Team of the Week: Six Nations, Round Four

Adam Kyriacou

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

England lead the way with nine representatives in our XV with Scotland next in line with four. Wales make up the side with two players included in the team. Agree or disagree? Have your say in the comments section.

Team of the Week: Six Nations, Round Four

15 Henry Slade (England): Came on in the eighth minute and despite playing in a relatively unfamiliar position at Twickenham, he was a steady presence at full-back. Slade displayed his usual class with ball in hand and came through any tests with flying colours on Saturday, making 11 carries for 56 metres. His left foot step is a joy to behold at times and he edges Scotland captain Stuart Hogg to this spot, who was his usual busy self.

14 Anthony Watson (England): An outstanding comeback performance from the wing as his brilliant finish got the ball rolling for England against Wales. How he slipped Tomos Williams in such a small space was just magical and he went on to enjoy a strong afternoon, making 65 metres as he caused the Welsh countless problems. However, on the other side George North enjoyed one of his better games in red as he impressed us with a tireless effort.

13 Nick Tompkins (Wales): A quite brilliant shift on the losing side from Tompkins. After a shaky start to his international career – not through a lack of trying – Tompkins is beginning to find his feet and against England he was a bundle of energy. So difficult to bring to ground, the Saracens centre joined Hadleigh Parkes in making the most carries in the game and he finished on 71 metres. But it was his seven defenders beaten that really stood out.

12 Sam Johnson (Scotland): Such an underrated talent, Johnson was at his best in their win on Sunday as he mixed the physical with moments of quality. His lovely running lines were a feature all game and one helped set up Sean Maitland for a crucial score on the stroke of half-time while defensively he was one part of a strong midfield that contained Arthur Vincent and Virimi Vakatawa well.

11 Sean Maitland (Scotland): We felt compelled to make a wing switch here as Maitland deserved a spot in our team. While Elliot Daly might count himself unlucky to miss out after impressing wide out for England, Maitland gave one of his rock solid showings for Scotland. He was fully deserving of the aforementioned try on a memorable day for the team.

10 George Ford (England): Three 10s were in the mix here as Dan Biggar somehow put in an outstanding effort, this despite looking in serious pain for Northampton last week. His running game in particular stood out while Scotland’s Adam Hastings also oozed class on Sunday, showing Scotland can cope without Finn Russell. However, Ford was on another level on Saturday as his handling and decision making was a joy to watch at times. A quite brilliant performance.

9 Ben Youngs (England): Joining Ford in the half-backs is his club and international team-mate, Youngs. While France maestro Antoine Dupont showed flashes of quality that included a beautiful cross-kick for a try, Youngs put in a classy display throughout. It was his pass from a training ground move that sent Watson over early on and the veteran half-back grew in confidence from that, mixing his game expertly in a performance of high quality.

8 Tom Curry (England): Another all-action showing from the Sale Sharks man as he regularly trucked it up for his country and was equally busy in defence. Josh Navidi also impressed on his return to Test duty but we felt Curry fully deserved this spot as he continues to impress on the international stage.

7 Justin Tipuric (Wales): Freakish is one way to describe Tipuric and his two-try effort at Twickenham showed once again what a talent he is. While Hamish Watson and Mark Wilson put in huge shifts for Scotland and England respectively, Tipuric was on another level for Wales. Pace, power, skills; he has it all.

6 Jamie Ritchie (Scotland): Picked up the player of the match award at Murrayfield after a titanic display alongside Watson in the back-row. Ritchie was once again tireless in the tight and showed his pace with ball in hand when in possession as he sees off Courtney Lawes as our blindside.

5 George Kruis (England): He looked to be waving goodbye to Twickenham when he was replaced in the second half and if it was to be his last home appearance then he signed off in style. Kruis was a colossus against Wales as his usual set-piece dominance was backed up by a solid defensive display. Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist deserves a mention as he also impressed.

4 Maro Itoje (England): Alongside Kruis was Itoje and he too stood out as England’s pack enjoyed dominant spells against the Welsh. Itoje made 23 metres and 14 tackles in a busy afternoon in the engine room, once again showing his worth to the team as England continued their recovery after that Round One loss.

3 Zander Fagerson (Scotland): It was a close call between Fagerson and Kyle Sinckler, the latter being his usual complete self around the field as he racked up 17 tackles. But Fagerson just gets the nod as he helped lay the platform for a memorable Scottish win, joining his whole pack in enjoying strong days at the office.

2 Jamie George (England): His battle with Ken Owens was always going to be crucial and the Englishman came out with his nose in front with a faultless set-piece and good work around the field giving his side steady footing. While he was replaced before the hour mark by Luke Cowan-Dickie, George had ticked all the boxes required of him in his time on the field.

1 Joe Marler (England): A contentious call to finish as Marler has come in for criticism after Saturday. But away from that it was another rock solid performance from the loosehead prop as he edges Scotland’s Rory Sutherland to our one jersey. While repercussions may come, take nothing away from Marler’s efforts.

 

England