Winners
Henry Pollock
On his England debut, the 20-year old Northampton Saint scored two tries. He came off the bench and immediately showed his character, getting revved up with Curry for his first scrum before getting stuck in across the field. He has a lot of competition for his place in the squad but he'll almost certainly get a lot of opportunities in the summer when other players are rested or away with the Lions.
Tom Roebuck
On his first Six Nations start Tom Roebuck didn't take long to make an impact with a first half try. He caught a long range pass before powering through a couple of defenders. Elsewhere, he brought his usual aerial dominance to the international scene and was dominant on his wing throughout the game. This is another area with a lot of competition for places but Borthwick clearly trusts Roebuck and his performances thus far have only helped his cause.
Fraser Dingwall
England have been looking for play-makers in midfield for a long time. Fraser DIngwall stepped back into that role and did himself a lot of favours. He, along with his fellow Saints, controlled the game well and kept England on the back foot. Steve Borthwick has suggested that Ben Earl could actually start games at centre in the future after moving into midfield during the last couple of games but DIngwall has a coveted skillset that should keep him in a good position going into future matches.
Ben Curry
Ben Curry has been one of England's star players all tournament. He has moved up the pecking order and is now a locked in selection for the 23 in most games. He has been unlucky with injuries and timing which have stopped him from earning international honours at the same time as his twin brother but that seems to be behind him and Ben is shining in England colours.
Losers
Gareth Anscombe
This was a poor game from Anscombe. He was put in a bad position by his team but he also made things worse. His control of the game was bad, leading to a couple of interceptions, and he put his team in tough places. England dominated the kicking game. Wales' attacking chances mainly came from broken play which Anscombe had nothing to do with. He is still a good fly-half but that was a tough outing.
Willgriff John
After being a hero against Ireland, things have been quieter for the Sale prop. He was solid against Scotland but the England game was a wake-up call. He had a tricky time at the scrum against Genge and struggled to do anything in possession. This has still been an overall positive competition for John.
Ellis Mee
There were many players I could choose from for this final slot but I have gone with Ellis Mee. He was given a tough time by Elliot Daly and was largely nowhere to be seen in possession. He has had a couple of bright moments in this tournament but this was a bad day for him - as it was for almost every Welshman.
Add comment
Comments