Elliot Daly one of five England players selected in Six Nations team of the weekend

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Jack de Menezes13 February 2017

15. Stuart Hogg

Bagged his third try of the tournament as his footwork left Baptiste Serin of France on his heels. Could have done better to prevent Gael Fickou’s score, but his attacking flair still ensured he was the standout 15 this weekend.

14. Elliot Daly

His match-winning try will go down in English folklore, but it was his determination to chase Dan Biggar and beat him to the loose ball after his interception that saved England in Cardiff.

Has jettisoned into Lions contention over the last two weeks.

13. Garry Ringrose

If he eased himself in last weekend Ringrose dazzled against Italy as he beat five men and made more metres than anyone else in Rome rout. Bagged a try of his own for good measure.

12. Gael Fickou

A constant thorn in the Scottish defences’ side as he combined power and precision to burst open gaps in the line.

Took his try very well, reaching out to score that immediately capped the Scots’ momentum.

11. Liam Williams

Just ousts Simon Zebo thanks to his illusive running against solid defender Jack Nowell and beautiful line the cut through the England defence and score on the stroke of half-time.

Had another chance when he combined with Jonathan Davies, and unlucky to be on the losing side come the full-time whistle.

10. Dan Biggar

About as good a defensive display as you will see from a fly half. Made an exceptional 14 tackles as Nathan Hughes tried to ram the ball down his throat, and his interception on his own line saved Wales from conceding and gained them 80m in the process.

Unlucky not to bag himself a try, as the combination of Nowell, Daly and a forward pass robbed him of three chances to score.

9. Rhys Webb

Unlucky not to score when his lunge for the line saw him ground the ball short, but he opened the space for Liam Williams to touch down with a smart line at the English defence.

Could find himself in trouble for what looked to be a deliberate knee to Maro Itoje though.

1. Cian Healy

Announced his return to the starting line-up in style as Ireland won all of their scrums and also one against the head, with the first ending in a penalty for the Irish to set the tone.

His power will only strengthen an Irish pack that could match France at scrum time. England’s Joe Marler is unlucky to miss out after a very strong outing in defence.

2. Niall Scannell

In at the last minute following Rory Best’s unavailability through illness, Scannell coped exceptionally well and helped run a 100 per cent lineout in Rome.

Chipped in with seven carries for a 21m gain too to allow the back-row and back line to take the glory.

3. Dan Cole

Came up trumps for England when it mattered most as Wales chose to scrum a penalty that resulted in Cole turning in Rob Evans and relieving the pressure, proving the old dog still has some bite left in him.

4. Joe Launchbury

A brilliant display of determination with the ball and grit without it as he led the way with the most tackles a well as the second-most carries, and combined with Itoje to drive home England’s advantage in the scrum.

Getty Images

5. Courtney Lawes

One of his finest performances in an England shirt that proves he’s another benefitting from the Eddie Jones effect.

One bone-shuddering hit on Biggar set the tone for England’s defensive display, and also contributed with an impressive 20 tackles.

6. CJ Stander

Three tries will always go a long way to getting you in the team of the week for any flanker, but that only tells half of the story.

The Munster man was unstoppable, making 73m and beating 11 defenders and helped put Italy out of the game before half time.

7. Kevin Gourdon

The standout French forward as they imposed themselves on the Scottish pack, both in the scrum and the loose.

Scotland had no answer when it came to scrum time, but it was Gourdon’s running with the ball in hand that really stood out and he also put in some monster hits defensively as the opposition crumbled.

8. Nathan Hughes

Beats Jamie Heaslip to the shirt by the slimmest of margins, but it was his ability to break the gain line that wins him the shirt.

Smashed his way through the line with 22 carries and his 75 metres contributed enormously, none more so than the smart break from the base of a ruck that led to three points.

Team P W D L F A BP Pts
England 2 2 0 0 40 32 0 8
Ireland 2 1 0 1 85 37 2 6
Wales 2 1 0 1 49 28 1 5
France 2 1 0 1 38 35 1 5
Scotland 2 1 0 1 43 44 1 5
Italy 2 0 0 2 17 96 0 0
 

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