Monday 3 February 2020 14:44, UK
Find out who makes it into our XV this week as the standouts from the first weekend of Six Nations action combine...
See who makes our cut and have your say when it comes to the most influential player of the weekend with our vote below...
15. Anthony Bouthier (France)
Bouthier may have not stood out in France's 24-17 victory over England on Sunday in terms of raw stats, but as far as Test debuts go for full-backs, it was highly accomplished.
The 27-year-old, who four years ago was playing in the fourth tier of French rugby, and was in the second tier as recently as last year, has experienced a meteoric rise to this level.
He was calm in the air, linked up well with wings Teddy Thomas and Vincent Rattez, and his kicking game was superb - one extraordinary spiral particularly noteworthy as it was kicked from his own five-metre line and landed deep into touch within the England 22.
14. Jonny May (England)
He may have been on the losing side, and he may have rather criminally stopped mid-tackle expecting a whistle before France's second score, but for his supreme finishing ability, May makes it in.
The wing scored two of the best tries you are likely to see from an individual on a rugby pitch: chipping ahead, showing great pace, kicking on again and diving on it for his first; weaving round and inside four France defenders for his second at incredible pace.
He beat seven defenders and made three clean breaks in Paris off 10 carries, while he was superb in the air too.
13. Emily Scarratt (Red Roses)
The Red Roses headed to Pau to face France on Sunday as reigning Grand Slam champions, but were fortunate to escape with a 19-13 win in the end.
Having raced into a 12-0 lead, England were then second best for the majority of the Test as France narrowed the gap to two points but couldn't find a way over the line to edge in front.
As it was, the victory was assured via a stunning Scarratt try against the run of play as she took a great line to pick off an Amber Reed offload on the France 10-metre line and race to the line. She was also a constant carrying threat, and picked up the player of the match award.
12. Sam Johnson (Scotland)
Scotland centre Johnson may have been on the losing side in a 19-12 loss to Ireland, but his lines of running and ability to beat players came to the fore again.
One daft second-half penalty aside, when he shoved Andrew Conway off the ball and conceded three points, Johnson was one of the most impressive players on the pitch as Ireland struggled to deal with him.
He may only have had eight carries in the game, but off them he made 65 metres, beat five defenders and made one clean break. He also contributed seven tackles.
11. Josh Adams (Wales)
Vincent Rattez was superb for France in victory over England, but for notching a hat-trick over Italy in a 42-0 win in Cardiff, Adams has to take our left-wing berth.
Nobody has scored more tries than the wing in world rugby over the last 12 months: three tries during last year's Six Nations, was followed by seven and the top try scorer accolade at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan - a Wales record for tries in a tournament.
On Saturday, while he was in and out of the game, he again displayed a handy knack for popping up where a chance may be: pinning his ears back to finish superbly in the corner for his first, adding the finishing touch to a stunning through-the-legs Dan Biggar pass for his second, and charging over on a crash ball for his third try on the opposite flank.
Adams made 77 metres in attack, beat three defenders and engineered two clean breaks.
10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
Coming into Ireland's Six Nations opener against Scotland in Dublin on Saturday, newly-appointed captain Sexton hadn't played since a 45-minute outing for Leinster against Northampton on December 7.
The 34-year-old showed no signs of rust at the Aviva Stadium, however, scoring all his side's points in a tense and hard-fought 19-12 victory.
The playmaker sprinted over for a beautifully worked try, dispatched the conversion and added four penalties off the tee in the win - his 19-point haul equalling his best ever in an Ireland jersey (19 vs Argentina, 2012). He also contributed 10 tackles, beat one defender and made one clean break.
9. Antoine Dupont (France)
An absolute Rolls Royce of a rugby player. Dupont may not have been the official man of the match in France's win over England at the Stade de France, but he must have been mighty close.
The 23-year-old was everywhere in Paris, dictating play with his sharp passing and controlling passages via his superb kicking game.
Dupont also put in nine tackles, forced two turnovers, made 10 carries for 50 metres, beat seven defenders and made two clean breaks. His slaloming break up the left touchline to set-up France's third try is as good as it gets.
1. Lise Arricastre (France women)
On the occasion of her 70th cap, experienced France prop Arricastre was part of a France scrum which obliterated their England counterparts for much of the contest, albeit in ultimate defeat.
Up against Shaunagh Brown from the start of the Test, the France loosehead was the source of several penalties and Arricastre's powerful drives, on French feed and against the head, did not wain even after the emergence of Sarah Bern.
France and Arricastre may well wonder how they didn't force an England sin-binning, such was their dominance at the scrum, but it was highly impressive nonetheless.
2. Rob Herring (Ireland)
In the wake of Rory Best's retirement, Ireland are in search of a new long-term hooker. Ulster's Herring was in the spotlight on Saturday having earned the nod ahead of Niall Scannell and Sean Cronin, but he didn't disappoint.
In a 72-minute performance, the 29-year-old made seven carries, seven tackles and, most crucially, landed all nine of his throws to finish on 100 per cent.
The Ireland lineout consistently faltered at the World Cup, and Herring will have been delighted on his Championship debut to have brought back some solidity.
3. Zander Fagerson (Scotland)
Fagerson's opposite number Tadhg Furlong was in fine form for Ireland in Dublin, but for landing a remarkable 15 tackles as a tighthead prop, Fagerson takes our three shirt.
In addition to his work-rate, Fagerson was also part of a Scotland scrum and set-piece which performed far better than it has in many a year.
4. Bernard Le Roux (France)
England head coach Eddie Jones may have quipped that France were to expect "absolute brutality" in Paris, but in actual fact, it was the Les Blues pack who thrived.
Second row Le Roux was one of a number to stand out as he put his hand up for 22 tackles - the most of any player across the entire Championship this weekend.
5. James Ryan (Ireland)
Ireland were under a fair degree of pressure heading into their Championship opener with Scotland, coming off the back of a poor 2019 and customarily disappointing World Cup.
Some things never change though, as lock forward Ryan again demonstrated his sensational work ethic.
The 23-year-old made 14 carries and 17 tackles in victory, while he also claimed six lineouts.
6. CJ Stander (Ireland)
There were calls from several quarters in Ireland ahead of their Test with Scotland to drop Stander entirely. He responded by putting in one of his best-ever performances in green and taking the man of the match gong.
The back-row made 14 carries, 18 tackles - the most of any Irish player - beat four defenders, made one clean break, conceded no penalties and earned two vital breakdown penalties - one at the end of each half.
7. Charles Ollivon (France)
Wales' Justin Tipuric was mightily unlucky not to be included after a man of the match display in victory over Italy, but for his two-try salvo, Ollivon had to get in.
The 26-year-old France skipper made a game-high 68 metres as he ran two perfect support lines to score a brace, made 15 tackles, six carries and claimed a game-high eight lineouts.
At 6ft 6in, the highly-imposing flanker has all the skills in his locker and a deceptive turn of pace.
8. Gregory Alldritt (France)
The official man of the match from France's win over England, 22-year-old Alldritt put in a phenomenal display.
The No 8 made 12 carries - the most of any Frenchman - and 16 tackles without missing one. He also beat two defenders and forced a turnover in the win.
"Eddie [Jones] was saying that we couldn't manage the brutality of the England team," Alldritt said. "But when you are a winner, a competitor, you just want to show him that you can manage that.
"Of course we read it. We were clearly going to put some fighting spirit out there."
