Lock: James Ryan (Ireland)
Lock: Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
Flanker: Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)
Flanker: Justin Tipuric (Wales)
“Most players influence a match either through sheer weight of unseen work or a couple of game-changing moments or big plays. But Tipuric seems to do both. He is relentlessly busy around the park, but also has the pace, ball-handling skills and breakdown knowhow to produce decisive passages of play.”