"Awful from Smith" - Three England hopefuls who flopped this weekend

The performance of the England captain in the intense forward battle against the formidable visiting pack was marred by his continuous infractions at the set-piece, drawing the ire of referee Luke Pearce right from the start.

However, his luck seemed to hold when he received only a yellow card for a reckless tackle on his international teammate Tom Curry.

Despite escaping a more severe punishment, his frustration was palpable as he engaged in a heated exchange with the Sale flanker off the ball immediately after the incident, displaying a lack of composure in a critical moment.

One fan wrote: "How did Ellis Genge not receive a Red Card there is mind-boggling ? That's a Red Card all day long. Genge shoulder hits Curry's head. Bristol down to 14 men for 10 mins."

A second commented: "Look, I love Ellis Genge. But I don’t know what more he had to do in that tackle for it to be red."

"Ellis Genge has got away with one there," said a third.

Although Harlequins delivered a standout performance against the Newcastle Falcons, Marcus Smith's momentary lapse resulted in an embarrassing mistake that allowed the visitors to score a try.

One fan wrote: "Superb Newcastle assist for Marcus Smith of Harlequins. Brilliant."

Clarke's performance in the latest game was far from impressive, lacking the usual spark and dynamism that fans have come to expect from the talented lock.

In contrast to his highlight reel finish last time out, this time there was no such spectacle to remember.

Instead, Clarke had one of his quieter games of the season, failing to leave his mark on the field and struggling to make a significant impact.