Six Nations Team of the Week - Round Four

The penultimate round of the 2022 Six Nations has concluded with just Ireland and Grand Slam chasing France still in the running for the title.

Round four of the competition kicked off on Friday evening, with France getting the better of a fired Welsh outfit in a gruelling test that went down to the wire.

Anthony Jelonch grabbed the only try as France stayed in the hunt for Grand Slam glory, snatching a massive 13-9 win in Cardiff.

In the first game on Saturday, Scotland responded to back-to-back defeats by inflicting another Six Nations loss on a resilient Italian outfit in Rome. Chris Harris scored a first-half double as Scotland claimed a 33-22 at the Stadio Olimpico.

In the weekend's final match, a 14-man England side was beaten 32-15 by Ireland at Twickenham. Eddie Jones' charges put in a spirited performance following Charlie Ewel's sending off in the first two minutes of the match. Ireland sealed off the victory in the match's final ten minutes with Jack Conan and Finlay Bealham scoring late tries.

Here is our team of the week from the round's action.

1. Ellis Genge - England

It was hard to look past the titanic performance of the England loosehead prop who dominated at scrum time, regularly getting the better of Tadhg Furlong. 

In what was a truly fantastic performance, he is abrasive on either side of the ball and gave England hope following Ewel's sending off.

Bubbling under: Cyril Baille (France)

2. Julien Marchand - France

Man of the match in France's famous victory at the Principality Stadium as Fabien Galthie's side kept their Grand Slam hopes alive. He was sensational over the ball, winning two turnovers, while ball carrying and defensive effort was outstanding. 

Bubbling under: Jamie George (England), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), George Turner (Scotland)

3. Kyle Sinckler - England

A powerful presence on the tighthead side of the England scrum as Sinckler managed to stifle the impact of Cian Healy at scrum time. 

He weighed in heavily on defence and had some nice touches with the ball in hand. 

Bubbling under: Tomas Francis (Wales), Zander Fagerson (Scotland)

4. Maro Itoje - England

The stats barely paint the picture of Maro Itoje's performance, with the England second-rower making 13 tackles and three carries.

The 27-year-old effectively played as two second rowers for England, producing an outstanding performance at lineout time and in the rucks. 

He was a key player in keeping England in the game for over 70 minutes. He did enough to beat Will Rowlands to a place in our team of the week.

Bubbling under: Will Rowlands (Wales), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)

5. Paul Willemse - France

In recent games, Willemse has been incredibly effective for France, charging around the pitch for 60 odd minutes, but the second-rower maintained that tempo throughout the match against Wales.

He made 13 tackles and furiously into contact against Wales. A sublime performance from the lock. 

Bubbling under: Niccolo Cannone (Italy)

6. Francois Cros France

One of France's best in their victory over Wales. The flanker played a pivot role in clearing out rucks and stifling the opposition's attack.

He carried the ball well into contact, too and finished as his side's top tackler with 14.

Bubbling under: Rory Darge (Scotland), Courtney Lawes (England), Seb Davies (Wales)

7. Josh van der Flier - Ireland

The Irish openside edges Hamish Watson and Michele Lamaro to a place in our side. He set up James Lowe for the opening score against England. He carried furiously into contact making over 30 running metres while he passed and tackled well too.

Bubbling under: Hamish Watson (Scotland), Michele Lamaro (Italy)

8. Taulupe Faletau - Wales

Faletau covered just about every blade of grass at the Principality on Friday evening in an all-action display against France. 

He made over 60 running metres from his 13 carries and was sound defensively.

Bubbling under: Sam Simmonds (England)

9. Jamison Gibson-Park - Ireland

Gibson-Park kicked well throughout his stint against England while his passing was swift and accurate. After a strong performance, he was named man of the match in Ireland's victory over England.

Bubbling under: Antoine Dupont (France), Calum Braley (Italy)

10. Dan Biggar - Wales

Biggar's excellent tactical kicking performance kept Wales in the game against France as he put his side in the right areas of the pitch. 

The captain's excellent outing gave Wales a chance against France, and he came close to steering his side to victory. 

Bubbling under: Marcus Smith (England), Finn Russell (Scotland)

11. James Lowe - Ireland

The Ireland winger sped away to 186 running metres beating six defenders from his 13 carries. He kicked well out of hand, scored a try and defended his wing well too. 

Bubblingunder: Gabin Villiere (France), Monty Ioane (Italy)

12. Jonathan Danty - France

A powerhouse performance from the French midfield as he makes the most of his opportunities in the starting lineup. He was brilliant on defence making 12 tackles and two turnovers, while his abrasive approach on attack saw him making over 20 metres from just five carries.

Bubbling under: Sam Johnson (Scotland), Leonardo Marin (Italy), Jonathan Davies (Wales)

13. Chris Harris - Scotland

 

Harris scored twice in the 22-33 victory over Italy, showing that he can be a threat on attack and a defensive general. 

He shut down several Italian attacks and edges out the likes of Owen Watkin and Joe Marchant to a place in the side.

Bubbling under: Owen Watkin (Wales), Joe Marchant (England)

14. Andrew Conway - Ireland

With England putting Ireland under tremendous pressure with their up and unders, Conway stepped up to the task with his superb work under the high ball. 

He shone with his kicking out of hand, nailing not just a 50:22 but a 22:22.

Bubbling under: Yoram Moefana (France), Alex Cuthbert (Wales).

15. Ange Capuozzo - Italy

Nothing like scoring a brace on your Test debut. Capuozzo came off the bench and slotted superbly into the fullback role, scoring two tries against Scotland in the match's latter stages. The PROD2 star made the step-up look easy. He was a threat each time he touched the ball.

He edges out some excellent performances in the no.15 jersey this weekend from Freddie Steward, Melvyn Jaminet and Hugo Keenan.

Bubbling under: Freddie Steward (England), Melvyn Jaminet (France) and Hugo Keenan (Ireland).