Rounded out by three dominant bonus point victories by France, Scotland and Ireland, round one set up a Grand Slam eliminator at Murrayfield in round two when Ireland come to town. France will travel to Twickenham bidding to derail the French machine, whilst Wales, fresh off a week of training in Nice, will be hoping to end their torrid run of defeats against a rejuvenated Italy.
Andrew Porter β Ireland Once again exceptional for a long stint on the pitch 73 minutes , Porter looked back to his best scrummaging-wise and was once again a dynamo with the ball in hand. Dan Sheehan β Ireland Best hooker in the world? We certainly think so!
Zander Fagerson β Scotland Undoubtedly set to face a major challenge from Tadhg Furlong when he returns to fitness, the Scottish tighthead has developed into one of the very best in the world. Against a dynamic Italian pack he more than held his own and brings so much around the park as a ball player, he is a shoe-in for our team. Maro Itoje β England One of the tighter calls, given how impressive James Ryan and Jonny Gray were for their respective teams, the England skipper gets in following his confrontational showing against Ireland.
Getting his hands on the ball more often in the tight exchanges whilst being a constant threat at the breakdown, Beirne is another nailed-on starter in our pack. Jac Morgan β Wales Controversial given the impact of Jack Conan for Ireland we are holding him in reserve for the final 20 minutes. The Welsh skipper alongside fellow backrow Tommy Reffell and lock Dafydd Jenkins, were the only players who did not look out of their depth or passed their best against Les Bleus in Paris.
We have opted to shift him to six with a view to countering the dangerous Wallabies poachers. Josh van der Flier β Ireland Playing his best ball at years-old, the Leinster backrow was once again impervious against England. Topping the tackle charts 20 , carrying hard and linking well as a distributor, van der Flier did it all on Saturday.
