Six Nations 2015: Best XV from Matchday 5

The most incredible Six Nations finale in living memory gave us plenty of performances to drool over.

Tries from props, magic hands from hookers, hat-tricks from wings and some dazzling dancing feet in midfield helped the points tally rocket from the word go on Super Saturday.

That Ireland ended up with the title was almost a footnote to the sheer joy of seeing tries rain down where the previous four rounds had seen tight tactics driven by a desire to keep errors low.

The staggered kick-off times unshackled every team—each knowing the job they had to do required a mountain of points to keep them in contention—and made them play the only way they could to have a chance of winning the competition.

A game briefly liberated from defence-minded coaching suggested, perhaps, that it is not so much the laws—endlessly critiqued and tweaked by the powers that be—that are the cause of the drudgery we can often be subjected to.

Rather, coaches judged on results insist on risk-free rugby above all else. Can we blame them?

Yesterday, they had no choice but to drop that playbook in the bin and tell their players to go for it.

The results spoke for themselves, as does the final week’s first XV.

The Back 3

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

15. Stuart Hogg

Stuart Hogg was superb for Scotland all afternoon—right up to the moment he lost control of the ball in the act of scoring a last-minute try that could have robbed Ireland of their second consecutive Six Nations title.

14. George North

A hat-trick for George North helped Wales to their 61 points against Italy. His treble featured a run-in, a one on one and a burst through the middle, none of which Italy had a single answer to.

Honourable mention to Tommy Bowe

Tommy Bowe set the mood for Ireland’s demolition of the Scots with a screaming run off his wing in the first attack of the game at Murrayfield. He nearly got away down the right in the second half and was in tune with the theme of the day by throwing a pass over his head to try and keep the move going.

11. Jack Nowell

He scored one fewer try than George North, but Nowell’s double came against better opposition than North had in front of him. He's been loking more and more comfortable at this level, and nothing seems to phase the Exeter youngster.

Centres

13. Jonathan Davies

Jonathan Davies did much of the work that allowed Wales to cut so loose in the second half in Rome. He has had a solid tournament.

12. Maxime Mermoz

Luther Burrell played well for England, as did Robbie Henshaw and Jamie Roberts for Ireland and Wales respectively, both carrying powerfully at inside centre. However, Mermoz, controversially in the side in place of the uber-talented Wesley Fofana, displayed his mesmerising feet and wonderful timing to electrify the France back line. He took his try well too. With him and Fofana to choose form at 12, Philippe Saint-Andre really has no excuses.

Half Backs

10. George Ford

George Ford showed he is the man to lead England into a more creative era. Composed throughout against France, one of the most impressive things is his ability to stand flat and hang on until the moment is right to give a pass and put someone into space. He was Johnny on the spot to offload for Ben Youngs’ opener too.

9. Ben Youngs

Wales’ Rhys Webb set a high standard for the rest of the day’s No. 9s to live up to on Saturday, but Ben Youngs went beyond him. His eye for a gap was razor sharp, and he set the tone at Twickenham with his first-minute score, adding another before half-time. He also created George Ford’s score.

Back Row

8. Jamie Heaslip

Jamie Heaslip won’t need his wallet on a night out in Dublin any time soon. His tackle on Stuart Hogg was executed with enough power and even better precision to dislodge the ball as the Scotsman tried to ground it. Ireland’s chances of the title hung on that moment.

7. Sean O’Brien

Two tries to round off a wonderful return to fitness and form for Sean O’Brien. His shoulder trouble is a thing of the past, and he was Ireland’s standout forward at Murrayfield.

6. Thierry Dusautoir

Old-timer Thierry Dusautoir–who is, in fact, only 33–was in ebullient form at Twickenham, clamping himself onto anything in white that moved.

Second Row

5. Paul O’Connell

A try for Paul O’Connell capped another tireless performance from Ireland’s captain. He was the first scorer of the day, and that was only his seventh try in 101 Tests for Ireland on a day when his team knew they needed to rack up the points.

4. Alun-Wyn Jones

It was another totemic performance from Alun-Wyn Jones, who stood out again for his tackling, carrying and generalship of the Welsh forward effort.

Front Row

3. Dan Cole

On his 50th cap, Dan Cole proved his is still the lynchpin for this English scrum, and his work at the breakdown was as industrious as ever.

2. Guilhem Guirado

Guilhem Guirado enjoyed the open spaces at Twickenham, taking and giving the ball like a seasoned centre for Noa Nakaitaci’s first try, then delivering an outrageous back-of-the-hand pass into the bread basket of Maxime Mermoz to put him in under the posts.

1. Vincent Debaty

Vincent Debaty, the big man from Clermont Auvergne, showed great awareness and fitness to stay on the heels of Noa Nakaitaci and collect the wing’s pass and claim a superb try.