Monday 15 February 2016 14:22, UK
James Hook wears the No 10 jersey in our team of the week while Chris Robshaw continues to impress. There are also spots for regulars Nathan Hughes and Alun Wyn Jones.
Piutau was one three Wasps players to score two tries in their side's 64-23 thrashing of Saracens at Allianz Park. The full-back dotted down in the third minute before adding a second-half effort to complete a fruitful shift in a Wasps jersey, but it was not only his finishing that caught the eye.
Piutau made over nine metres with each carry of the ball and beat three defenders at Allianz Park. The New Zealand intentional was also in the top five for individual metres made by both sides on the day, with 55m to his name.
With Wales holding onto a slender lead against Scotland it was George North who provided a moment of brilliance that allowed the home side to seal a 27-23 win against a resurgent Scottish side.
North took the ball off a switch from Dan Biggar and danced past a series of desperate defenders before dotting down for the decisive score. It capped off an influential performance from the winger, who carried eight times for Wales and beat eight tacklers with ball in hand.
Joseph was under a great deal of pressure from Elliot Daly for the England No 13 berth, and faced the task of keeping new Italian sensation Michele Campagnaro quiet in Rome.
The battle between the two raged for just over 50 minutes before Joseph intercepted a pass to cross for a try under the poles - his first of three tries on the day. His finishing for the third try showed immense power to add to the vision and speed for the second as he helped England to a 40-9 victory over Italy.
A special mention goes to Campagnaro for his part in what was a close affair until Joseph's initial score.
Another position where the two of the top contenders came up against each other. Duncan Taylor's try in the 79th minute showed superb speed, but it was Roberts who put Wales in the lead in the 63rd minute when the game was in the balance.
Typically, there was nothing subtle about his try. The Harlequins man ran a clever angle to cut across the defence as they spread to cover the threat and muscled over with a leg-drive from close range. All in all Roberts carried eight times for Wales and put in nine tackles in defence - the most of any of the home-side backs.
It was not a very easy afternoon in Cardiff for the winger as his side struggled to stamp their mark on the game, but in terms of individual performances Seymour will surely be satisfied.
His try in the 13th minute rounded off a good team effort, and the way he retreated to disrupt the ball at the ruck after Tom James almost ran in for the score showed his attitude to the Scottish cause.
It was an indifferent day with the boot for the 81-Test international but a convincing performance with ball in hand. Not only did the fly-half score a try, but he was tied at the top for defenders beaten by Gloucester attackers, and made 40 metres in his eight carries.
Without the ball Hook was level with Ben Morgan for the most tackles by a player from either team, halting 12 ball-carriers as Gloucester managed to stop Harlequins from scoring a try in the 28-6 win at Kingsholm.
There was a good No 9 performance from Conor Murray in a losing Ireland side in Paris, but Robson set the tone for Wasps' humbling of the defending Premiership champions in their own backyard.
Robson's service was exemplary, and he was heavily involved in the tempo set by Wasps, which allowed them to bully Saracens. The scrum-half scored two tries, turned the ball over twice and made almost seven metres per carry when running with the ball.
Wales' comeback in Dublin on the opening weekend of the Six Nations was credited to the dominance up front, but there were those who questioned whether there would be a repeat of that ascendancy with the dependable WP Nel lining up at tighthead prop for Scotland.
As it was, the Welsh scrum maintained their impressive form to set up their first win of the campaign, led by Evans in the No 1 jersey.
The replacement only featured in the second half in Rome but made an impact in that time. England's lineout faltered throughout but Giazzon showed them how it's done, with 11 out of 11 throws finding their way to Italian jumpers.
The hooker also put in nine tackles as England surged into the game after the break, putting him in the top three overall for Italy despite not playing the whole game.
Plenty was made of Guy Noves bringing two new props into his starting line-up, but Slimani made a positive impact when he came off the bench in the 45th minute.
The pressure told during a series of scrums under the Irish poles, which could easily have led to a penalty try had Maxime Medard not dotted down from close range.
Craig was a key cog in a dominant Saints maul. He finished one driving maul and helped win a penalty try from another as Saints romped to a 35-7 win over London Irish.
He was another who did the basics of the set piece right, ensuring he was reliable in the lineouts and a force at scrum-time.
Jones is starting to become a veteran of the team of the week. The Welsh second rower made 13 tackles in Cardiff, two of which resulted in turnovers, and he also caused havoc in the set piece when he stole two lineouts on the opposition throw.
It may have been North and Roberts who crossed for the five-pointers, but it was the unsung work of the forwards that ensured Scottish defenders were weary and on the back foot when the time came to strike.
Ireland's CJ Stander was once again a pest at the breakdown and carried selflessly for his side, but another hard-working day at the office for the former England captain sees him in our team of the week. He joined George Kruis at the top of England's tackle charts with 13 hits, and also managed to cause a turnover.
Robshaw has shown great character in the way he has dealt with the transition of losing the captaincy and his performances have continued to improve.
A special mention goes to Tom Wood, who was ferocious in defence and excellent in attack. He made one good break and showed an astute offloading game, but for his part in the victory over Saracens, Smith is in our side.
The former Wallaby made a complete nuisance of himself throughout the encounter just by doing the basics right. Smith was in the top five for carries with the ball and tackles made by an individual player from either side.
In a game in which many impressed, it's hard to imagine that someone would stand out as much as Hughes did at Allianz Park.
The No 8 was top of the combined standings for carries (16) and metres made (105) with the next-best being the 65m made by Josh Bassett.
Hughes beat seven Saracens defenders and also put in seven tackles on the opposition. Another player who will have caught the attention of Eddie Jones.
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