After the second weekend of the 2024 Six Nations, Planet Rugby’s James While spoke to former England defense coach Paul Gustard to find out his selection for this week’s squad.
We teamed up with Premiership Rugby’s official investment and trading partner, eToro, to cover the 2024 Six Nations, previewing and reviewing the entire tournament.
Without further ado, here are Gustard’s picks for this week’s team.
This week’s Six Nations teams
15 Freddie Steward (England): Steward was once again a huge presence under the high ball, dominating the airways and delivering powerful carries during England’s sluggish performance at Twickenham. At Murrayfield, harry patterson Despite the defeat, he produced a memorable individual performance for Scotland.
14 Calvin Nash (Ireland): Nash impressed in his second game for Ireland in the rout of Italy and showed a strong desire to seek work from the wide side.French Damien Penault He was always there or so, never getting the returns we expected from him, and he was the usual threat.
13 Gael Fickou (France): Ficco may be noted for his defensive brilliance, but it was his work in attack and carries that caught the eye as he crossed for Les Bleus’ vital come-from-behind try. In Dublin, robbie henshaw He carried 86 meters eight times and was the focal point of Ireland’s attack with the ball in his hands, but was perhaps unlucky to have his try effort nullified, a reminder of all his versatility. .
12 Stuart McCloskey (Ireland): It would be surprising to think of McCloskey as Ireland’s third choice inside center, but he links up well with Henshaw and Jack Crowley in Ireland’s midfield and advances his case with an impressive game. I did my best for this.Scottish Sione Tuipulotu also shone, but Gregory Aldritt was carded out for missing an arm, and perhaps we were lucky not to see the French captain taken away with a knee injury.
complete wings
11 James Lowe (Ireland): There are no more hard-working and perfect left wingers in the northern hemisphere right now, but Lowe combined brilliant clearances and kicks with elusive running, crossing and scoring further tries.French Louis Vier Bierley Despite his impressive performance in Les Bleus’ return game at Murrayfield, where he crossed and scored the decisive try, he was unlucky not to receive recognition.
10 Jack Crowley (Ireland): The Ireland fly-half debate raged on in the run-up to the 2024 Six Nations, but Crowley’s solid performances after two games were very impressive, and despite an average tee shot at the Aviva, Looks like the shirt will be his for a while.of england george ford He may have been angry at the accusations of his turnaround, but it was his control and territorial intelligence that was at the heart of England’s turnaround against Wales.
☘️ Ireland has found a groove with Jack Crowley on previous songs. #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/mbyMQEmt8j
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 11, 2024
9 Ben White (Scotland): So close yet so far. White’s knowledge of French players, gained from playing for Toulon, enabled him to produce high-quality individual performances despite being an English player. alex mitchell It also showed how important he is to England. It’s hard not to notice how much Ireland’s tempo has increased after bringing on such a standout player. jamison gibson park.
high quality back row
8 Ben Earl (England): It’s a close call, but Earl’s pace and off-base power make a mockery of those who dare suggest he doesn’t fit into their idea of Test 8 form. Saracens carried like a bulldozer and scored some impressive individual tries, as evidenced by the Welsh defense. jack conan I was also very impressed as he proved once again that he is one of the best line carriers in the game.
7 Tommy Leffel (Wales): A typical example of the word “stubborn.” He was a constant nuisance in England’s rucks, kept Wales’ momentum going, and also answered his critics with some great moments with the ball in his hands.Scottish Rory Durge is a similar player to Leffel and demonstrated his threat in an impressive display at Murrayfield.
6 François Clos (France): A cross intervention, a turnover and a powerful 12-metre run from the back of the scrum at 8:00 after Aldritt was sent off were all key to creating France’s two-try chance, with the Toulouse man again He also showed an excellent performance. It was a great weekend for the 6 of us. Alex Mann Wales shined in the second Test; Ryan Baird He had fun with the ball in his hands and ran wild against Italy.
5 Dafydd Jenkins (Wales): It was a mature performance that belied his years as Wales captain, with a lineout and drive that left England unstoppable and almost inspired his team to put an end to the Twickenham shenanigans. One of my own Stade Français players, Paul Gavrilagsputting in massive 60-minute shifts at Murrayfield, demonstrating his incredible work rate and defensive skills.
4 Joe McCarthy (Ireland): Another great performance from the big man, his reading of the defense is top class and he seems to be loving every moment of Test rugby.of england Maro Itoje He also had a great day in the gloom at Twickenham, contributing to some key moments, particularly when England’s seven-man scrum advanced far enough forward to allow Earl’s moment of brilliance from the base. , helped him squeeze in with 6-foot-1-inch Sam Underhill.
previous row
3 Dan Cole (England): Cole played just 29 minutes, but his big presence gave England an advantage at scrum time, winning two crucial penalties, one of which led to the crucial goal. It became. finlay bellum He proves once again that the Irish tighthead shirt is not just for the great Tadhg Furlong, and that there are some good judges in Ireland at the moment who think Bealham is a form man, and in the scrum. As a tank, he stood out in the loose.
2 Dan Sheehan (Ireland): It was yet another flawless performance from the impressively skilled hooker, adding back-to-back tries to his record as well as solid scrums and pinpoint lineouts. like a call, julian marchand He came off the bench to add some real strength to France’s breakdown work and solve the problem of wayward throws at lineouts. I am sure he will be reappointed as the starting hooker in the next round of the tournament.
😍 It’s beautiful!Dan Sheehan has crossed the line. @irishRugby 🙌#Guinness M6N #Ireta pic.twitter.com/LVX4roTE3N
— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 11, 2024
1 Cyril Baille (France): Bayeux was his usual powerful player, both at the scrum and on the carry, but that extravagant pass to Mathieu Jalibert that allowed Fickou to fly over the right flank is firmly on his Instagram highlight reel this week. will be incorporated.Irish andrew porter He showed a focus on scrum technique and impressed with his all-action performance in Dublin, particularly in terms of his handling at first receiver in a number of movements.
This week’s Six Nations squad is selected by eToro, Premiership Rugby’s official investment and trading partner.
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