The RBS 6 Nations hits the spot like no other tournament doesn't it!? Now don't get me wrong I love the Rugby World Cup, how could I not, however the intense local rivalry of the 6 Nations just can't be beaten.
In this year's opening weekend we witnessed Eddie Jones starting his England reign with a victory while Scotland went into their shells. France showed glimpses of joué and promise but then lost their shape completely and Italy's Sergio Parisse could have been the hero of the hour (again) however we all know what happened there. Then finally Wales staged a monumental come back against Ireland and gained the result that nobody really enjoys, a draw. As the dust settles and the preparations start for Round 2 let's take a look back at the players that led the way for their respective sides.
In the cauldron of noise and emotion that was Murrayfield 23-year-old Billy Vunipola took the Calcutta Cup match by the scruff of its neck and led the way for England Rugby. Vunipola made 22 carries and 51 metres and worked tirelessly for the full eighty minutes. In previous matches England have relied too heavily on Vunipola, and when he has been quiet they've struggled, however on Saturday he shouldered that burden and flourished with the new found confidence that Eddie Jones has instilled in him.
Notable Mention - George Kruis has matured into an almighty lock before our very eyes. It is fair to say that few outside of Saracens really rated him highly when he came into England's squad however his progression over the last year or so has been remarkable. At Murrayfield he ran England's lineout with precision and duly deserved his try.
On his International debut CJ Stander introduced himself to top flight rugby with distinction. Those that had paid close attention to this year's Champions Cup will have known his capabilities and at the Aviva he excelled. Stander was filling the very large shoes of Sean O'Brien and did so with ease making the most carries of any man in Round 1, 23, and adding 40 metres and a try to that tally. The man himself was content with his debut however after admitted that he 'would have liked to have made more metres' and that is exactly the type of attitude that Joe Schmidt wants from his squad.
Notable Mention - This weekend we saw exactly what Johnny Sexton is made of and it has to be said that he is more durable than people give him credit for. On 76 minutes Sexton left the field in agony, he didn't look comfortable at al,l however he'd still managed to nail the 40 metre penalty to draw the match just moments before.
John Hardie is a man that Scotland will wish that they could clone and have more of in their squad. For 80 minutes at Murrayfield he worked himself into the ground a delivered on all of his key roles. Hardie carried with power, made a nuisance of himself at the breakdown and tackled everything in sight. His fitness levels are superb and he'll be vital for Vern Cotter's side throughout the duration of this tournament.
Notable Mention - Once again Stuart Hogg was Scotland's standout back. He is a man that makes rugby look easy and always seems to have plenty of time on the ball to make his decisions. 90 metres and 17 carries were the statistical outcome of his hard work and I'm sure that he'll be having a quiet word with Finn Russell about looking left and right when his colleague next makes an interception!!
Across all of the 6 sides this was the toughest call to make as three players provided a rock solid back bone to Wales' performance; Jamie Roberts, Taulupe Faletau and Alun Wyn Jones. Trying to choose between them is like asking a parent to choose their favourite child, it takes a while and eventually they'll give you a jokey answer! I'll avoid the jokes and instead bite the bullet and highlight Alun Wyn Jones' performance. The others may have made more tackles and carries however Alun Wyn Jones gets the nod due to his immense leadership, physical intensity and unrelenting desire to win. He is a leader in every sense of the word and you can see why he's the favourite to be the Lions captain in 2017.
Notable Mentions - Now is the chance to talk Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau as wells adding in Rhys Priestland. Both Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau recorded 21 tackles each and spent the afternoon causing Ireland all manner of issues. After entering the game much earlier than he would have been expecting to Rhys Priestland silenced many of his critics by delivering an extremely polished performance in the fly-half jersey and should Dan Biggar lose his fitness race Warren Gatland should have every confidence in the Bath man.
When Guy Noves announced that sevens star Virimi Vakatawa was going to be part his squad many people thought it was yet another 'interesting' move from the French camp. However on Saturday afternoon we all saw exactly what Vakatawa will bring to the party and as far as debuts go it was as dynamic and exciting as you'd want it to be. Vakatawa may not have played XV aside rugby since December 2003 but that didn't worry him in the slightest and the worrying thing for his opponents is that he'll only improve as the tournament progresses.
Notable Mention - 0 from 3 isn't how you wish to start your RBS 6 Nations place kicking statistics however for France that was the reality. Sebastien Bezy didn't have a good at the office and when Jules Plisson took over we wondered if it would continue in the same manner. Thankfully it didn't and when it truly mattered Plisson held his nerve to nail what turned out to be the match-winning penalty.
Few will be able to forget Sergio Parisse's final drop-goal attempt however when he is used to having to do absolutely everything for Italy then you cannot blame him for thinking that he needed to shoulder the responsibility of that too. The miss aside Sergio had another outstanding performance; he made 21 carries and 94 metres, eclipsing any other man on the field across both statistics. Sergio was making his 115th International cap and if anyone deserved their drop-goal to go over then it was him.
Notable Mention - Since the great Diego Dominguez retired from test rugby Italy have been searching for their next fly-half. Over the years more individuals have been thrust into the role than England have had centre partnerships and this time around it is Carlo Canna's turn. A couple of wayward goal kicks aside Canna looked comfortable in the jersey and navigated his side around the field well. With Tomosso Allan returning to fitness Jacques Brunel may now have the luxury of choosing between too fairly competent tens and that should mean Italy can apply themselves better to that task at hand, avoiding the wooden spoon!
In this year's opening weekend we witnessed Eddie Jones starting his England reign with a victory while Scotland went into their shells. France showed glimpses of joué and promise but then lost their shape completely and Italy's Sergio Parisse could have been the hero of the hour (again) however we all know what happened there. Then finally Wales staged a monumental come back against Ireland and gained the result that nobody really enjoys, a draw. As the dust settles and the preparations start for Round 2 let's take a look back at the players that led the way for their respective sides.
In the cauldron of noise and emotion that was Murrayfield 23-year-old Billy Vunipola took the Calcutta Cup match by the scruff of its neck and led the way for England Rugby. Vunipola made 22 carries and 51 metres and worked tirelessly for the full eighty minutes. In previous matches England have relied too heavily on Vunipola, and when he has been quiet they've struggled, however on Saturday he shouldered that burden and flourished with the new found confidence that Eddie Jones has instilled in him. Notable Mention - George Kruis has matured into an almighty lock before our very eyes. It is fair to say that few outside of Saracens really rated him highly when he came into England's squad however his progression over the last year or so has been remarkable. At Murrayfield he ran England's lineout with precision and duly deserved his try.
On his International debut CJ Stander introduced himself to top flight rugby with distinction. Those that had paid close attention to this year's Champions Cup will have known his capabilities and at the Aviva he excelled. Stander was filling the very large shoes of Sean O'Brien and did so with ease making the most carries of any man in Round 1, 23, and adding 40 metres and a try to that tally. The man himself was content with his debut however after admitted that he 'would have liked to have made more metres' and that is exactly the type of attitude that Joe Schmidt wants from his squad. Notable Mention - This weekend we saw exactly what Johnny Sexton is made of and it has to be said that he is more durable than people give him credit for. On 76 minutes Sexton left the field in agony, he didn't look comfortable at al,l however he'd still managed to nail the 40 metre penalty to draw the match just moments before.
John Hardie is a man that Scotland will wish that they could clone and have more of in their squad. For 80 minutes at Murrayfield he worked himself into the ground a delivered on all of his key roles. Hardie carried with power, made a nuisance of himself at the breakdown and tackled everything in sight. His fitness levels are superb and he'll be vital for Vern Cotter's side throughout the duration of this tournament. Notable Mention - Once again Stuart Hogg was Scotland's standout back. He is a man that makes rugby look easy and always seems to have plenty of time on the ball to make his decisions. 90 metres and 17 carries were the statistical outcome of his hard work and I'm sure that he'll be having a quiet word with Finn Russell about looking left and right when his colleague next makes an interception!!
Across all of the 6 sides this was the toughest call to make as three players provided a rock solid back bone to Wales' performance; Jamie Roberts, Taulupe Faletau and Alun Wyn Jones. Trying to choose between them is like asking a parent to choose their favourite child, it takes a while and eventually they'll give you a jokey answer! I'll avoid the jokes and instead bite the bullet and highlight Alun Wyn Jones' performance. The others may have made more tackles and carries however Alun Wyn Jones gets the nod due to his immense leadership, physical intensity and unrelenting desire to win. He is a leader in every sense of the word and you can see why he's the favourite to be the Lions captain in 2017. Notable Mentions - Now is the chance to talk Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau as wells adding in Rhys Priestland. Both Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau recorded 21 tackles each and spent the afternoon causing Ireland all manner of issues. After entering the game much earlier than he would have been expecting to Rhys Priestland silenced many of his critics by delivering an extremely polished performance in the fly-half jersey and should Dan Biggar lose his fitness race Warren Gatland should have every confidence in the Bath man.
When Guy Noves announced that sevens star Virimi Vakatawa was going to be part his squad many people thought it was yet another 'interesting' move from the French camp. However on Saturday afternoon we all saw exactly what Vakatawa will bring to the party and as far as debuts go it was as dynamic and exciting as you'd want it to be. Vakatawa may not have played XV aside rugby since December 2003 but that didn't worry him in the slightest and the worrying thing for his opponents is that he'll only improve as the tournament progresses.Notable Mention - 0 from 3 isn't how you wish to start your RBS 6 Nations place kicking statistics however for France that was the reality. Sebastien Bezy didn't have a good at the office and when Jules Plisson took over we wondered if it would continue in the same manner. Thankfully it didn't and when it truly mattered Plisson held his nerve to nail what turned out to be the match-winning penalty.
Few will be able to forget Sergio Parisse's final drop-goal attempt however when he is used to having to do absolutely everything for Italy then you cannot blame him for thinking that he needed to shoulder the responsibility of that too. The miss aside Sergio had another outstanding performance; he made 21 carries and 94 metres, eclipsing any other man on the field across both statistics. Sergio was making his 115th International cap and if anyone deserved their drop-goal to go over then it was him.Notable Mention - Since the great Diego Dominguez retired from test rugby Italy have been searching for their next fly-half. Over the years more individuals have been thrust into the role than England have had centre partnerships and this time around it is Carlo Canna's turn. A couple of wayward goal kicks aside Canna looked comfortable in the jersey and navigated his side around the field well. With Tomosso Allan returning to fitness Jacques Brunel may now have the luxury of choosing between too fairly competent tens and that should mean Italy can apply themselves better to that task at hand, avoiding the wooden spoon!
Key Round 1 Statistics
- Italy made the most metres of all in the opening weekend with 426, Sergio Parisse delivered 94 of those on his own!
- Ireland, Wales and Scotland were the only three sides to have 100% success rate on their scrummages
- England delivered the highest lineout success percentage with 93% - 14 won on their ow throw and just one lost
- France beat the most defenders of all this weekend with 17 and made more offloads that any other side with 22
