As we reflect upon the opening two rounds of the 2020 Six Nations, there are plenty of stars who have shone brightly for each country.
There are also players who we need a bit more from.
With that in mind, scroll down as we analyse the star performers, so far, for each country and break down which player must do better for all six teams.
IRELAND
Best: CJ Stander – Two games, two man of the match awards. He’s simply phenomenal at the breakdown and imperious everywhere else. He’s always willing to carry, but it’s his five turnovers in two games is really something.
🗣️ “It’s great that a few things have started working for us. The boys really stood up for one another”@IrishRugby‘s CJ Stander hailed a strong team performance after being named #GuinnessSixNations Player of the Match for the second week in a row 💪 https://t.co/vvwVhiUlaM
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 8, 2020
Worst: Bundee Aki – The least effective of the exciting Ireland back-line. He’s been far from his usual destructive self, making little to no impact with the ball in hand. Still doesn’t seem to have bounced back from his World Cup red card
ITALY
Best: Jake Polledri (Italy): Valiant efforts in a losing cause – remind you of another excellent Italy back-row player? Polledri’s work-rate has been incredible.26 tackles and 11 carries against France alone.
Explosive Bristol born backrow @JakePolledri talks about his grandmother, Hartpury and Italy amid the current questions over their inclusion in the #GuinnessSixNations 🇮🇹
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 9, 2020
writes @heagneyl 👨🏻💻 https://t.co/rTp3SasNO4
Worst: Luca Morisi – The centre has been the Italians least effective attacker, making just 39 metres in two outings. Added to this, Morisi has missed six tackles and coughed up two turnovers.