RBS 6 Nations: Round 4 Review
There is a three-way tie at the top of the RBS 6 Nations with only scoring difference separating new leaders England from defending champions Ireland and resurgent Wales. It sets up a fascinating final round next Saturday.
2015 RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, March 14-Sunday, March 15
ROUND 4 REVIEW –
WALES (15) 23 IRELAND (9) 16, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
WALES: 15 Leigh Halfpenny (5 penalties); 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams; 10 Dan Biggar (1 drop goal), 9 Rhys Webb; 1 Gethin Jenkins, 2 Scott Baldwin, 3 Samson Lee, 4 Luke Charteris, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 6 Dan Lydiate, 7 Sam Warburton (capt), 8 Toby Faletau.
Replacements used: Aaron Jarvis for Lee (12 mins), Rob Evans for Jenkins (40), Richard Hibbard for Baldwin (56), Scott Williams (1 try) for Roberts (59), Mike Phillips for Webb (68), Justin Tipuric for Lydiate (68), Jake Ball for AW Jones (71), Baldwin for Hibbard (78). Not used: Rhys Priestland.
Test debut: Rob Evans; Six Nations debut: Rob Evans.
IRELAND: 15 Rob Kearney; 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo; 10 Jonathan Sexton (1 conversion and 3 penalties), 9 Conor Murray; 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Rory Best, 3 Mike Ross, 4 Devin Toner, 5 Paul O’Connell (capt), 6 Peter O’Mahony, 7 Sean O’Brien, 8 Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements used: Cian Healy for McGrath (56 mins), Eoin Reddan for Murray, Sean Cronin for Best, Martin Moore for Ross, Iain Henderson for Toner (all 62), Jordi Murphy for Heaslip (71), Ian Madigan for Sexton (74). Not used: Felix Jones.
Test debuts: None; Six Nations debuts: None.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England); Attendance: 73,950; RBS 6 Nations man-of-the-match: Sam Warburton.
ENGLAND (10) 25 SCOTLAND (13) 13, Twickenham, London
ENGLAND: 15 Mike Brown; 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph (1 try), 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jack Nowell (1 try); 10 George Ford (1 try, 2 conversions and 2 penalties), 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Joe Marler, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Dave Attwood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 James Haskell, 7 Chris Robshaw (capt), 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements used: Tom Youngs for Hartley, Geoff Parling for Attwood (both 50 mins), Mako Vunipola for Marler (59), Tom Wood for Haskell, Richard Wigglesworth for B Youngs, Kieran Brookes for Cole (all 66), Danny Cipriani for Brown (76). Not used: Billy Twelvetrees.
Test debut: None; Six Nations debuts: None.
SCOTLAND: 15 Stuart Hogg; 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Mark Bennett (1 try), 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tommy Seymour; 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (capt) (1 conversion and 2 penalties); 1 Alasdair Dickinson, 2 Ross Ford, 3 Euan Murray, 4 Jim Hamilton, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 Rob Harley, 7 Blair Cowan, 8 David Denton.
Replacements used: Tim Swinson for Hamilton (35 mins), Greig Tonks for Scott, Hamilton for Swinson (both half-time), Swinson for Hamilton (47), Adam Ashe for Denton, Geoff Cross for Murray (both 54), Ryan Grant for Dickinson, Fraser Brown for Ford (both 59), John Beattie for Harley (66), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne for Russell (71).
Test debuts: None; Six Nations debut: Adam Ashe.
Referee: Romain Poite (France); Attendance: 82,284; RBS 6 Nations man-of-the-match: Ben Youngs.
ITALY (0) 0 FRANCE (9) 29, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
ITALY: 15 Luke McLean; 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti; 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori; 1 Matias Aguero, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 3 Dario Chistolini, 4 George Biagi, 5 Josh Furno, 6 Francesco Minto, 7 Samuela Vunisa, 8 Sergio Parisse (capt).
Replacements used: Luciano Orquera for Allan (13 mins), Alberto de Marchi for Aguero (32), Enrico Bacchin for Morisi (37), Quintin Geldenhuys for Biagi, Lorenzo Cittadini for Chistolini (both 50), Andrea Manici for Ghiraldini (58), Guglielmo Palazzani for Gori (72), Marco Barbini for Parisse (74).
Test debuts: None; Six Nations debuts: None.
FRANCE: 15 Scott Spedding (1 penalty); 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Noa Nakaitaci; 10 Camille Lopez (2 penalties), 9 Sebastien Tillous-Borde; 1 Eddy Ben Arous, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 3 Nicolas Mas, 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 5 Yoann Maestri (1 try), 6 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 7 Bernard le Roux, 8 Loan Goujon.
Replacements used: Jules Plisson (2 conversions and 2 penalties) for Lopez (half-time), Rabah Slimani for Mas (50 mins), Benjamin Kayser for Guirado (53), Vincent Debaty for Ben Arous (57), Rory Kockott for Tillous-Borde (63), Romain Taofifenua for Maestri (64), Mathieu Bastareaud (1 try) for Fickou (69), Damien Chouly for Goujon (72).
Test debut: Noa Nakaitaci; Six Nations debut: Noa Nakaitaci.
Referee: JP Doyle (England); Attendance: 67,127; RBS 6 Nations man-of-the-match: Thierry Dusautoir.
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TOP POINTS SCORERS:
54 – Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) (3 conversions and 16 penalties)
50 – George Ford (England) (1 try, 6 conversions, 10 penalties and 1 drop goal)
40 – Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) (2 conversions and 12 penalties)
36 – Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) (3 conversions and 10 penalties)
35 – Camille Lopez (France) (1 conversion and 1 penalties)
20 – Jonathan Joseph (England) (4 tries)
14 – Ian Keatley (Ireland) (1 conversion and 4 penalties)
11 – Dan Biggar (Wales) (1 try and 2 drop goals)
TOP TRY SCORERS:
4 – Jonathan Joseph (England)
2 – Mark Bennett (Scotland), Luca Morisi (Italy), Rhys Webb (Wales)
TOP GOAL KICKERS:
100% – Ian Keatley (Ireland) (5 successful kicks from 5 attempts), Jules Plisson (France) (4/4), Ian Madigan (Ireland) (2/2), Kelly Haimona (Italy) (1/1)
92.86% – Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) (13/14)
87.50% – Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) (14/16)
82.61% – Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) (19/23)
72.73% – George Ford (England) (16/22)
70.59% – Camille Lopez (France) (12/17)
50% – Tommaso Allan (Italy) (2/4), Scott Spedding (France) (1/2), Danny Cipriani (England) (1/2)
33.33% – Kelly Haimona (Italy) (3/9)
TOP PERFORMERS –
CARRIES:
56 Billy Vunipola (England)
51 Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Sergio Parisse (Italy)
47 George Ford (England), Rob Kearney (Ireland)
METRES:
356 Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
265 Rob Kearney (Ireland)
256 Jack Nowell (England)
227 Scott Spedding (France)
219 Mark Bennett (Scotland)
CLEAN BREAKS:
7 Jack Nowell (England)
5 Stuart Hogg (Scotland), George Ford (England), Jonathan Joseph (England)
4 Mark Bennett (Scotland), Liam Williams (Wales), Rhys Webb (Wales)
DEFENDERS BEATEN:
14 Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Anthony Watson (England), Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)
12 Jack Nowell (England), George Ford (England), Jonathan Joseph (England)
OFFLOADS:
8 George Ford (England)
7 Luther Burrell (England)
6 Billy Vunipola (England), Mark Bennett (Scotland), Leonard Sarto (Italy)
PASSES:
377 Conor Murray (Ireland)
264 Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)
255 Edoardo Gori (Italy)
242 Rhys Webb (Wales)
225 Ben Youngs (England)
KICKS IN PLAY:
39 George Ford (England), Dan Biggar (Wales)
37 Conor Murray (Ireland)
32 Camille Lopez (France)
29 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
TACKLES MADE (MISSES):
68(4) Chris Robshaw (England)
65(1) Jonny Gray (Scotland)
62(2) Francesco Minto (Italy)
62(5) Toby Faletau (Wales)
58(3) Billy Vunipola (England)
TURNOVERS WON:
7 Blair Cowan (Scotland)
6 Eddy Ben Arous (France)
5 Chris Robshaw (England), Gethin Jenkins (Wales)
4 Dave Attwood (England), Thierry Dusautoir (France), Sergio Parisse (Italy), Dan Cole (England), Liam Williams (Wales)
LINEOUTS WON (INCLUDING STEALS):
19 Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
15 Josh Furno (Italy)
12 Dave Attwood (England), Jonny Gray (Scotland), Devin Toner (Ireland), Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)
– Official match data delivered by Accenture. Follow @AccentureRugby on Twitter for all the latest stats and analysis