Six Nations team of the weekend round 3: Jonathan Sexton and Stuart Hogg star as title battle starts to take shape
Who makes our starting XV after round three of the Six Nations?
Six Nations team of the weekend - Round three
Show all 15With round three of the Six Nations in the bag, more talking points have arisen than anyone could have imagined following Scotland’s emergence as a serious contender, Jonathan Sexton’s virtuoso return for Ireland and Italy’s incredibly cunning tactics that nearly halted the England juggernaut.
What we’re left with is one team still unbeaten and heading towards the Grand Slam, with their two remaining challengers left standing in their way. England found a way to record a bonus point victory over Italy on Sunday, but they now face the tough ask of beating and in-form Scotland before travelling to Dublin to take on Ireland.
Scotland will be filled with belief ahead of the Calcutta Cup clash given they ended their 10-year wait for a win over Wales with a 29-13 victory at Murrayfield that saw them score 20 unanswered points in the second half.
Ireland meanwhile had to fight from behind to beat France 19-9 thanks to a Conor Murray try in wet conditions, but it was the return from injury – and very much to form – of Sexton that caught the eye, with the fly-half continuing Ireland’s brilliant attack that had dispatched Italy so easily in round two.
Finally, Italy threatened their first ever victory over England as they led their Twickenham encounter 10-5 at half-time, but five tries in the second half ensured Eddie Jones’s winning streak stretched to 16 matches as his side ran out 36-15 winners.
So who makes our team of the weekend? Click on the gallery to find out.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies