing eight carries and nine tackles in 40 minutes while continuing to stabilise the scrum.
Lock: Niccolo Cannone, Italy
It’s tough to separate an Italian lock triumvirate that grew in stature in Rome, and Andrea Zambonin and Federico Ruzza (who particularly impressed at the lineout) were just as key cogs in a significant win. Cannone went all 80, though, resourcing rucks until the very last. Like Nicotera, Maro Itoje’s overall candidacy for inclusion is spoiled by a strange and cynical action.
Lock: Emmanuel Meafou, France
Meafou necessitates inclusion having changed France’s dimension after being introduced off the bench. Simply put, the visitors missed his sheer size in Edinburgh, and his offloading game after arriving caused plenty of problems, too. It is a worry for Scotland that starting lock pair Cummings and Gregor Brown are serious injury doubts for their final day trip to Dublin.
Blindside flanker: Alex Mann, Wales
A tireless tackling performance from Mann against Ireland, with the flanker making 32 hits in all to characterise a gutsy, gritty Welsh performance. His intercept of Jamison Gibson-Park on his own line saved seven points, too. After a tough period, Wales seem to have found a pack that has the physical edge to mix it at Test level.
Openside flanker: Manuel Zuliani, Italy
So many in Italian blue come close to making this forward pack, and all three of their back row might have merited inclusion. Zuliani, though, is having a storming tournament, and again proved a breakdown nuisance and thumping hitter in the defensive line. Oscar Jegou was one of France’s best, though an ugly incident with Ewan Ashman may require further investigation.
No 8: Jack Conan, Ireland
Are we being sneaky in including a man who wore the six shirt at No 8? Yes, but it is our team of the week, so we make the rules, and Conan was stationed at the base of scrums several times in Ireland’s win over Wales. His heft was mightily useful in (eventually) getting the hosts over the line.
Scrum half: Ben White, Scotland
Scotland’s speed of ball was a key part of their success against France, with more than half of their rucks cleared inside three seconds. White’s whippy passing kept them moving at a serious tempo that the visitors could not live with.
Fly half: Finn Russell, Scotland
A wonderfully balanced performance from a great illustrator picking his passes perfectly. Russell was tidy from the tee, too, which ultimately proved crucial in denying France a second bonus point.
Left wing: Kyle Steyn, Scotland
Outstanding all year as leader and player for Glasgow, Steyn has brought that form into a Six Nations where he has hit new heights. Such a well-rounded operator, he beats out Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Monty Ioane to this place.
Inside centre: Sione Tuipulotu, Scotland
Tuipulotu enjoyed a famous day as Scotland skipper, leading from the front to show his triple-threat skillset in attack particularly. Scotland used the same attacking shape to cut France on three occasions with three different variations with Tuipulotu at the apex – first pulling back to Finn Russell for Darcy Graham’s opener, then carrying himself to make metres, before finally sending Tom Jordan under the posts on a short line with a deft bit of handling.
Outside centre: Tommaso Menoncello, Italy
Menoncello may wear the No 12 on his back but he interchanges often in partnership with Juan Ignacio Brex, and went to outside centre after Leonardo Marin’s introduction. Besides, we simply couldn’t leave an unstoppable force out – Menoncello’s outstanding line cracked England open in the first half before providing another enormous impact in the history-making try.
Right wing: Darcy Graham, Scotland
Benched for the start of the tournament, Graham looks back to his vibrant, confident best and consistently troubled the French defence. He works so well with Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn, connecting in the wide channels.
Full-back: Lorenzo Pani, Italy
Rock solid at the back, Pani produced another composed performance in the stead of Ange Capuozzo. Italy’s performance was all the more the impressive given the players they are missing, from Jacopo Trulla and Edoardo Todaro in the back three to Seb Negri, Marco Riccioni, Ross Vintcent and Gianmarco Lucchesi up front.