2017 Six Nations Round One: The team of the week

15. Stuart Hogg

The 2016 player of the tournament continued in a similar vein on Saturday as he inspired Scotland to an opening win over Ireland. His second score, which saw him sell opposite number Rob Kearney with a beautiful dummy before burning clear, was special.

14. Virimi Vakatawa

Vakatawa’s performance at Twickenham epitomised that of his France side - daring and exciting if frustratingly erratic. At times he could have been savvier, particularly in retaining the ball, but he showed numerous moments of magic and his pace and power gave England serious problems.

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Joe Schmidt absolves Conor Murray of blame for defeat

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13. Jonathan Davies

The Scarlets centre has found himself out of his club side in recent times but he made a fine return to form in Rome. He capitalised on some smart work from midfield partner Scott Williams to score his side's first try and his pass out of the tackle set up Liam Williams for the second. The Lions tour had looked out of his reach but similar performances could put him firmly back into the mix.

12. Owen Farrell

Farrell has quickly established himself as Eddie Jones's leading general and it was largely his efforts which helped England steady the ship against France and chalk up a record 15th consecutive win. One miss aside, his goal kicking was excellent and he was a monster in defence, making one particularly stunning tackle on the bullocking Louis Picamoles.

11. George North

Gorgeous George is back. Watching North play can be a particularly nerve-wracking experience, with his history of head injuries meaning every collision he’s involved in can induce stadium-wide winces. But bar a knock to the leg, North came through Saturday’s win over Italy unscathed and produced the moment of the match - a thunderous, unstoppable 60-metre try as Wales chased a bonus point.

10. Finn Russell

Gordon D’Arcy wrote last week that having a star outhalf would make all the difference for Scotland and Russell played a key role in his side’s win in Edinburgh. Granted, he remains guilty of the odd mistake but on the whole he controlled the game well and his vision gives the Scots the edge they had missed for so long.

9. Greg Laidlaw

Thanks to the stunning work of his pack Laidlaw was able to provide his backline with consistently good ball, but it was his goal-kicking and captaincy which stood out at Murrayfield. With Ireland scoring 14-unanswered points in the second half Scotland could have easily capitulated but they kept their heads and when late opportunities presented themselves Laidlaw took them with aplomb.

1. Jack McGrath

The frontrow was a beacon of hope for Ireland in Saturday's miserable Six Nations opener and McGrath gave opposite number Zander Fagerson a tough time, particularly in the early stages. Not his most dominant performance in the loose but he put in another big shift and remains on course to take the number one jersey for the Lions.

2. Guilhelm Guirado

Hooker Guirado is another captain who led by example on the opening weekend and he brilliantly marshalled a French pack which went toe-to-toe with England for much of their narrow defeat at Twickenham. The French lineout was solid, with the English set-piece spoiled on a number of occasions, and Guirado was a constant nuisance in the loose.

3. Tadhg Furlong

Saturday's defeat to Scotland is largely best forgotten from an Irish perspective but if there was one positive to be taken from Saturday it was Ireland's dominance at the scrum and the performance of Furlong in particular. Furlong gave poor old Alan Dell - his direct peer at 24-years-old - a frontrow lesson, and he continues to look like the world's best tighthead in the making.

4. Jonny Gray

Both Gray brothers were outstanding at Murrayfield but Jonny was simply monumental, chalking up a Scottish record 28 tackles. Secondrow is set to be one of the most competitive positions when it comes to this summer’s Lions tour but Jonny Gray’s performance was such he is now surely a front-runner for a Test place.

5. Alun Wyn Jones

While Wales didn’t set the world alight during the opening 40 minutes in Rome their patient approach paid off and they ultimately negotiated a potentially tricky opening hurdle with ease. Jones ensured Wales ground the Italians down with savvy captaincy and he repeatedly seized the initiative himself, making 14 carries - some powerful, some clever.

6. Ryan Wilson

Ireland had been expected to dominate the backrow battle at Murrayfield but they more than met their match in a Scottish pack who blew them away in the opening half. Wilson, ably assisted by openside Hamish Watson, ensured Conor Murray only had scraps to feed off for the majority of the match and made 18 tackles during a huge defensive effort.

7. Justin Tipuric

Perhaps the most surprising statistic of the opening half of Wales’s win over Italy was that Tipuric actually missed a tackle - not a regular occurrence. But that was a small blot on an otherwise excellent performance from the Ospreys flanker, who at one point out-sprinted the rest of the Welsh side in a quite staggering kick chase. Not bad for a backrow.

8. Louis Picamoles

Picamoles performance at Twickenham was arguably the best display of the opening weekend, and his herculean efforts nearly saw France cause an upset at Twickenham. The official man of the match made 121 metres from 18 destructive carries, brushing off three tacklers in one particularly memorable surge down the left before it took a high tackle to haul him down.