The second weekend of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations is in the books, with Ireland proving as to why they are the number one ranked international side in the world.
Their monumental 32-19 win over France marks them as favourites to win this year’s Grand Slam, ahead of their hopes to bring home Ireland’s first ever Rugby World Cup.
Finn Russell showcased his superb talents, as he lead his Scotland side to a convincing 35-7 win over Wales. This win for Scotland was their highest ever margin of victory over Wales, in their 129 match history.
The rugby world also witnessed the first win for England in the Steve Borthwick era. The 31-14 home win over Italy looked promising for England, as they introduced a lot of fresh faces and returning names, who will hope to continue to build throughout the competition.
RUCK has selected the team of the weekend, in partnership with Charles Tyrwhitt.
2023 Six Nations Team of the Week: Round 2
Back-Three:
15. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
A masterful performance from the Irish fullback, following up on his Man of the Match award against Wales in Round 1. Keenan worried the regimented France defence, who’s aura has dropped after Italy’s attack proved their mortality. Keenan scored a memorable try for his side in the decisive encounter.
Keenan exploded onto Finlay Bealham’s pop pass, and sold the dummy on Romain Ntamack to run in a great try from France’s 10m line. A depth touch from the boot, the Leinster man executed an inch-perfect 50:22 to halt France’s attacking momentum at dangerous moments. An honourable mention to Italy’s pocket-rocket Ange Capuozzo, as the fullback sparked moments which shone for the ‘Azzurri’ in attack.
14. Damian Penaud (France)
A flawless performance in attack, the French winger danced his way around numerous Irish tackle attempts. Frequently making the world’s number one ranked defence look average, Penaud was a diamond in the rough for the French defeat. Scoring a definite contender for ‘Try of the Tournament’, Peanud gathered a loose ball inside his own 22m, and broke away towards Ireland.
The Clermont star then shipped the ball to Anthony Jelonch, and followed behind the flanker who then returned the ball. Penaud then broke through Mack Hansen and Conor Murray’s double tackle attempt, and showcased superb pace to score. An honourable mention to Scotland’s Kyle Steyn, who wrapped up the victory with two second half tries, and took the contest out of sight for Wales.
11. James Lowe (Ireland)
Despite the asterisk of his trailing back foot grazing out-of-bounds, James Lowe presented incredible agility to execute the diving finish for his try against France. Taking the pass from Gary Ringrose without breaking his stride, Lowe set his sights for the left corner, and fought through the collision of Damian Penaud to keeps himself in touch.
Lowe also presented an excellent option from the boot, kicking key yards along the left wing. An honourable mention to Scotland’s powerhouse winger Duhan van der Merwe, who like Steyn was too much to handle in the second half against Wales.
Centres:
13. Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
Putting in a big hit on his opposite man Gael Fickou in the early stages, set the tone for Ringrose’s performance for Ireland. Keeping the illusive Fickou quiet, whilst also showcasing his own talents in attack, gave Ringrose an excellent outing in the centre of the park. The Leinster man wrapped up his game in style, outmuscling the French defenders to score the match-winning try
Hugging the left touchline, Ringrose ran onto Calen Doris’ miss-pass offload and put his head down. First a strong fend on Matthieu Jalibert, Ringrose then fought passed the diving tackle attempts of Fickou and Sipili Falatea, before pinning back his ears and outpacing Sekou Macalou to score.
12. Ollie Lawrence (England)
England seemed to have ended the eternal search for a ball-carrying inside centre, with Ollie Lawrence coming in as the natural heir to Manu Tuilagi. After Henry Slade has seen eleven centre partners come and go, Lawrence looks like the best fit to stay in the number 12 shirt.
The Bath centre was exciting to watch with ball in hand, as he made the most metres and beat the most defenders out of everyone at Twickenham. Clocking up 80m with the ball, and either side-stepping or crashing over a total of eight defenders, Lawrence certainly made every minute count against Italy. An honourable mention to Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu, as the Glasgow Warrior bossed the middle of the park at Murrayfield.
Halfbacks:
10. Finn Russell (Scotland)
There will be a sharp increase in Somerset rugby fans, as ‘Finn Russell fever’ grows ahead of his move to Bath next season. Another stellar performance, and this time taking the starring role after the early HIA exit of Stuart Hogg, Russell eclipsed the Welsh defence, and led the line in a comfortable win.
Hitting top gear along with the rest of his Scotland teammates in the second half, Russell put the wheels into motion as his side ran away with the match. Russell’s kicking was also excellent, as he slotted two out of two conversions, and mirrored that record for important penalties from the tee. Russell’s trio of try assists, saw him first play in Kyle Steyn with a tricky offload, and then again find Steyn with a pinpoint cross-field kick. Russell’s third assist saw him supply a looping pass out wide to Matt Fagerson, as the number eight scored the final try of the match.
9. Antoine Dupont (France)
Outstanding from Dupont, as the scrum half orchestrated the French attack with neat pieces of flair. The stylish yet effective out-the-back offloads kept the Ireland defenders on their toes, as Dupont’s frequent mis-directions and sleight of hand resembled a quarter-back faking a pass, ahead of tonight’s Superbowl.
Impressive in defence, Dupont’s most re-played moment of the match was in-fact a tackle. Dupont showcased unreal strength to halt Mack Hansen’s drive for the line, as he anchored the winger down, and countered out his forward momentum.
Front-row:
1. Andrew Porter (Ireland)
The Six Nations’ resident Olympic-standard weightlifter, showcased his unmatched strengths for Ireland this weekend. A technician in the scrum, Porter’s astute knowledge of how to best use his strength, toppled the French up-front. Porter also got himself on the score-sheet for Ireland, scoring his sides’ third try after 27 minutes.
After narrow pick and drives took Ireland within millimetres of the try-line, Porter dug in his heels to crash over the line. Forcing his way over the try-line with the driving support of Caelan Doris, Porter scored to capitalise on Ireland’s attacking momentum.
2. Jamie George (England)
Back to his best for England, Jamie George got his name on the score-sheet as he grounded England’s third try. A textbook score for the Saracen, George reclaimed the ball at the back of a rolling maul, and drove through the Italian defenders to score from close range.
George’s involvement in a second half rolling maul, resulted in a penalty try for England. Simeone Ferrari was subsequently shown a yellow card, as he illegally pulled down the driving pack of England forwards. An honourable mention goes to Scotland’s George Turner, who scored his countries’ first half try, and was impressive at the scrum throughout the match against wales.
3. Finlay Bealham (Ireland)
Partnering Porter in the front row, Bealham was a pivotal player in Ireland’s success in the collision battle. The prop stepped up with Tadgh Furlong’s extended absence leaving a leadership gap in the front row.
Bealham filled this role, barking orders at his teammates, as the pack picked and drove to grab crucial short yards. Bealham also demonstrated his awareness in attack, as he popped the pass up for Hugo Keenan’s try. Such quick hands from the prop, showcased his skills in the attacking line.
Second-row:
4. Ollie Chessum (England)
Chessum made his mark by scoring his first try for England. After the English forwards were stopped short near Italy’s try line, the pack looked like they would force their way across with short drives. Ellis Genge picked from the back, and with a move straight from the training ground, shipped the ball to the charging Chessum just before he took contact. Genge had pulled the Italy defence in, with the Leicester Tigers lock crashing over to score.
There are two honourable mentions for the second row spots, as Scotland’s Grant Gilchrist controlled the pack for the win over Wales, and Maro Itoje silenced his recent critics with a strong showing against Italy. It was a far stronger showing from Chessum’s second row partner, who looked like a fire had been ignited inside of him following the opening round defeat to Scotland.
5. James Ryan (Ireland)
James Ryan put in a defensively dominant display against France. A key pillar in Ireland’s towering lineout, Ryan comfortably retained possession against France, and supplied the ammunition for Conor Murray to attack in-field from the set piece.
Ryan’s defensive work rate can often fly under the radar, as the lock certainly deserves the recognition of RUCK’s Team of the Week. Ryan chopped down the bruising French ball carriers, and kept Dupont and co under pressure in the backs. The flying French flair did not completely overrun the game, thanks to Irelands workhorses who kept Les Blues at bay.
Back-row:
6. Sebastian Negri (Italy)
“He looks as strong as a bull, but he’s actually as strong as two”. David Flatman’s commentary was spot on to describe the bruising Italian flanker. Negri has now made back-to-back appearances in RUCK’s Six Nations Team of the Week showcasing his dominance in attack with bruising carries.
One of the few Italian carrying options to make a dent in England’s defensive wall, Negri’s head-on collision with Ellis Genge bounced the ‘Baby Rhino’ to the ground, and then charged through Kyle Sinkler in the following tackle. The impact was so great on the Bristol prop, that Sinkler flew off the flanker, and collided with Genge’s boot. Sinkler then needed to vacate the pitch for a blood injury.
7. Jack Willis (England)
Willis made his return to England duties after a two-year hiatus, and was a stand-out and physically dominant player in the back-row. In the very same fixture in which he suffered the catastrophic knee injury, Willis roared in celebration, after he scored England’s opening try of the match. Peeling off the back of a rolling maul and driving over from close range, Willis opened England’s account after 12 minutes,
His defensive work rate was displayed, with an unprecedented 20 tackles in under an hour. The Toulouse man’s highlight reel included made a big hit on Tommaso Allan, and was back on his feet to make the follow up tackle on Niccolo Cannone. Willis then turned the ball over in the following jackal, in a piece of simply outstanding defensive work. Departing after 53 minutes for Ben Earl, Willis would certainly have broken Chris Robshaw’s tackle record of 26, and he received a warm ovation from the Twickenham faithful.
8. Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Another inspired performance from arguably the best number eight in the world. Caelan Doris put on a complete performance for Ireland, and followed up on his successes in the opening round. Doris’ presence was immediatly felt by France, as the back-rower carried hard and purposefully. Doris made positive yards over the gain-line every time he took the fight to France, often requiring multiple tacklers to bring the Leinster man down.
Once again finding himself in RUCK’s Six Nations Team of the Week, Doris stepped up to the occasion against France. Unfazed by the grandeur, of the “World’s Two Best Teams” tagline that previewed the match, Doris played to his strengths, and dominated the collisions in attack and defence. Topping the tackle charts for Ireland, the 24-year-old looked right at home on the big stage. An honourable mention to Matt Fagerson, as the Scottish number eight impressed throughout at Murrayfield, and scored the match-sealing try.