England and Wales lit up the first weekend of the Six Nations with blistering wins away.
Elsewhere, Scotland survived a late barrage against Italy to secure victory at Murrayfield.
Here, we pick out the top performers from the weekend’s action.
MAKO VUNIPOLA (England)
Hands down the best player of the weekend. The Saracens man purred with confidence and made a staggering 27 tackles at the Aviva Stadium. For all the stars on show in the Irish capital, Vunipola shone brightest with a stellar defensive display. There was so much impact in those tackles and his hard carries also put Ireland on the back foot throughout the contest. With little game time coming into the fixture, he delivered brilliantly against Tadhg Furlong and further underlined why he is one of England’s most important players.
HENRY SLADE (England)
A joy to watch. The Exeter man produced his best performance in an England shirt to date, with solid decision making on the ball and some tight defensive work at the heart of his blistering display. The 25-year-old outpaced the Ireland backs for his first try and then intercepted Johnny Sexton’s forced pass to extend the scoreboard late in the game. Slade’s ability to stretch the defence with his accurate passing and his deft kicks take the pressure of Owen Farrell and will be vital in tough fixtures that lie ahead against Wales and Scotland.
BLAIR KINGHORN (Scotland)
The Edinburgh full-back started at No11 in the absence of the injured Sean Maitland and capped off a fine performance with a hat-trick. In fact, he became the first Scotland player to score a treble in the championship since Iwan Tukalo against Ireland in 1989. His stunning showing creates a selection headache for boss Gregor Townsend who will have Maitland to call upon when he returns from a hamstring injury next week. But judging by Kinghorn’s performance in loose and open place it will be hard to drop him, especially with his pace, game management skills, exceptional footwork and overall consistency in attack and defence.
JUSTIN TIPURIC (Wales)
The Ospreys man produced another totemic display to halt an imposing French defence and help his side to a late victory. Tipuric showed commitment to put pressure on Camille Lopez when he attempted a snap drop goal attempt on 68 minutes. He was a menace at line-out time, denying Les Bleus’ from building any form of attacking platform. The 29-year-old finished the game with 18 tackles, but even that astonishing statistic does not do justice to the overall impact he brings to Warren Gatland’s side as well as adding serious balance to a superb back-row.
LOUIS PICAMOLES (France)
France’s early flourish may be one of the few positives when Jacques Brunel and his management team review the video on Monday, but the other no doubt was the performance of Picamoles. The 32-year-old made 10 tackles and 14 carries in a virtuous display at Stade de France. He was a major part of the Les Bleus’ side as he attempted to cut down the impact of Wales’ forwards. If France can build on their first half performance against Wales then they could find that consistency needed to excel in a vital World Cup year.
