2019 6 Nations Round 4 - Winners and Losers #2

Player of the Week

There are multiple contenders for the Player of Round 4, mainly from the English and Irish camps after both enjoyed convincing victories. We finally saw the half-back combination of Connor Murray and Johnny Sexton spring back alive after a dormant few weeks, and Manu Tuilagi’s first try at Twickenham in 6 years was quickly followed by his second try at Twickenham in six years, while Joe Cokanasiga ran the show with just one hand on his first 6 Nations start.

However, George Kruis, whose tireless work usually goes unnoticed despite his 6ft 5in frame,  was crucial in extending England’s 100% record over Italy to a 25^th game. The Saracens lock used his height to maximum effect as his two charge downs directly led to two tries, one for himself and one for the grateful Brad Shields. Kruis also excelled in the more familiar territory of the breakdown, and his 16 tackles will have done his World Cup chances no harm as he fights for selection against Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury. With Itoje already ruled out for the final match against Scotland on Saturday, Kruis will be needed more than ever in what could be a potential title decider.

Worst Player of the Week

Wales may have eventually come away with the win against Scotland, but they made it much more difficult than it needed to be, and this was in part down to misfiring fly-half Gareth Anscombe. With the score at 15-6 to Wales and the game nearing half-time, Anscombe missed the simplest of kicks at a stage where Wales had been camped in the Scotland twenty-two for a lengthy period and were looking likely to put the game to bed. The fly-half’s miss, coupled with some poor decision-making, allowed Scotland to not only get back in the game but completely dominate the second half, and Wales needed Anscombe’s replacement Dan Biggar to settle the nerves and guide the team to victory.

Winners

1. Brad Shields –Shields’ first two tries for England, as well as his 20 tackles, rewarded Eddie Jones’ faith in the flanker

2. Tomasso Allan – While Italy got battered, the fly-half is clearly head and shoulders above his team-mates and has become the consistent kicker that the Azzurri crave

3. Warren Gatland – In his final 6 Nations, Gatland has found a way to win on every occasion and his side are now on the verge of a first title since 2013

Losers

1.       Gregor Townsend – The injury crisis that now faces the Scotland coach is ridiculous, particularly in the backs where Hogg, Seymour, Jones, Kinghorn and Maitland are all set to miss the crunch game against England.

2.       Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack – There were high hopes for France’s new half-back combo after excelling in Paris against Scotland, but Dupont and Ntamack were non-existent as they allowed a ferocious Ireland to walk all over them.

3.       Twickenham – The England supporters were once again visibly quiet, especially compared with the raucous atmospheres of the Aviva Stadium and Murrayfield

Team Of The Week

15 – Adam Hastings - Scotland                    1 – Cian Healy - Ireland

14 – Joe Cokanasiga - England                    2 –  Rory Best - Ireland

13 – Manu Tuilagi - England                         3 – Tom Francis - Wales

12 – Hadleigh Parkes - Wales                      4 – Adam Beard - Wales

11 – Josh Adams - Wales                               5 – George Kruis - England

10 – Johnny Sexton - Ireland                       6 – Brad Shields - England

9 – Connor Murray -Ireland                         7 – Jamie Ritchie - Scotland

                                                                                8 – Jack Conan - Ireland