So, it’s all done for another year. The Six Nations is all wrapped up. Ireland put in a manful performance to stop England’s potential sweep, Scotland nilled a pretty woeful Italy, and only a 100th minute winner in questionable circumstances denied Wales in Paris. But for the final time this Six Nations, we must ask who helped or hindered their Six Nations chances?
GOING UP
Johnny Sexton
Questions have been asked about whether Sexton was targeted by England this weekend, regardless of the answer one of Ireland’s biggest players really stepped up to the plate. Sexton was fantastic. Deprived of his normal halfback partner, Conor Murray, he bossed the game brilliantly, pinning England back with his kicking game. Never a player who has shirked the physical aspects of the game (as his injury history shows) he made 6 tackles and missed none, whilst kicking eight points in a low scoring affair. Since the game he is being anointed as Lions’ fly-half, and so he should be. Despite this when it comes to Sexton, more so than other player, there is always a nagging thought in the back of my mind that he might not be fit for the tour.
Jared Payne
The man called in to replace the esteemed Rob Kearney also had himself quite a game against England. He added a new dimension to Ireland’s attack, offering more distribution skills than Kearney, and he also isn’t bad when it comes to running with the ball. 106 metres covered, in 16 attempts all whilst beating 4 defenders and making 2 clean breaks and two off-loads. Whilst full-back looks as if it will be Stuart Hogg’s position to lose, Payne has an outside shot of making it onto the plane mainly due to his versatility.
Justin Tipuric
In what must be one of the longest international games on record, Justin Tipuric made 21 tackles. (He also didn’t miss any.) But that doesn’t tell the whole story of his contribution. Tipuric’s engine is phenomenal. There were a lot of players in this year’s Six Nation who have incredible work rates, but the skill set Tipuric marries his work rate to makes him a special player. He plays like a more old school seven linking the backs and the forwards (at the weekend he made 7 passes, the most of any Welsh forward and the third most in the team, behind Webb and Biggar), with the pace to run in open field and the skills at the breakdown to win turnovers. If the Lions’ want to match New Zealand’s style of play in the back row, Tipuric might be their best bet. He’s certainly the closest they have to Ardie Savea. I think Tipuric will definitely be on the plane (I mean, Gatland is coaching) but whether or not he starts in a crowded position will be largely down to the balance and style that Gatland wants to achieve in the back-row.
GOING DOWN
Huw Jones
Scotland’s young and exciting centre looks to be out of action for the best part of six months with a torn hamstring. A real shame for one of the best performing young players in the tournament. Only capped 8 times for Scotland, the 4 tries he’s scored so far are a tantalising taste of whats to come. Whether he would’ve played in the tests is doubtful, but he was in with a good chance of making the plane after a solid debut tournament.
Dylan Hartley
Had England won on Saturday, it would have been harder for Gatland to overlook the captain of England, with back-to-back Grand Slams to his name, and a record run of unbeaten games. In defeat, there are questions over the lack of leadership when England were in a hole – where was the Test Match Animal instinct to drag his side over the line? As with Chris Robshaw in 2013, it’s now an easier decision for Gatland to leave Hartley behind.
Tell me who you think I missed out in the comments below.
By Angus Williams
Post-Six Nations Lions squad selection coming up later today…
A real shame for Huw Jones. he may not have made the squad anyway BUT, he was certainly up there for real consideration.
Going Up;
Surely Peter O’Mahoney.
Also, I do not think he will go but after his horror show at Twickenham, I thought Alex Dunbar had a very good game, and he was certainly getting “mentioned in dispatches” up until the England game.
even had England won the Grand Slam I would argue it was still easy to leave Hartley behind as he isn’t even the best hooker in the England side.
Hartley is not even the best hooker at Saints and is nowhere near as good as Owens, George, Taylor or Cowan-Dickie. Richard Hibbard is still the best hooker in the Premiership, and it is a real shame that he seems to be in Gatland´s bad books. Tim Visser continues to impress and I would have Danny Care on the plane well in front of Youngs, who should be given a rest from Argentina as well and be told to go and work on his passing. I thought Lawes somewhat reverted to type under pressure in the Ireland game. You could make the same argument about AWJ as CRFC1874 does about Hartley. If he doesn´t justify a place in the first team (which he doesn´t) why would you pick him as either captain or player when you have Launchbury, Kruis, Itoje, Lawes, and Henderson in front of him. As a real out on a limb suggestion, what about Launchbury as skipper. Does a good job at Wasps, leads by example, is tactically astute, a model pro respected by his teammates and gives nothing useful to the media.
I really like the idea of Launchbury as captain. He was one of England’s top two performers in the tournament IMO (along with Daly), and he has all the qualities you mentioned, as well as you knowing he’s always going to give it his all. I don’t watch the Premiership, but I have been extremely impressed with his performances as Wasps captain in the Champions Cup.
Agree with Blub about O,Mahoney fantastic performance from a world class player he and Stander should tour with Warburton Tuperic and O,Brian. Throw in Billy and Faletau and you have one hell of a back row to choose from
I would go with that Sevegolf, but exchange O’Brien for Haskell.
I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I believe he brings as much as O’Brien on the pitch and a lot off the pitch – and that quality cannot be underestimated on a Lions Tour.
Rather than making it easier to leave Hartley out, Saturday’s game was the final nail in his coffin.
It’s his captaincy keeping him the England shirt and now even that looks questionable. And he was never going to captain the Lions anyway.
Jones seems determined to keep him at the moment despite there being a queue of good players waiting. If George gets picked for the Lions and plays outstandingly well in the Tests it would be difficult for EJ to keep picking him for the Autumn series. Hopefully that will happen. His lack of leadership from the front against Ireland and his slowness to realise what was going on against Italy suggest that his much vaunted leadership qualities are more of a question of having been in the right place at the right time.
Why would EJ drop Hartley as Captain now when all other rivals for his position are likely to be touring NZ and not Argentina.
Expect a change in tone come July and a new captain in the Autumn
Entirely agree about Tuperic but I think he is a 6 rather than 7. Wales and Ireland snuffed out the England 12 /13 and no doubt the All Blacks will have noted that. Don’t think the ABs will be too worried about the Lions.