Six Nations Team of the Week: David Campese hails ‘best player on the planet’ Antoine Dupont while ‘little genius’ takes the mickey
David Campese selects his Six Nations Team of the Week after round three.
Following an enthralling round of the 2025 Six Nations, Wallabies great David Campese selects his Team of the Week.
My overriding thoughts on the fixtures in this round was the sheer contrast of shades of Test rugby that we saw. The hwyl of Wales in their performance against Ireland needs to be applauded, whilst the Calcutta Cup match might not be some people’s cup of tea but the fans of defensive excellence would love the way that England stood up and refused to move.
There were so many performances to admire, but France, Antoine Dupont and their back three were an absolute joy to watch; heads-up rugby of the highest order and it was great to see so much intuition over structure on the pitch.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s my Six Nations Team of the Week.
Six Nations Team of the Week
15 Leo Barre (France): Les Bleus have an absolute baller in this guy. His frame is reminiscent of Chris Latham – big, fast and direct. I thought that Jamie Osborne had a classy outing for Ireland, whilst Blair Kinghorn hurt England time and time again when they overkicked.
14 Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland): It was Duhan versus England at times! I have moved him across to the right wing to balance my selection, but I have to also applaud Kyle Rowe, his teammate, who made crucial interventions to set up two tries for the Scots. Elsewhere, a word for Theo Attissogbé, a rising star for France and Tom Rogers, brilliant in the air for Wales.
13 Huw Jones (Scotland): A Rolls-Royce display from a brilliant centre, he got one over on the Poms once again, despite the defeat. Nacho Brex was magnificent in defeat for Italy and very much got the better of Pierre-Louis Barassi.
12 Bundee Aki (Ireland): Game-changing. Ireland were stuttering and fluttering until the big fella came on and he simply changed the shape and dynamic of the match in an outstanding shift. France’s Yoram Moefana goes under the radar but was excellent for Les Bleus, and I also thought Tom Jordan had some impressive moments for the Scots.
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France): At times the little genius simply took the mickey. That one-handed basketball catch and offload is something I wish I could have done! He was brilliant in every aspect of his play and could have been the Player of the Match. James Lowe once again stood up for Ireland in a great all-round display in their win.
10 Sam Prendergast (Ireland): Not a great weekend for tens, and I considered putting Dupont in here to allow me to pick another outstanding nine, but Prendergast kept his cool under immense pressure to see Ireland through. Thomas Ramos was superb for France in a great running display. A word for Fin Smith – 16 tackles and a superb defensive effort was a key part of the Poms’ win.
9 Antoine Dupont (France): I know the Irish readers will be fuming that I didn’t go for the other brilliant scrum half, Jamison Gibson-Park, but this was something else from the great AD9. Two tries, made about six others and just reminded us all that he’s the best player on the planet. A word for two defeated nines, Ben White and Tomos Williams – both gave their all for Scotland and Wales respectively.
Forward pack
8 Taulupe Faletau (Wales): What a player! He simply rolled back the years in a superb performance – so much so he keeps out the brilliant Gregory Alldritt of France. Ben Earl played most of the match at eight for England and he’s my runner-up.
7 Jac Morgan (Wales): Might well be the Lions starter if he continues on his trajectory – a real skipper’s innings in defeat. France’s Paul Boudehent was wonderfully physical, Ben Curry was game-changing for England and I also thought that Rory Darge gave everything for the Scots in defeat.
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6 Francois Cros (France): The only French forward to complete 80 in Rome, but when you watch that match back you’ll be amazed at his work rate. So much of the French momentum came from his ruck and linking work and if I were playing with the guy I’d buy him beers all night. Tom Curry was huge for England, and Jamie Ritchie had one of his best days for Scotland despite the result.
5 Mickaël Guillard (France): From his first-minute jackal to his try-scoring efforts, the Lyon man was brilliant. Ollie Chessum’s return sorted so much out for England – the lineout, the carrying and a lot of defensive grunt work and I thought Chessum was a key man for the Poms.
4 Maro Itoje (England): Influential, calm and brilliant leadership, he’s really back to his best, but god knows how he was awarded a ruck penalty whilst simultaneously levitating himself off the ground! Joe McCarthy went well for Ireland, whilst Thibaud Flament’s return was key for France.
3 WillGriff John (Wales): Got the better of Andrew Porter big time and did a real number on him in a really impressive shift. England’s Will Stuart is fast becoming the stand-out candidate for a Lions Test start and he impressed me immensely once again.
2 Dan Sheehan (Ireland): A toss-up between Sheehan and Peato Mauvaka, exceptional for Les Bleus in Rome. But Dan has taken the skipper’s armband and he delivered a big personal performance on his comeback from his horrendous injury last season.
1 Ellis Genge (England): Another statement performance as he saw off a quality tighthead in Zander Fagerson. Genge has really improved his scrummaging and he takes the shirt off Cyril Baille, who had a lovely romp around Stadium Olimpico for France as a replacement, and Wales’ Nicky Smith.
