Only the select few have ever worn the iconic Lions jersey. Who will be next?

by Paul Cook –

To be honest, week three of the 2013 Six Nations Championship failed to really deliver compared to the previous two rounds. There was still bags of intensity on show and the England – France game was certainly as brutal as they come but the pure excitement we saw in previous games was a tad lacking. Yes, the weather is a factor and blustery conditions in Edinburgh and another wet and wild experience in Rome were certainly not conducive to a running game but teams must also show the intent and desire to chance their arm at the opportune moment, rather than be bogged down by a default position that pre-determines pragmatism.

In fairness, France were electric at times in their opening hour and Ireland showed an ability to break the Scottish line at will, if not an ability to profit from it but you did get the feeling that teams have got one eye on the competition ladder rather than the game in front of them. As a result, it was hard to find many standout performers amongst the British & Irish Lions hopefuls on display and some positions failed to throw up any obvious choices, but plaudits of the week have to go to the Welsh pack who made utter mincemeat of the previously lauded Italian scrum. Rome hasn’t witnessed it’s own countrymen being forced backwards at such an alarming rate since Hannibal crossed the Alps.

So, putting our best foot forward, here’s Rugby News’ selections for week three. Prepare to disagree!

Starting up front, it was almost a Welsh clean sweep and if there was one standout performer that played the biggest role in turning a game the way of his team at the weekend, loose head prop Gethin Jenkins would have to be up there. He was only on the field for 50 minutes but by the time he departed, he had helped to reduce the Italian pack to a disillusioned rabble and applied so much pressure to the Azzurri’s cult hero – and captain for the day – Martin Castrogiovanni, that the veteran tight head used up all his favours from the referee and suffered the ultimate shame of being sent to the bin for falling short in the area he has built his reputation upon.

Jenkins has been vying for the Lions no.1 jersey with Cian Healy and with the Ireland prop missing their game through suspension, he’s put himself in pole position with another powerful effort. Backing him up was hooker and fellow Dragon, Richard Hibbard, who scrummaged well, got around the park and made plenty of important tackles but a mention here too for Ireland’s Rory Best and for Tom Youngs, who excelled off the bench for England.

While wily campaigner Adam Jones, far from his best in recent weeks, was spurred on by his cohorts’ exhortations enough to begin to resemble his rambunctious old self, the efforts of Scottish no.3 Geoff Cross couldn’t be ignored. In a game where Ireland dominated the majority of proceedings as a team, it was Scotland who produced some of the better individual performances and Cross, in for stalwart Euean Murray who doesn’t play on Sundays due to his religious beliefs, was definitely one of the highpoints for the home side.

Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny & Richard Hibbard were three of five Welsh Dragons to make this week’s team

Behind him in the second row was team mate Jim Hamilton, often overlooked by watchers of the game because of the performances, enormity and unmissable flaming blonde hair of fellow lock Richie Gray, but his workhorse efforts should not be underestimated. His man of the match award was the least he deserved for a towering display in defence and for his work in disrupting Ireland’s line out.

Alongside him at lock we placed England’s Joe Launchbury, his work around the park and his vital ball carries playing a large part in getting the Red Rose on the front foot after their early wobbles. It’s hard to believe he was playing only his seventh game for his country.

The back row saw Ryan Jones continue his renaissance in the elite levels of the game with another powerhouse shift in Rome to get our nod and Tom Wood, doing some sterling work as a replacement for Ben Morgan, grabs the no.8 jersey. Our openside once again is England captain Chris Robshaw. His stature grows with every game, his maturity as a leader shines through, his game management is improving and his work rate is exemplary. Should he go on to lead England to a Grand Slam, he will be hard to ignore as a potential Lions captain too.

Greig Laidlaw maintains his place at scrum-half but it was a marginal call. Mike Phillips showed glimpses of the form that saw him regarded as possibly the finest in the world in his position a little over 9 months ago but while Laidlaw didn’t have the same impact at Murrayfield as in previous weeks, it was his 4 penalties that won the day for Scotland and edged him in front by a nose.

Dominant performances were hard to come by at fly-half with Owen Farrell, the benchmark thus far, struggling against the line speed and in-your-face tactics of the French at Twickenham. He was suitably ruffled and frustrated by the French onslaught and by the reduced lack of protection afforded him by his forwards in the opening hour and when the replacements came to the rescue, a thigh injury left Toby Flood to see out the victory in his absence.

England skipper Chris Robshaw leads by example against France

The spoils then, go to Wales’ Dan Biggar, who is growing increasingly assured in the test arena after a topsy-turvy start against Ireland a month ago and is gradually developing an understanding with the giant wingers at his disposal, George North and Adam Cuthbert. Picking the right time to release them into space is improving the lot of all three. Duncan Weir, who came off the bench to replace Ruaridh Jackson and helped spark the Tartan Army into life also gained some kudos.

Into the meat of the backline then and it’s hard to go beyond England’s combative midfield pairing of Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi – the enforcers. Tuilagi was possibly the closest player to Gethin Jenkins in being a catalyst for the changing fortunes of his side on the day and yes, although he got lucky with the ricochet that led to his try, his all round display and the way he ran roughshod over his vaunted opposition, Mathieu Bastareaud, for 80 minutes, was top drawer.

Last but by no means least, our back three and it’s a monopoly of Celts that got the votes. Keith Earls may still have Brian O’Driscoll’s expletives ringing in his ears even now after failing to put his legendary compatriot away on his inside for a run to the line in the first half but the initial line break to create the opportunity was classic Earls and showed just what a dynamic, instinctive and elusive ball runner he can be.

On the opposite wing, Scotland’s Sean Maitland wins out, the former Cantabrian has transitioned nicely into Six Nations rugby and put in his best all round game – his defence was a standout – against Ireland. That only leaves the no brainer of Leigh Halfpenny at full-back. Again the fulcrum of Wales’ display, he was energetic and illustrious on the counter attack, superb under the high ball and imperious with the boot. As good as his rivals for the starting spot – Rob Kearney, Stuart Hogg and Alex Goode – are, it’s going to take something pretty special between now and June for any of them to oust the Welshman on this form.

With two rounds left to go, who will cement their spot and who could make a late dash for inclusion? There’s now less than 100 days to the first Lions test in Brisbane and for some players hoping to book their seat on the plane, it’s a case of now or never.

Here’s our team of the week:

TEAM OF THE WEEK

And here’s how we got there. The points break down from Week Three:

Loose head Prop: 3 – Gethin Jenkins (WAL), 2 – Mako Vunipola (ENG), 1 – Ryan Grant (SCO)

Hooker: 3 – Richard Hibbard (WAL), 2- Rory Best (IRE), 1 – Tom Youngs  (ENG)

Tight head Prop: 3 – Geoff Cross (SCO), 2 – Adam Jones (WAL), 1 – Dan Cole (ENG)

No. 4 Lock: 3 – Joe Launchbury (ENG), 2 – Richie Gray (SCO), 1 – Andrew Coombs (WAL)

No. 5 Lock: 3 – Jim Hamilton (SCO), 2 – Ian Evans (WAL), 1 – Donnacha Ryan (IRE)

Blindside Flanker: 3 – Ryan Jones (WAL), 2 – Rob Harley (SCO), 1 – Peter O’Mahony (IRE)

Openside Flanker: 3 – Chris Robshaw (ENG), 2 – Justin Tipuric (WAL), 1 – Sean O’Brien (IRE)

No.8: 3 – Tom Wood (ENG), 2 – Jamie Heaslip (IRE), 1 – Toby Faletau (WAL)

Scrum-half: 3 – Greig Laidlaw (SCO), 2 – Mike Phillips (WAL), 1 – Connor Murray (IRE)

Fly-half: 3 – Dan Biggar (WAL), 2 – Duncan Weir (SCO), 1 – Owen Farrell (ENG)

Left Winger: 3 – Keith Earls (IRE), 2 – Mike Brown (ENG), 1 – George North (WAL)

Inside centre: 3 – Brad Barritt (ENG), 2 – Luke Marshall (IRE), 1 – Jamie Roberts (WAL)

Outside Centre: 3 – Manu Tuilagi (ENG), 2 – Sean Lamont (SCO), 1 – Brian O’Driscoll (IRE)

Right Winger: 3 – Sean Maitland (SCO), 2 – Alex Cuthbert (WAL), 1 – Craig Gilroy (IRE)

Full-back: 3 – Leigh Halfpenny (WAL), 2 – Alex Goode (ENG), 1 – Stuart Hogg (SCO)

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