15 Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
The Glasgow Warriors man edges out Hugo Bonneval who looked played like a man with a point to prove after returning to the French XV against Italy. Hogg is always a danger with ball in hand, and has a good understanding with Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour. Made 50 metres from his 10 runs and took on the responsibility of a long-range penalty which fell just short. Will be relishing another crack at the Irish defence in Dublin.
14 Keith Earls (Ireland)
Another week, another stellar showing from the Moyross flyer. Earls has become an automatic choice and made another couple of devastating runs against Wales. Earls made 54 metres and lurked with intent in the back three.
13 Huw Jones (Scotland)
A harsh call on Ireland’s man of the match Chris Farrell who was superb on Saturday, but the Scottish centre deserves his spot. He ran more with the ball (115 metres) than any other player this weekend, beat more defenders (4) than anyone else at Murrayfield and bagged two tries in a memorable win for the home side. The second try in particular was a testament to his vision, pace and power.
12 Mathieu Bastareaud (France)
We have done a little bit of jiggery-pokery in midfield, but the French juggernaut has to be accommodated in the team, and popped up in the 12 channel on a few occasions. The Toulon centre showed that the subtleties of his game have developed hugely and is not simply a battering ram to get over the gainline. Some deft flicks and offloads caught the eye among his 16 carries and has returned to the Six Nations with a bang.
11 Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
Ireland’s try-scoring machine now has eight tries in seven outings in a green jersey. The Ulster winger effectively sealed the game with his second try at the death and made more headway (83 metres) than any other player at the Aviva Stadium. Two missed tackles won't go unnoticed by management, but is looking more assured defensively with every game he plays at this level and is becoming a finisher in the Tommy Bowe mould for Ireland.
10 Finn Russell (Scotland)
Saturday’s man-of-the-match came into the game under pressure in the 10 jersey, but displayed arguably his finest performance in the Scottish jersey. Pin-point kicking, deft chipping and ambitious passing laid the foundations for victory against the reigning champions. That floating pass for Sean Maitland’s try will be replayed over and over by Scottish supporters.
9 Conor Murray (Ireland)
Maxime Machenaud was his usual energetic self against the Italians, while Gareth Davies was on the Welsh scoresheet in a solid performance in Dublin, but again the Munster scrum-half demonstrated that he is a step ahead of his rivals. Always probing and assessing what is in front of him, Murray is the general dictating matters and stepped up nervelessly to slot over a penalty when Johnny Sexton was unable to do so.
8 Ryan Wilson (Scotland)
Marco Tauleigne was the eye-catching carrier among the number eights at the weekend (76 metres from 17 carries), but Wilson gets the nod for his overall contribution. Equally as happy to lay the ball off as carry into contact, his 10 passes matched the tally of the entire starting English pack. He didn’t miss a single tackle or concede a penalty. A match-up with CJ Stander next time out awaits.
7 Dan Leavy (Ireland)
It was a good weekend for the opensides. Hamish Watson outshone his opposite number Chris Robshaw at Murrayfield, Josh Navidi had the usual high level of tackles and Yacouba Camara was excellent for Les Bleus, but Dan Leavy gets the nod. The Leinster man has a huge appetite in the tight exchanges, made 12 tackles and helped win crucial turnovers with his body positioning at the breakdown.
6 Sebastian Negri (Italy)
John Barclay may feel like his breakdown work and the fact he was Scotland’s highest ball carrier has gone unrewarded, but it is hard to ignore the work of Sebastian Negri in a struggling Italian pack, and again was a shining light against France. While Sergio Parisse’s star begins to wane, the Treviso backrow seems to be talking up the mantle and broke the French line on three occasions. Only Remi Grosso and number 8 Marco Tauleigne made more metres than the Zimbabwean-born player.
5 Jonny Gray (Scotland)
Paul Gabrillagues put in a serious shift for France and capped it off with a try, but Jonny Gray gets the number four jersey. His work-rate was evident from the off and ended up with 24 tackles and offered himself as a ball carrier when required. A leader in the pack.
4 James Ryan (Ireland)
Another rangy performance from the callow lock. Eleven carries and only Maro Itojo among his second row peers matched his 21 metres of carrying. Devin Toner’s work is more understated, but equally as important, but Ryan is blossoming in the Test arena after only six caps.
3 Simon Berghan (Scotland)
Andrew Porter was outstanding in stepping in for Tadhg Furlong, but up against Mako Vunipola, Simon Berghan just edges it over the Leinster man. Held his won in the scrum, engineered a crucial turnover in the second half to halt English momentum and looked the part throughout.
2 Stuart McInally (Scotland)
Solid darts from the 27-year-old who chipped in with 10 tackles and one incisive run that eventually led to Sean Maitland’s try. Honourable mention to Leonardo Ghiraldini who made 20 tackles in another loss for Conor O’Shea’s Italy.
1 Cian Healy (Ireland)
The battle at loosehead is nice headache for Joe Schmidt to have. Jack McGrath and Cian Healy have been alternating and Healy put a real marker down against Wales, against no less an operator than Samson Lee. Only CJ Stander (21) carried on more occasions than the Leinster prop and reminded the home crowd that he has lost little of his power to burrow over for his fifth international try.
