While the opening weekend of Six Nations action was not entirely surprising in terms of results, with all three favourites winning, the nature in which they got there differed from what most would have expected.
France dominated a hapless Wales side while Ireland turned on the second-half heat on England, with Scotland going unpunished after a lacklustre game against Italy.
Plenty of players stood out, and here is Charlie Elliott’s Team of the Week as the northern hemisphere’s finest battle it out once again.
Outside Backs
15- Thomas Ramos (France)
An absolutely class performance yet again from one of the best in the France side.
Led from the back with some great conversion kicking, but in general, dictated a lot of the play.
He was very efficient in what he did and had put some great kicks through for players to run onto, while retaining strong running skills with ball in hand.
Didn’t look to leave second gear which is a scary thing for future opposition.
14- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France)
Both he and Theo Attissogbe were impressive on the wings for France, looking like a threat throughout.
LBB seemed to scare away the Wales defence at times with aura alone, which leads to being marked slightly tighter but creates gaps elsewhere.
Two tries before the half, one easy and one slightly harder, but he was continuously knocking on the door and could have maybe scored a few more. Typical of him, he made some brilliant runs too.
Centres
13- Huw Jones (Scotland)
After a hat-trick of tries, Jones had a decent game overall, but this game was decided by his scores which got him into this TOTW.
Was every bit a match for Italy but will need to step up should they want to challenge for the title.
12- Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)
Menoncello’s partner Juan Ignacio Brex is an honourable mention, with both having very good games and outplaying Jones and Stafford McDowall over the course of the narrow (ish) defeat.
He broke plenty of tackles with a good mix of powerful running, but also some silky skills. Had the hosts worried for large portions of the game.
11- James Lowe (Ireland)
Was directly involved in three of Ireland’s tries. Not a perfect game by any means with a few poor kicks but was a key factor in the huge second half.
Some good takes from the high ball and overall had an excellent game. Seems to go under the radar slightly but England would love a winger like him.
READ MORE: Steve Borthwick – It’s tough but we’re improving
Halfbacks
10- Antoine Dupont (France)
Of course, Dupont was played at scrum-half, but both he and Jamison Gibson-Park were outstanding and with the lack of quality at fly-half, he slots in slightly further back.
Nowhere near his best but still an unbelievable player, which speaks volumes about the quality he possesses.
Roamed around a lot in a similar manner to a prime Lionel Messi in footballing terms but was central to France’s attack.
Everything went through him and plenty happened courtesy of his boot.
His aura alone meant that Wales needed to be switched on at all times, which clearly took its toll after the first few minutes when the tries started flooding in.
9- Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
Named the official Player of the Match and for good reason.
Very busy with a total of 71 touches on the ball and continuously made things happen.
Took his try extremely well after receiving from 40 metres out, leaving Freddie Steward for dead and dotting down.
No rustiness for Gibson-Park, who was at his very best.
Front Row
1- Jean-Baptiste Gros (France)
Wales scrimmaged a lot better than expected, but it was dealt with at ease by Gros and co. Did his job and did it to near perfection.
Gareth Thomas, despite a big shift himself, was no match at all for the French unit.
Had a lot to do and looked comfortable doing it.
2- Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
The term ‘super-sub’ comes to mind when describing Sheehan’s performance.
Was instrumental in the mega second half that Ireland had and got himself a beautifully worked try that turned out to be the winner.
Had a long absence due to injury but didn’t put a foot wrong in his Test return.
3- Zander Fagerson (Scotland)
Notched 15 carries and made good ground across the pitch, while still being strong in the scrum.
A big aspect of Scotland grinding out victory and will not have done his Lions tour hopes any harm.
Stayed on until nearly the 70-minute mark, which is a testament to the shift he put in.
Second Row
4- Maro Itoje (England)
It was not exactly vintage Itoje, but after a pretty weak weekend overall for the locks, his decent performance is enough to warrant a place in this team.
Like England, he was outstanding for the first half and faded thereafter.
A smart claim for the TMO review on Tadhg Beirne which led to a disallowed try was a good moment for him.
Wanted the ball a lot, made good metres and led a very strong first-half defence.
Played well but in truth makes it in by virtue of not a huge amount of quality here.
5- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Excellent defensive work compounded with some good attacking skills, Beirne managed to do it on both sides of the ball.
Ireland’s third try was due to the brilliant support line he ran, which he was able to finish.
The only blemish was a hold on Itoje that led to Ronan Kelleher’s disallowed try, although some would see it as the kind of gamesmanship that can win titles.
Back Row
6- Tom Curry (England)
The experiment of playing both brothers worked for large portions and Steve Borthwick should look to keep the duo for France.
Frustrated Ireland throughout and played the full 80.
Could have won a big card after receiving a headshot, but TMO ignored it.
Grabbed a consolation try at the end which did help on the road to securing a potentially crucial bonus point, which gave them a lifeline.
7- Jac Morgan (Wales)
You must feel for Jac Morgan, yet another strong performance but again is let down by the lack of quality in his team.
Parallels to the loss over Autumn to the Wallabies where he still managed to stand out, despite a battering for Warren Gatland’s side.
21 tackles and 15 carries show the desire and effort put in.
Going forward, Wales need to build their team around Morgan properly, what a player.
8- Gregory Alldritt (France)
Relentless is the best word to describe the performance of the La Rochelle number eight.
Wales could not stop his running, and he put in some good tackles to not let them through at the other end.
With all of France’s quality, they need workhorses to do the dirty work, which Alldritt did with aplomb.
Massively deserved his late try.
READ MORE: Jeremy Guscott – France have a Grand Slam look about them
