Team of the Weekend (3)

miteyironpaw wrote:...
I've opted for the French front row en-masse for a truly dominant performance over Scotland and because copying and pasting three of their complicated names is easier than trying to find where one ends and the next one begins. Plus the inclusion of a French player with a Russian name implies a bit of poaching, even if the chap was born in Narbonne...

15. Rob Kearney (Ireland)
The mesmeric fullback showed signs of being back to his usual supremacy with a series of sniping runs, off-loads and accurate kicking.

14. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
The 19-year-old is the shining star within Scottish rugby at the moment. His full Test debut was marked with a try and whenever he got on the ball - Murrayfield rose to its feet.

13. Manu Tuilagi (England)
The outside centre was bouncing people off him all game and provided much of England's spark going forward.

12. Wesley Fofana (France)
One of the most naturally talented young inside centres in the northern hemisphere, Fofana saw his stock rise with his second try in as many matches for France with a precise angled run against Scotland.

11. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
The Irish winger claimed third spot in the all-time Irish scoring charts with his double against Italy. A constant thorn in the Azzurri's side, Bowe was superb.

10. Owen Farrell (England)
The fly-half is showing maturity beyond his tender years and while fellow half-back Johnny Sexton was awarded the man of the match in Saturday's match between Ireland and Italy, Farrell just edges him after his impressive all-round performance.

9. Mike Phillips (Wales)
The scrum-half did the simple things well. He put his side in the right areas of the pitch and did his best to disrupt his opponent Lee Dickson.

1. Jean-Baptiste Poux (France)
France enjoyed supremacy in the front-row against Scotland and Poux dominated opposite number Geoff Cross throughout.

2. Ross Ford (Scotland)
The hooker made some yards in the loose and was the fire at the heart of an impressive Scottish performance.

3. Adam Jones (Wales)
Jones got the better of Alex Corbisiero and also acquitted himself well in the loose.

4. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
The lock was immense against Italy and showed signs of being back to his 2009 British & Irish Lions best.

5. Richie Gray (Scotland)
Is there anything the second-row can't do? Off-loading, gainline breaking runs and solid in the scrum - Gray gets better and better.

6. Dan Lydiate (Wales)
The blindside edged the England back-row and although compatriot Sam Warburton gets the headlines, Lydiate is going about his business in a quiet and ruthlessly efficient manner.

7. Ross Rennie (Scotland)
Rennie just edges Warburton after his immense showing against France. He was solid around the breakdown and also made some darting runs.

8. Thierry Dusautoir (France)
The French captain put in 19 tackles and missed none against Scotland - impressive in anyone's books.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:mitey, missing out Ford and Rennie is simply sinful

Anyway, here's espnscrum.com's version:

15. Rob Kearney (Ireland)
The mesmeric fullback showed signs of being back to his usual supremacy with a series of sniping runs, off-loads and accurate kicking.

14. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
The 19-year-old is the shining star within Scottish rugby at the moment. His full Test debut was marked with a try and whenever he got on the ball - Murrayfield rose to its feet.

13. Manu Tuilagi (England)
The outside centre was bouncing people off him all game and provided much of England's spark going forward.

12. Wesley Fofana (France)
One of the most naturally talented young inside centres in the northern hemisphere, Fofana saw his stock rise with his second try in as many matches for France with a precise angled run against Scotland.

11. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
The Irish winger claimed third spot in the all-time Irish scoring charts with his double against Italy. A constant thorn in the Azzurri's side, Bowe was superb.

10. Owen Farrell (England)
The fly-half is showing maturity beyond his tender years and while fellow half-back Johnny Sexton was awarded the man of the match in Saturday's match between Ireland and Italy, Farrell just edges him after his impressive all-round performance.

9. Mike Phillips (Wales)
The scrum-half did the simple things well. He put his side in the right areas of the pitch and did his best to disrupt his opponent Lee Dickson.

1. Jean-Baptiste Poux (France)
France enjoyed supremacy in the front-row against Scotland and Poux dominated opposite number Geoff Cross throughout.

2. Ross Ford (Scotland)
The hooker made some yards in the loose and was the fire at the heart of an impressive Scottish performance.

3. Adam Jones (Wales)
Jones got the better of Alex Corbisiero and also acquitted himself well in the loose.

4. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
The lock was immense against Italy and showed signs of being back to his 2009 British & Irish Lions best.

5. Richie Gray (Scotland)
Is there anything the second-row can't do? Off-loading, gainline breaking runs and solid in the scrum - Gray gets better and better.

6. Dan Lydiate (Wales)
The blindside edged the England back-row and although compatriot Sam Warburton gets the headlines, Lydiate is going about his business in a quiet and ruthlessly efficient manner.

7. Ross Rennie (Scotland)
Rennie just edges Warburton after his immense showing against France. He was solid around the breakdown and also made some darting runs.

8. Thierry Dusautoir (France)
The French captain put in 19 tackles and missed none against Scotland - impressive in anyone's books.

thebluesmancometh wrote:Fofana or Earls at 13, both did much more going forward than Tuilagi.

thebluesmancometh wrote:Cos noones ever been picked or played out of position have they Rogue?

I don't hate Tuilagi, I like him, he is a good player, big strong and physical, but he is not the superstar you are all lauding him out to be, for what he brings there are players who bring the same and more!

He is a raw powerfull player at the minute who gets over the gainline, but he made very few yards V Wales, and butchered a guarentee'd try, and 2 possible others by just looking for contact. There are very few things that wind me up more than players taking contact unnecesarily...

thebluesmancometh wrote:Thats all well and good, but I'd swap 59m for 40 with a match winning try at the end of it any day of the week, wouldn't you???

That tells me 2 things, Wales kicked long and infeild and Tuilagi was inneffective carrying with no reward to show for it.

Riskysports wrote:have to say Blair was by far the stand out 9 this weekend - in his 35 mins before injury did more than all the rest

Not sure how you can have Thierry Dusautoir in the squad when the MOM was the Opposite No7 in Ross Rennie - and he was that good

Ford has to be there - 100% record in throwing, carrying ball like a mad man, and generally having a fantastic run of form

miteyironpaw wrote:

Riskysports wrote:have to say Blair was by far the stand out 9 this weekend - in his 35 mins before injury did more than all the rest

Not sure how you can have Thierry Dusautoir in the squad when the MOM was the Opposite No7 in Ross Rennie - and he was that good

Ford has to be there - 100% record in throwing, carrying ball like a mad man, and generally having a fantastic run of form

Ford was part of an outmatched scrum that probably lost Scotland the match. There is no room for outmatched players in my team!

I though the MOTM to Ross Rennie was wrong, so I gave it to Dusautoir. Also I missed chunks of the game whilst arguing with a contractor about a maintenance issue and in the bits I watched Dusautoir was class and I didn't remember Rennie doing much. So that's the basis of my decisions.

miteyironpaw wrote:Not on my thread Risksports, you either agree with me or leave

Ok then, Let's put Ford in then, you've convinced me.

RubyGuby wrote:Why did Scotland take Ford off, that was baffling, crucial time of the game, let's take our inspirationlal captain off 'cos he's having a stormer

Comfort wrote:just to put some of this in context, Wales win for the 2nd time in 23 years away in fortress Twickenham for the triple crown scoring 2 tries to nil, Scotland lose at home to a stuttering but dangerous france team and the squad is full of Scottish and English players.....

... if we were on twitter, i would be all like '#justsayin'

Comfort wrote:Mitey, I'll take the morale victory

miteyironpaw wrote:

Comfort wrote:Mitey, I'll take the morale victory

And thank you in turn for suggesting that England were better than France!

Comfort wrote:just to put some of this in context, Wales win for the 2nd time in 23 years away in Twickenham (scoring only 2 tries to one disallowed one) against a side that should have lost to Scotland and nearly lost to Italy, for the triple crown after a contrivertial win against Ireland and a solid but unspectaular win against Scotland (who were down to 14 men for 20 mins), Scotland lose at home to a the world cup finalists and score 2 tries and get the MOM have most of the possession and the squad still has Welsh players rather than full of Scottish players.....

... if we were on twitter, i would be all like '#justsayin'

Comfort wrote:

miteyironpaw wrote:

Comfort wrote:

Against RiskySports you have convinced me. I'll take out the remaining Welshmen. What about the Coach though? Should that go back to Robinson?

Team of Week 3

15 Rob Kearney (Ireland) - A constant threat and displayed the dominance we have come to expect from him in the air. Leigh Halfpenny nailed four penalties and a conversion for the Welsh to help them seal a Triple Crown, but it was Kearney's running that caught the eye at Aviva Stadium.

14 Tommy Bowe (Ireland) - People were criticising the form of Bowe leading up to the Six Nations but he silenced his doubters on Saturday with two well-taken tries. According to reports, Ulster are chasing the Osprey and it is easy to see why as Bowe will deliver for you.

13 Manu Tuilagi (England) - It was quite a return to the Test arena for Tuilagi as he added another dimension to Stuart Lancaster's backline. Alongside Brad Barritt, the Tiger formed a formidable midfield duo that allowed Owen Farrell much more of a creative role in the outfit.

12 Wesley Fofana (France) - Barritt and Welsh replacement Williams - barring the moment he should have passed to one of two supporting mates - were superb for their respective teams. However, Fofana showed his class again for France and hit a fine angle to bring France back into the match at Murrayfield. He then backed that up with flashes of quality during the second-half, as his future in blue jersey looks like a long-term one right now.

11 Stuart Hogg (Scotland) - Another top day from the 19-year-old, who offered the Scots more of an attacking threat in his first start at full-back. Due to Kearney having a superb game for Ireland, we shift Hogg to wing as his try-scoring effort could not go unrewarded.

10 Owen Farrell (England) - Two made the shortlist for this slot and they were Farrell and Jonathan Sexton. Leinster's director kicked very well against Italy and steered his team nicely, but for another outing that belied his years, Farrell gets the nod in our playmaking role. England may not change well-balanced and sturdy this backline for a good while yet.

9 Mike Blair (Scotland) - 34 excellent minutes from the recalled Blair sees him pip Mike Phillips. Blair added a running game to Scotland at the base and was a key reason why they went 10-0 up. Phillips meanwhile was his usual bustling self, doing the basics well.

8 Ross Rennie (Scotland) - It was another Herculean effort from Sergio Parisse but flanker Rennie has been just as good in Six Nations 2012 and capped a superb performance with the man-of-the-match award against France. A certain Welshman starring in London means we slot Rennie, who was tireless in the tackle and powerful with ball in hand, in at eight. It seemed France successfully silenced David Denton but forgot about Rennie's quality.

7 Sam Warburton (Wales) - British & Irish Lions manager Andy Irvine on Sunday tagged Warburton as "the northern hemisphere's Richie McCaw". Few would argue with that statement and at such an early stage in his career, the Cardiff Blues flank is set for a long tenure leading his country and maybe even the Lions next year. His tackle on the rampaging Tuilagi could not have been better as it took the Tiger's legs away. His form did not dip.

6 Thierry Dusautoir (France) - 25 tackles made, none missed as the skipper was a rock for his country. One hit in particular stood out as he sent prop Geoff Cross packing just when Scotland were in the ascendancy. He sneaks ahead of Dan Lydiate in this position.

5 Paul O'Connell (Ireland) - 'Paulie' keeps churning out the 80 minutes for his side and is leading by example while Brian O'Driscoll is away. A tower of strength for Ireland.

4 Geoff Parling (England) - Some raised an eyebrow when Lancaster chose to cut Tom Palmer but the interim boss seemingly made the right call as Parling got through a lot of work against Wales while doing well in the line-out. Ian Evans also deserves a mention.

3 Adam Jones (Wales) - Jones tweeted today that his body was still sore two days after facing England. It's unsurprising as the Osprey hit a whole host of rucks and scrummaged superbly for his side on Saturday. He made life uncomfortable at times for Alex Corbisiero.

2 Ross Ford (Scotland) - Nothing flashy but everything was completed as expected from Edinburgh hooker Ford, who chooses to sacrifice words for action for Scotland.

1 Gethin Jenkins (Wales) - 32-year-old Jean-Baptiste Poux was solid at the coal face while we should mention Tom Court after his moment in the sun. But for eleven tackles and another busy display, Jenkins proved again that Toulon are getting a quality prop.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:planetrugby.co.uk's effort:

Team of Week 3

15 Rob Kearney (Ireland) - A constant threat and displayed the dominance we have come to expect from him in the air. Leigh Halfpenny nailed four penalties and a conversion for the Welsh to help them seal a Triple Crown, but it was Kearney's running that caught the eye at Aviva Stadium.

14 Tommy Bowe (Ireland) - People were criticising the form of Bowe leading up to the Six Nations but he silenced his doubters on Saturday with two well-taken tries. According to reports, Ulster are chasing the Osprey and it is easy to see why as Bowe will deliver for you.

13 Manu Tuilagi (England) - It was quite a return to the Test arena for Tuilagi as he added another dimension to Stuart Lancaster's backline. Alongside Brad Barritt, the Tiger formed a formidable midfield duo that allowed Owen Farrell much more of a creative role in the outfit.

12 Wesley Fofana (France) - Barritt and Welsh replacement Williams - barring the moment he should have passed to one of two supporting mates - were superb for their respective teams. However, Fofana showed his class again for France and hit a fine angle to bring France back into the match at Murrayfield. He then backed that up with flashes of quality during the second-half, as his future in blue jersey looks like a long-term one right now.

11 Stuart Hogg (Scotland) - Another top day from the 19-year-old, who offered the Scots more of an attacking threat in his first start at full-back. Due to Kearney having a superb game for Ireland, we shift Hogg to wing as his try-scoring effort could not go unrewarded.

10 Owen Farrell (England) - Two made the shortlist for this slot and they were Farrell and Jonathan Sexton. Leinster's director kicked very well against Italy and steered his team nicely, but for another outing that belied his years, Farrell gets the nod in our playmaking role. England may not change well-balanced and sturdy this backline for a good while yet.

9 Mike Blair (Scotland) - 34 excellent minutes from the recalled Blair sees him pip Mike Phillips. Blair added a running game to Scotland at the base and was a key reason why they went 10-0 up. Phillips meanwhile was his usual bustling self, doing the basics well.

8 Ross Rennie (Scotland) - It was another Herculean effort from Sergio Parisse but flanker Rennie has been just as good in Six Nations 2012 and capped a superb performance with the man-of-the-match award against France. A certain Welshman starring in London means we slot Rennie, who was tireless in the tackle and powerful with ball in hand, in at eight. It seemed France successfully silenced David Denton but forgot about Rennie's quality.

7 Sam Warburton (Wales) - British & Irish Lions manager Andy Irvine on Sunday tagged Warburton as "the northern hemisphere's Richie McCaw". Few would argue with that statement and at such an early stage in his career, the Cardiff Blues flank is set for a long tenure leading his country and maybe even the Lions next year. His tackle on the rampaging Tuilagi could not have been better as it took the Tiger's legs away. His form did not dip.

6 Thierry Dusautoir (France) - 25 tackles made, none missed as the skipper was a rock for his country. One hit in particular stood out as he sent prop Geoff Cross packing just when Scotland were in the ascendancy. He sneaks ahead of Dan Lydiate in this position.

5 Paul O'Connell (Ireland) - 'Paulie' keeps churning out the 80 minutes for his side and is leading by example while Brian O'Driscoll is away. A tower of strength for Ireland.

4 Geoff Parling (England) - Some raised an eyebrow when Lancaster chose to cut Tom Palmer but the interim boss seemingly made the right call as Parling got through a lot of work against Wales while doing well in the line-out. Ian Evans also deserves a mention.

3 Adam Jones (Wales) - Jones tweeted today that his body was still sore two days after facing England. It's unsurprising as the Osprey hit a whole host of rucks and scrummaged superbly for his side on Saturday. He made life uncomfortable at times for Alex Corbisiero.

2 Ross Ford (Scotland) - Nothing flashy but everything was completed as expected from Edinburgh hooker Ford, who chooses to sacrifice words for action for Scotland.

1 Gethin Jenkins (Wales) - 32-year-old Jean-Baptiste Poux was solid at the coal face while we should mention Tom Court after his moment in the sun. But for eleven tackles and another busy display, Jenkins proved again that Toulon are getting a quality prop.