Team of the Week: Six Nations, Round Four

Colin Newboult

With the dust having now settled on Round Four of the Six Nations, we take a look back over the recent games to select our Team of the Week.

Ireland lead the way with six nominations following their impressive victory over France, while England are next best after several individuals excelled in the triumph against Italy.

Team of the Week: Six Nations, Round Four

15 Elliot Daly (England): Probably the Wasps player’s best performance in the full-back jersey as he produced an accomplished display against Italy. Set up Jonny May’s try directly with a nice break before sending Joe Cokanasiga free for Dan Robson’s score. Was always a threat from the back and looked to counter-attack regularly, meaning he edged out WalesLiam Williams, who was excellent before going off injured, and Ireland’s Jordan Larmour.

14 Joe Cokanasiga (England): Whenever he starts, the Fijian-born powerhouse impresses and the Azzurri struggled to handle the wing. His pace and power was obvious but the Bath player also has an excellent skill set, which was in evidence early on when his catch and back-of-the-hand offload almost sent Tom Curry away. Elsewhere, Keith Earls played well for Ireland and scored a nice try but Cokanasiga comfortably takes his place in the XV.

13 Manu Tuilagi (England): It is great to see Tuilagi in full flight after the struggles the centre has endured with injury. The 27-year-old dominated the midfield and scored an excellent individual try after he powered through Italy’s first-up defence, before the Leicester player was the recipient of Jamie George’s superb pass as he touched down for the second time. It is tough on Jonathan Davies, who was brilliant in both attack and defence for Wales, but Tuilagi’s effort was too good to ignore.

12 Hadleigh Parkes (Wales): Found his form at just the right time to produce a man of the match performance against Scotland. The Scarlets man took some excellent lines with ball in hand, particularly in the first half, as they went 15-6 up at the break and then did his bit in defence, making a superb 17 tackles. Scotland pressurised the visitors in the second period but Parkes was a brick wall after the interval.

11 Darcy Graham (Scotland): Is a real talent and someone who will surely be a regular in the Scottish team over the coming years after an impressive effort against Wales. Was his side’s most potent threat throughout and caused consternation for the visiting defence, deservedly going over for a try in the second half. Josh Adams also maintained his fine form in this Six Nations, but Graham just about edged the duel.

10 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland): Under pressure to recapture his best form, Sexton took a step in the right direction against the French with a solid showing that saw him rewarded with a try. Gareth Anscombe and Owen Farrell went well for Wales and England respectively but Sexton is our pick after a much better shift, albeit thanks largely to his forward pack being on the front foot throughout.

9 Conor Murray (Ireland): Joining Sexton in the half-backs is fellow Irishman Murray, who also enjoyed an armchair ride in the win over France. He weathered the ever-changing conditions perfectly and kept things simple to win the battle for our nine shirt, with only Gareth Davies of Wales coming close. Their battle at the Principality Stadium on Saturday will be key to which team comes out on top.

8 CJ Stander (Ireland): Making his first Six Nations appearance since Round One, it was like Stander had never been away as he finished with the game’s second most carries on 18. Always a willing option as Ireland turned the screw for the vast majority of the match, it was an impressive comeback from Stander, who edges England’s Billy Vunipola and Scotland’s busy replacement Hamish Watson.

7 Justin Tipuric (Wales): It says something about Tipuric that Sam Warburton’s retirement has hardly been felt. That’s not being critical of Warburton in the slightest, it’s just that Tipuric is such an brilliant flank that he’s slotted in seamlessly. Tom Curry was next in line here but, for his workrate and impact in the tackle area, it had to be Tipuric, who is in outstanding form.

6 Brad Shields (England): Magnus Bradbury gets a nod of acknowledgement for his efforts in defeat to Wales as he put in a tireless shift. However, flank Shields made the most of his start with a brace of tries to go with 10 carries and a team high 20 tackles.

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5 Alun Wyn Jones (Wales): The veteran second-row was in the thick of the action in a brutal physical contest against Scotland and guided his side to a memorable win at Murrayfield. The 33-year-old was his side’s go-to man in the lineouts and did his bit on defence with 15 tackles. England’s George Kruis also impressed against Italy but just misses out.

4 James Ryan (Ireland): The 22-year-old got through plenty of graft as Ireland’s forwards set up a good platform for their backs against France in Dublin. Ryan was good with ball in hand, especially at close quarters, and eventually gained 20 metres from 19 carries with two defenders beaten. He also impressed on defence and made 13 hits. Felix Lambey of France was next best as he got through plenty of work without the ball.

3 Kyle Sinckler (England): A lot was said about Sinckler’s temperament – after he conceded some crucial penalties in England’s loss to Wales – but he delivered a polished display in his side’s demolition of Italy at Twickenham. Sinckler stood up well in the scrums and was a willing ball carrier, but also made an impact on defence with nine tackles during a 55-minute shift.

2 Rory Best (Ireland): Returned to the reigning champions’ matchday squad in the win over France and hit the ground running with a fine all-round performance. The Ulsterman got the ball rolling by showing great determination and strong leg drive to score the opening try. Also impressed with his core duties and makes the team ahead of England’s Jamie George.

1 Cian Healy (Ireland): The Leinsterman’s scrum battle with France youngster Demba Bamba was a titanic duel but Healy was solid in the set-piece throughout. He also did his bit as a ball carrier and was unlucky not to score midway through the first half when he knocked on with the try-line begging. The 31-year-old also made his presence felt on defence with seven tackles.