RBS 6 Nations: Round 2 Review

Following the completion of the second round, Ireland remain top of the RBS 6 Nations table with Jonathan Sexton the leading points scorer (27) and Peter O’Mahony the top poacher so far with five turnovers won.

2014 RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 8-Sunday, February 9

ROUND 2 REVIEW –

IRELAND (13) 26 WALES (0) 3, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

IRELAND: 15 Rob Kearney; 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 David Kearney; 10 Jonathan Sexton (1 conversion and 4 penalties), 9 Conor Murray; 1 Cian Healy, 2 Rory Best, 3 Mike Ross, 4 Devin Toner, 5 Paul O’Connell (capt), 6 Peter O’Mahony, 7 Chris Henry (1 try), 8 Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements used: Dan Tuohy for O’Connell, Martin Moore for Ross (both 54 mins), Fergus McFadden for Trimble (60), Tommy O’Donnell for Tuohy (63), Jack McGrath for Healy (67), Sean Cronin for Best (72), Paddy Jackson (1 try and 1 conversion) for Sexton (74), Isaac Boss for Murray (79).

Test debuts: None; Six Nations debuts: None.

WALES: 15 Leigh Halfpenny (1 penalty); 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North;10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips; 1 Gethin Jenkins, 2 Richard Hibbard, 3 Adam Jones, 4 Andrew Coombs, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 6 Dan Lydiate, 7 Sam Warburton (capt), 8 Toby Faletau.

Replacements used: Liam Williams for S Williams (16 mins), Ken Owens for Hibbard, Rhodri Jones for A Jones (both 60), Paul James for Jenkins, Jake Ball for Coombs, Justin Tipuric for Lydiate (all 70). Not used: Rhys Webb, Justin Tipuric.

Test debut: Jake Ball; Six Nations debuts: Jake Ball, Liam Williams.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England); Attendance: 51,045; RBS 6 Nations man-of-the-match: Peter O’Mahony.

SCOTLAND (0) 0 ENGLAND (13) 20, Murrayfield, Edinburgh

SCOTLAND: Stuart Hogg; 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Matthew Scott, 11 Sean Lamont; 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Greig Laidlaw (capt); 1 Ryan Grant, 2 Ross Ford, 3 Moray Low, 4 Tim Swinson, 5 James Hamilton, 6 Ryan Wilson, 7 Chris Fusaro, 8 David Denton.

Replacements used: Scott Lawson for Ford, Alasdair Dickinson for Grant (both 42 mins), John Beattie for Denton (52), Max Evans for Seymour, Chris Cusiter for Laidlaw (both 64), Geoff Cross for Low (67), Jonny Gray for Hamilton (69), Duncan Taylor for Scott (72).

Test debut: Chris Fusaro; Six Nations debuts: Chris Fusaro, Tommy Seymour, Jonny Gray.

ENGLAND: 15 Mike Brown (1 try); 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Luther Burrell (1 try), 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May; 10 Owen Farrell (2 conversions and 1 penalty), 9 Danny Care (1 drop goal); 1 Joe Marler, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 Tom Wood, 7 Chris Robshaw (capt), 8 Billy Vunipola.

Replacements used: Dave Attwood for Launchbury (62 mins), Mako Vunipola for Marler (64), Tom Youngs for Hartley, Ben Morgan for B Vunipola (both 69), Alex Goode for May (70), Lee Dickson for Care, Brad Barritt for Burrell (both 73), Henry Thomas for Cole (75).

Test debuts: None; Six Nations debut: Henry Thomas.

Referee: Jerome Garces (France); Attendance: 67,100; RBS 6 Nations man-of-the-match: Mike Brown.

FRANCE (9) 30 ITALY (3) 10, Stade de France, Paris

FRANCE: 15 Brice Dulin; 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana (1 try), 11 Hugo Bonneval (1 try); 10 Jules Plisson, 9 Jean Marc Doussain (3 conversions and 3 penalties); 1 Thomas Domingo, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 3 Nicolas Mas, 4 Pascal Papé (capt), 5 Yoann Maestri, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 8 Louis Picamoles (1 try).

Replacements used: Yannick Forestier for Domingo, Rabah Slimani for Mas (both 48 mins), Benjamin Kayser for Szarzewski, Damien Chouly for Louis Picamoles (both 57), Maxime Machenaud for Doussain (60), Sebastien Vahaamahina for Papé, Francois Trinh-Duc for Plisson (both 66), Gael Fickou for Bastareaud (72), Mas for Nyanga (74), Nyanga for Le Roux (75).

Test debut: Hugo Bonneval; Six Nations debut: Hugo Bonneval.

ITALY: 15 Luke McLean; 14 Tommaso Iannone (1 try), 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Leonardo Sarto; 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori; 1 Alberto de Marchi, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 5 Josh Furno, 6 Francesco Minto, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 8 Sergio Parisse (capt).

Replacements used: Alessandro Zanni for Minto (51 mins), Davide Giazzon for Ghiraldini, Michele Rizzo for de Marchi, Lorenzo Cittadini for Castrogiovanni (all 58), Tobie Botes for Gori, Luciano Orquera for Allan (both 63), Marco Bortolami for Quintin Geldenhuys (70), de Marchi for Bergamasco (74). Not used: Angelo Esposito.

Test debuts: None; Six Nations debuts: None.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa); Attendance: 78,700; RBS 6 Nations man-of-the-match: Wesley Fofana.

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TOP POINTS SCORERS:

27 – Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) (3 conversions and 7 penalties)

21 – Jean-Marc Doussain (France) (3 conversions and 5 penalties)

16 – Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) (2 conversions and 4 penalties)

15 – Owen Farrell (England) (3 conversions and 3 penalties)

10 – Mike Brown (England) (2 tries), Luther Burrell (England) (2 tries), Michael Campagnaro (Italy) (2 tries), Yoann Huget (France) (2 tries)

8 – Tommaso Allan (Italy) (1 conversion and 2 penalties)

7 – Paddy Jackson (Ireland) (1 try and 1 conversion)

6 – Danny Care (England) (2 drop goals), Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) (2 penalties)

TOP TRY SCORERS:

2 – Mike Brown (England), Luther Burrell (England), Michele Campagnaro (Italy), Yoann Huget (France)

1 – Hugo Bonneval (France), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Gael Fickou (France), Wesley Fofana (France), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Chris Henry (Ireland), Tommaso Iannone (Italy), Paddy Jackson (Ireland), Rob Kearney (Ireland), Louis Picamoles (France), Andrew Trimble (Ireland), Scott Williams (Wales)

TOP GOAL KICKERS:

100% – Maxime Machenaud (France) (2 successful kicks from 2 attempts), Luciano Orquera (Italy) (1/1), Paddy Jackson (Ireland) (1/1), Alex Goode (England) (1/1)

85.71% – Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) (6/7)

83.33% – Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) (10/12)

66.67% – Jean-Marc Doussain (France (8/12)

60% – Owen Farrell (England) (6/10)

50% – Tommaso Allan (Italy) (3/6)

40% – Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) (2/5)

TOP PERFORMERS –

CARRIES:

36 Sergio Parisse (Italy)
33 Billy Vunipola (England)
28 Jamie Roberts (Wales), Luke McLean (Italy)
25 David Denton (Scotland), Louis Picamoles (France), Brice Dulin (France)

METRES:

183 Mike Brown (England)
176 Brice Dulin (France)
154 Rob Kearney (Ireland)
151 Luke McLean (Italy)
137 Louis Picamoles (France)

CLEAN BREAKS:

4 Mike Brown (England), Yoann Huget (France), Luther Burrell (England)
3 Louis Picamoles (France), Wesley Fofana (France), Stuart Hogg (Scotland)

DEFENDERS BEATEN:

10 Brice Dulin (France)
9 Louis Picamoles (France), Billy Vunipola (England)
8 Mike Brown (England), Yannick Nyanga (France)

PASSES:

138 Conor Murray (Ireland)
129 Mike Phillips (Wales)
128 Danny Care (England)
112 Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)
87 Edoardo Gori (Italy)

KICKS IN PLAY:

31 Rhys Priestland (Wales)
26 Danny Care (England)
23 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
19 Conor Murray (Ireland), Jules Plisson (France)

OFFLOADS:

6 Yoann Huget (France)
5 Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Louis Picamoles (France)
4 Owen Farrell (England), Mike Brown (England), Sergio Parisse (Italy), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Billy Vunipola (England)

TACKLES MADE (MISSES):

29(4) Tim Swinson (Scotland)
25(0) Dan Lydiate (Wales)
23(5) Ryan Wilson (Scotland)
22(1) Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)
22(2) Yannick Nyanga (France), Quintin Geldenhuys (Italy)

TURNOVERS WON:

5 Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)
4 Jack Nowell (England)
3 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Rory Best (Ireland), Mathieu Bastareaud (France), Toby Faletau (Wales), Dan Cole (England)

LINEOUTS WON (INCLUDING STEALS):

18 Courtney Lawes (England)
12 Devin Toner (Ireland), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
8 Yannick Nyanga (France)
7 Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)