Six Nations: Team of Round Two
Now that the dust has settled in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, Planet Rugby thought it was only right to hail the star performers of Round Two.
Now that the dust has settled in Paris, Cardiff and Rome, Planet Rugby thought it was only right to hail the standout performers of Round Two.
Unlike a slightly tepid opening weekend, fans enjoyed a captivating couple of days with decent games on show notably between Wales and Scotland before France stripped Ireland of their Grand Slam tag at the Stade de France.
Action on Sunday meanwhile saw England fall into the nasty trap of playing Italy at their own game and were lucky to escape Rome with two points. They will need to improve their thinking when they meet a hurting Irish on February 27.
So who were the players that grabbed our attention at PR HQ? See for yourself in the second of our Championship line-ups..feel free to mail in your own selections!
Six Nations: PR's XV of Round Two:
15 Cl̩ment Poitrenaud (France) РFor the second week in succession, the Toulouse man wins our full-back jersey thanks to an almost faultless evening in Paris. Solid under the high ball and once again slippery in an attacking sense, it was hats off to Cl̩ment Poitrenaud.
14 Andrea Masi (Italy) – The versatile Italian veteran did exactly what was required for Nick Mallett on Sunday. Andrea Masi always gave Craig Gower an option off his wing and was a solid defensive presence against the little that England's expansive attack threw at him.
13 Jamie Roberts (Wales) – PR's gloves were off for this jersey with one wanting Sean Lamont, one Mathieu Bastareaud and another keen for Jamie Roberts. But the 2009 Lions Player of the Tour eventually got the nod due to the fact he was a big part of Wales' fightback in Cardiff. Please excuse the fact that he is a number twelve.
12 Yannick Jauzion (France) – Another assured showing from the experienced centre as he continues to guide Francois Trinh-Duc and Mathieu Bastareaud through the early stages of their international careers. Yannick Jauzion took his try very well and is beginning to prove that he is invaluable to France as the World Cup approaches.
11 Shane Williams (Wales) – It was great to see Shane Williams back to his best. The final quarter in Cardiff was one of the more memorable finishes to a Six Nations fixture as Leigh Halfpenny and then the Ospreys winger crossed to seal an epic comeback.
10 Dan Parks (Scotland) – It proved almost to be a stroke of brilliance from coach Andy Robinson as he brought in Dan Parks for Phil Godman going into Round Two. The game-management of the Glasgow fly-half saw him put Scotland in all the right areas.
9 Morgan Parra (France) – Fifteen points for Morgan Parra as the scrum-half made sure he was not left eating his words after labelling Ireland 'cheats'. Once again a calming presence at the base which makes him vital to France's chances of winning a Grand Slam.
8 Imanol Harinordoquy (France) – Whoever renamed him 'Harryordinary' should eat his words. Biarritz's star forward has been immense for France in their opening two fixtures as he offers both a very solid lineout option while running exceptionally well in the loose.
7 John Barclay (Scotland) – He came very close to lining up alongside Scotland team-mate Johnnie Beattie, who deserves a mention for the second week in a row. But John Barclay was just too good to turn down and took his early try with aplomb.
6 Thierry Dusautoir (France) – Although an openside by trade, we are going on shirt numbers and that means Thierry Dusautoir makes his first appearance in our XV. Both France and Lionel Nallet have improved dramatically since he took over the captaincy with his tackle count and work-rate immense again.
5 Lionel Nallet (France) РThe sizeable Racing-M̩tro lock was a colossus as he carried, secured lineouts and was also solid in the scrum. While fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc got the match accolade, Lionel Nallet's graft was the catalyst for France.
4 Leo Cullen (Ireland) – Donncha O'Callaghan's stand-in at lock stood up and was not overawed by the Paris spectacle even though on the back foot. It can even be argued that Leo Cullen put in a better showing than Paul O'Connell as Ireland struggled to compete.
3 Dan Cole (England) – A very strong debut performance from the young Englishman, who has only made a handful of appearances for Leicester this season. Going up against the experienced Salvatore Perugini, Dan Cole was strong in the set-piece and proved to be one positive for Martin Johnson to take away from Rome.
2 William Servat (France) – In the middle of arguably the strongest and most talented pack in the Championship, William Servat has been a consistent performer over the back end of 2009 and the early part of this year. The opening try was a worthy reward for a strong showing before he came off for Dimitri Szarzewski.
1 Thomas Domingo (France) – It is good to see this loosehead given an extended run in the XV particularly after not being a regular for Clermont. Thomas Domingo has a long career ahead of him and if he keeps this up then Fabien Barcella will find it tough to get back in.