For the first time in rugby history, Six Nations champions France are ranked number one in the world while New Zealand slump to fourth for the first time in over two decades.
EDITORS PICKS:
- Nigel Owens wants five law changes ASAP
- Woodward suggests FOUR changes for series decider
- Every home nations BEST and WORST players this weekend
- Team of The Week: Summer Internationals , Round Two
- Peter O’Mahony’s 50:22 kick against All Blacks
Team of The Week: Summer Internationals , Round Two
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Freddie Steward (England)
- 14. Josh Adams (Wales)
- 11. Matthis Lebel (France)
Telegraph on Steward: "As tough and dependable as teak and after a performance of such imperiousness he cannot be far from a World XV."
Wales Online on Adams: "Joined Alun Wyn Jones in being dumbfounded by lock’s yellow card. Great finish at end, showing his quality."
CENTRES:
- 13. Mark Bennett (Scotland)
- 12. Owen Farrell (England)
Mail Online on Farrell: "Had the bit between his teeth and showed it with a strip off Kerevi and kicking 20 points."
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
- 9. Jack van Poortvliet (England)
JOE on Sexton: "His range of passing was superb, and it was crucial in the build-up to the two Porter tries. Nailed all his kicks and was the man that made everything tick."
FRONT-ROW:
- 1. Andrew Porter (Ireland)
- 2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
- 3. Sam Wainwright (Wales)
SECOND-ROW:
- 4. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
- 5. Jonny Hill (England)
Telegraph on Hill: "At the heart of any punchy maul, Hill binds the pack together, working through a mountain of unseen graft. The perfect foil to Itoje's dynamism."
The Irish Times on Beirne: "Having benefited from the blowout last week this performance was so much more representative of his game intelligence and athleticism, making breaks, tackles, and turnovers."
BACK-ROW:
- 6. Peter O'Mahony (Ireland)
- 7. Tommy Reffell (Wales)
- 8. Billy Vunipola (England)
JOE on O'Mahony: " Teamed up with van der Flier to win a vital turnover. Superb 50:22 kick stunned the ABs. Dived in to hold the ball up when New Zealand ploughed over the tryline."
Wales Online on Reffell: "Turned over Esterhuizen early on and followed it up with brilliant work later to relieve Coetzee of possession. “He’s got it all, hasn’t he?” pondered Jamie Roberts in commentary. On the evidence of the past two weeks, the response should come in the affirmative. Reffell was also on the scene for another turnover late on."
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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