Bryn Palmer's Six Nations XV
- 5 Mar 07, 09:27 AM
Here's my team of the tournament so far:
15 Clement Poitrenaud – Girvan Dempsey is a reassuring presence and Kevin Morgan excelled before injury struck again, but the Frenchman has rediscovered his élan.
14 Shane Horgan – Missed the opener against Wales and not so happy at inside centre against France, but the big wing was back to his barnstorming best against England.
13 Brian O’Driscoll – Tom Shanklin has given Wales more of a cutting edge since his return from injury but the Ireland captain remains the class act of the field.
12 Gordon D’Arcy – No mean feat to edge out Yannick Jauzion, and Rob Dewey looks the part for Scotland, but the Irishman is now a world-class centre in his own right.
11 Christophe Dominici – Chris Paterson impresses with his all-round game and goal-kicking, but the impish Frenchman’s predatory instincts remain undiminished by age.
10 Ronan O’Gara – Jonny-boy made the glorious return before falling flat, and David Skrela has been a controlling presence, but “RoG” has raised his game when it counts.
9 Alessandro Troncon – Man-of-the-match in defeat at Twickenham, and again in leading the Azzurri to a first away win in the tournament. Plenty of life in the old dog yet.
1 Andrea Lo Cicero – Marcus Horan has had his moments for Ireland but in a non-vintage field, the Italian’s durability and consistency gets the nod.
2 Raphael Ibanez – Was supposed to have retired years ago but is another old-timer who continues to thrive. Has led France superbly in the absence of Fabien Pelous.
3 John Hayes – Sadly Martin Castrogiovanni will play no further part for Italy, but the much-maligned “Bull” gave a monumental performance against England.
4 Paul O’Connell – A quiet couple of opening games by his standards, but tormented England in every facet of play. Lionel Nallet has also come to the French party.
5 Alun Wyn Jones – Donncha O’Callaghan is consistently excellent for Ireland, but the young tyro has shown he could be a great-in-the-making amid the Welsh calamities.
6 Simon Easterby – The English-born, Welsh-based Irish Lion has proved himself a master of the dark arts of the breakdown. A royal pain for the opposition.
7 David Wallace – Mauro Bergamasco has been to the fore for the Italians, but the Munsterman’s nous, pace and off-loading skills have kept him ahead of the game.
8 Denis Leamy – Another who stood up to be counted marvellously when questions were asked before England’s visit to Croker. Sebastien Chabal deserves a mention too.
We have also aggregated a Six Nations XV based on all our selections.
Wales 27-18 England
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