With the four home nations clashing in the Six Nations yesterday and the first Lions Test against South Africa just over a year away, here are the men that would pull on the red jersey based entirely on yesterdays displays.
15. Jordan Larmour (Ireland): Excellent try, stepping inside Nick Tompkins and muscling his way over. Dangerous with ball in hand.
14. Jonny May (England): Hit very hard twice in the first five minutes, and had a tough job in the back three that he did pretty solidly. Kept himself busy.
13. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland): Answered the questions about playing at 13. Nice offloads in the first half and gave Tompkins a torrid time before departing to HIA.
12. Owen Farrell (England): Booed by the Scots and missed more than his share of goal kicks in shocking conditions but led his team superbly and finished it off.
11. Blair Kinghorn (Scotland): Was massively fired up for the game against England and it showed. Eagerly looked for work and was a reliable source of go-forward every time he got it. A massive improvement on last week.
10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland): Shanked his first conversion attempt and strayed into dangerous territory in his communications with the referee. But led his team to victory. Best of a underperforming bunch.
9. Conor Murray (Ireland): Found his flow better than against the Scots. His box kicking kept the Welsh out of Irish territory during the first-half battle and his snappy passing got him two try assists.
1. Mako Vunipola (England): Played his part in a strong scrummaging effort. To make 13 tackles is pretty impressive too
2. Jamie George (England): The hooker was their busiest defender as far as tackle-count, nearing 20 tackles at Murrayfield by the end. He looked rejuvenated.
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland): Big performance from Ireland’s tighthead, responding to questions about his form.
4. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales): A captain’s performance in a losing effort. Deft offload in the build-up to Williams’ try.
5. Maro Itoje (England): A diving steal stripped the ball from Price at the start, setting the tone for a disruptive performance. Itoje was a menace to Scotland throughout the entire 80 minutes
6. Tom Curry (England): Excellent, regardless of the number on his back. Carried with zip all around the field. Earned a maul turnover as well as steals on the floor.
7. Sam Underhill (England): Scotland have a terrific back row, but Underhill kept them quiet. Forced turnovers, was quick to the ball and a constant menace.
8. Cj Stander (Ireland): Might well have seen yellow earlier than he did, but another monstrous game over the ball. Back-to-back man-of-the-match awards.
