Six Nations Team of the Week

With the dust beginning to settle after the first weekend of the 2012 Six Nations, we dish out some praise to those who stood out.

With the dust beginning to settle after the first weekend of the 2012 Six Nations Championship, we dish out some praise to those who stood out.

Sunday's thriller in Dublin proved to be the pick of the games although, unfortunately, two crucial decisions from the match officials took some of the glimmer off the Welsh victory. Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall as Sam Warburton and Bradley Davies discuss what constitutes a red card-worthy tip tackle?

France's clinical win over a dynamic-looking Italy side confirmed their status as tournament favourites. Having had very little preparation time, les Bleus started off slowly but got better and better until they were looking very smooth by the end of the 80 minutes in Paris.

We offer our condolences to those unfortunate enough to have witnessed the first 40 minutes at Murrayfield. Luckily the last 20 proved very exciting. England are clearly still a work in progress but can take heart from the fighting spirit on display.

Unsurprisingly then, most of our team is made of Welsh, Irish and Frenchmen.

Team of Round One:

15 Rob Kearney (Ireland) – Impeccable under the high ball, the Leinsterman converted his excellent Heineken Cup form onto the Test stage. Andrea Masi did well for Italy and Leigh Halfpenny deserves some kudos for holding his nerve to slot the winning three-pointer at Lansdowne Road.

14 George North (Wales) – Arguably the player of the weekend, the 19-years-old Scarlets monster once again showed his potential to become a star of the world game, scoring a try and creating another. A mention too for Tommy Bowe.

13 Jonathan Davies (Wales) РAnother strong performance from Davies, who ran great angles all day and finished off two tries superbly. A mention must go to Aur̩lien Rougerie, who scored France's first try with a fine solo effort and was solid on defence.

12 Wesley Fofana (France) – A promising start to the Test career of one of France's brightest rising stars. The Clermont youngster was a real handful on attack. Likewise, Owen Farrell did well under difficult circumstances on his international debut.

11 Julien Malzieu (France) – The Man of the Match at the Stade de France, Malzieu's touch down goes straight to the top of the list of contenders for try of tournament. He beat five defenders to score probably the best try of 2012 so far. Brilliant!

10 Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) – If you think we're intentionally throwing a cat amongst the pigeons here, you're right. Laidlaw only played 20 minutes but the difference he made to the Scottish attack cannot go unnoticed by Andy Robinson. Did he score a try? The debate will go for while yet…

9 Mike Phillips (Wales) – The Official Man of the Match in Dublin, the Bayonne 9 was full of positive intentions and regularly attacked the gain line with success.

8 Louis Picamoles (France) – Scotland's stand-out performer David Denton is unlucky not to get the nod after a eye-catching display but Picamoles's ball carrying was second to none. The Toulouse charger's break to set up Malzieu's try was out of the top drawer.

7 Chris Robshaw (England) – Murrayfield witnessed a real war at the breakdown and England's captain was in the front lines. The image of Robshaw in a ripped shirt squaring off with Chris Cusiter spoke a thousand words. A mention too for Treviso loose forward Robert Barbieri, who continues to catch the eye.

6 Ryan Jones (Wales) – The former Wales skipper put on his best performance in a red jersey for many moons, running hard and providing leadership when Sam Warburton was forced off. Thierry Dusautoir was his usual devastating self on defence.

5 Jim Hamilton (Scotland) – One of Scotland's best ball carriers, Hamilton was also solid at line-out time. Paul O'Connell ruled in the air at the line-outs and restarts in the Irish capital.

4 Cornelius van Zyl (Italy) – The French line-out jumpers were given a tough time by their opposite numbers and Van Zyl was very active all around the park. Mentions too for Richie Gray and Donncha O'Callaghan.

3 Nicolas Mas (France) – Italy's much-vaunted scrum was never able to truly get on top as Mas and William Servat proved immovable in supporting Vincent Debaty.

2 Rory Best (Ireland) – Ireland's line-out functioned well and Best was rewarded for a solid display with his team's first try. Leonardo Ghiraldini was consistent for Italy.

1 Cian Healy (Ireland) – A hard-working performance from Ireland's loosehead, making nine tackles and carrying 10 times. Alex Corbisiero did well for England, securing a crucial turnover on his own tryline and impressing at scrum time.