Six Nations 2015: Best XV from Matchday 2
The second week of the 2015 Six Nations is in the books. England sent Italy packing with little bother at Twickenham, and Ireland kicked France into touch in Dublin.
The show moved on to Murrayfield on Sunday, when Wales redeemed themselves with a win. Scotland, however, once again showed vast improvement from previous seasons.
We head into a blank weekend with Ireland’s clash with England in Dublin now looking like the pivotal fixture in the destination of this year’s silverware.
Here is the team of the week.
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15. Leigh Halfpenny
Halfpenny kicked 16 points in Wales’ 26-23 win over Scotland. Aside from his goal-kicking, he showed great ability in attack, creating Rhys Webb’s try and also putting in a perfect defensive performance.
Honourable mention to Stuart Hogg for a blistering try.
14. Jonathan Joseph
Joseph put in another scintillating display against Italy. His first try showcased his fast feet once again as he stood his man up and shimmied round him, then we saw his poise to consider his options before hitting the gas and making it himself. His second was on a plate as he zoomed through a gaping hole in the Italian defence after silky work from George Ford.
The poser for England’s selectors is the fact that Joseph did much of his good work from the wing, having shifted out there after an injury to Mike Brown saw a reshuffle of personnel early in the match.
11. Liam Williams
He had the measure of his man and made some important runs for 94 metres gained with the ball. His tackling was slightly iffy at times, but Williams showed Wales can cope without George North. He also looked infinitely more dangerous than Lions Test wing Alex Cuthbert on the other flank.
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13. Luca Morisi
The Italian outside centre scored twice for the Azzurri at Twickenham and even before that showed how dangerous he could be when escaping up the left touchline early in the game.
His first try showed good vision to spot he was up against two front-five forwards and the pace to exploit the mismatch, while his second was a quality finish in the corner.
12. Robbie Henshaw
It wasn’t a day in Dublin for dancing feet in midfield and Henshaw had no chances in attack, but he had a key role to play in stopping the charges of Mathieu Bastareaud, most of them made straight at Jonny Sexton. Henshaw stood firm, putting in 16 tackles and making two turnovers.
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10. Jonny Sexton
Sexton was inch-perfect with almost all his kicks as Ireland strangled France in Dublin. Five from five shots at goal were allied with a laser-guided bombardment that France had no answer for.
9. Ben Youngs
Youngs was at the hub of all things good accomplished by England. His sharpness is back, and the time spent as skipper of Leicester has given him standing as a figure of authority in this England side. His mindfulness brought him a try from a quickly taken tap while the Italians were still having a mothers' meeting.
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8. Billy Vunipola
Vunipola had a better game than the one he had against Wales. Vunipola's size and speed made him difficult to drag down for the Italian defenders, and he set a platform for England to launch from. His fitness issues also seem to have been resolved. Another 80-minute display was punctuated with 17 tackles.
7. Chris Robshaw
England’s style of play has nullified the debate over whether they need a pure No. 7, but it has done nowhere near as much as the form of Chris Robshaw to put that argument to bed. The England skipper was immense again against Italy. He led the tackle count and made some crucial turnovers, notably the one that led to Jonathan Joseph’s first try.
6. Peter O’Mahony
The Munster skipper was relentless in his work in the dark spaces, where much of this game was played. He forced one important turnover and never let his energy levels drop.
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5. Alun-Wyn Jones
Jones put a real shift in around the fringes of the breakdown, carrying the ball well for those short-yardage gains and making tackles when it mattered.
4. Paul O’Connell
O’Connell’s appetite for this sort of battle only seems to grow as his years advance. He made 13 tackles against France and was never far from the action.
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3. Vincent Debaty
France changed their whole front row on 50 minutes and took a firm hold of the scrum from that point on. The destroyer-in-chief was Vincent Debaty, who set to work on the Irish front row and caused mayhem at the set piece.
2. Ross Ford
Ford had one of his best performances in a Scottish jersey, smashing into tackles and carrying the ball powerfully. The Scottish scrum also made a mess of the Welsh pack on more than one occasion, with Ford’s size and strength a major factor in their dominance there.
1. Alasdair Dickinson
Dickinson was equally responsible for the excellent display put on by Scotland’s scrummaging unit. The late call-up for Aaron Jarvis on the Welsh tight-head can’t have helped their preparation, but Dickinson took full advantage, driving straight and true through his man.
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