XV della settimana - primo turno 6N

[jaco]

Sono usciti i XV della settimana dei due siti più autorevoli di rugby.

Ecco quello di Scrum:
15. Luke McLean (Italy) - The Aussie-born fullback's try brought the Stadio Flamnio crowd to its feet and put the hosts on course for a famous victory over Ireland. They failed to hold on for the win but the score and McLean's industrious display should serve them well in the coming weeks.

14. Chris Ashton (England) - The England speedster underlined his class with two tries against Wales at the Millennium Stadium. His exemplary vision and support running is set to propel England to great things although he should probably tone down the over-elaborate swan dives.

13. Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland) - With Ireland struggling to dominate a fired-up Italy side it was O'Driscoll - who else? - who forced his way over to swing the game in his side's favour. The job was far from done and it was O'Driscoll's leadership, rather than the odd wayward pass, that helped rally a side taken to the brink by their hosts.

12. Jonathan Davies (Wales) - The 22-year-old's performance against England at the Millennium Stadium was one of the few positives for a Wales side otherwise short of ideas. He pounced on a rare lapse in the England defence to set up team-mate Morgan Stoddart for a try but his memory may yet be soured by a possible citing for a trip on Ashton.

11. Maxime Medard (France) - The fleet-footed Frenchman tormented Scotland with a dazzling display at the Stade de France littered with clean breaks, beaten defenders and tone-setting try in the second minute of the game.

10. Francois Trinh-Duc (France) - Trinh-Duc returned to the France No.10 shirt against Scotland and made it a night many will never forget with an eye-catching display and a sublime piece of skill - a pass between his legs - to help set up a try for team-mate Imanol Harinordoquy.

9. Morgan Parra (France) - A more than able cohort for Trinh-Duc, Parra helped set a lung-busting tempo at the Stade de France with a lively display with ball in hand. Like his half back partner, he benefited from a powerful pack but knew how to exploit that dominance.

1. Thomas Domingo (France) - The power-packed loose-head made veteran Scotland tight-head Euan Murray look like a novice at times at the Stade de France and can lay claim to playing a large part in securing a first half penalty try.

2. Dylan Hartley (England) - Wales tried to rattle Hartley with a verbal grenade or two in the build up to their clash but it was to no avail. The England hooker responded in the best way possible with an impeccable and controlled display.

3. Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) - The grizzled tight-head was a thorn in Ireland's side in Rome where his contribution with ball in hand was only bettered by backs McLean and Andrea Masi and the super-human Sergio Parisse. As ever, he was a formidable force at scrum time whilst cutting down more than his fair share of Irish attackers.

4. Richie Gray (Scotland) - The 21-year-old was making only his fourth start for Scotland in Paris but looked very much at home in the heat of the Stade de France battle. His youthful exuberance and wide-ranging skill set laid the foundation for a lung-busting effort in defence and attack.

5. Tom Palmer (England) - A towering presence in the England lineout, the athletic Palmer also weighed in with his fair share of tackles during a bruising encounter in Cardiff. Set to be a conrerstone of England's World Cup campaign at this rate.

6. Tom Wood (England) - The England debutant thrived in the cauldron-like atmosphere of the Millennium Stadium where he left an impressive six defenders in his wake. His stats also boast a significant 48m with ball in hand, 13 tackles and the odd lineout win.

7. Julien Bonnaire (France) - A pivotal link-man in an all-action display from France against the Scots, Bonnaire made his presence felt throughout with a bone-crunching tackle count, three lineout claims and several charges into the heart of the Scotland defence.

8. Imanol Harinordoquy (France) - Back in the starting XV, the ever-influential Harinordoquy was a commanding presence in the loose, the scrum and the lineout while also grabbing a try that helped him edge out the likes of Italy's Sergio Parisse, Scotland's Kelly Brown, England's Nick Easter and Ireland's Sean O'Brien in an ultra-competitive battle for our No.8 berth.

[jaco]

Ed ecco quello di Planet Rugby:

15 Ben Foden (England) - When both he and Chris Ashton play well, Saints and England seem to win. Foden's flashes of brilliance and a good fend always kept Wales guessing.

14 Chris Ashton (England) - Some are only just talking about him possessing some of the best support lines in the game but those who followed him at Wigan Warriors and more recently Northampton know his worth when it counts. Two more tries for England.

13 Joe Ansbro (Scotland) - Lancashire representative Ansbro must be pinching himself. His metre-making ability against France was a massive plus for coach Andy Robinson.

12 Maxime Mermoz (France) - He only played 45 minutes but it was a stellar performance. It is a massive shame for the Championship and France that he now requires surgery.

11 Maxime Médard (France) - Max Evans was electric for Scotland as his centre tendancies saw him come off his wing to find work. Médard though was the official man-of-the-match.

10 Toby Flood (England) - Tests are won by moments of vision and clinical actions. Flood showed both when spotting numbers 1 and 3 in the Welsh defensive line to set up Ashton.

9 Ben Youngs (England) - Scrum-half was a problem in this selection as few really shone. However, a second look at Friday's game showed Youngs making many right calls.

8 Imanol Harinordoquy (France) - A few would say this is a hard call on Sergio Parisse in his Six Nations comeback but there was nothing ordinary about Harinordoquy on Saturday.

7 Thierry Dusautoir (France) - His battle with John Barclay was one to savour and he just about came out on top. France missed 25 tackles but you can be sure Dusautoir made his.

6 Tom Wood (England) - Such was his strong debut that captain Mike Tindall is already likening him to Richard Hill! Wood was a strong line-out option and ball carrier throughout.

5 Bradley Davies (Wales) - A tad harsh to leave out Scotland captain Al Kellock after his try and general bullish game, but Davies was just too strong a runner in red to leave him out.

4 Richie Gray (Scotland) - French fans even warmed to the youngster as they applauded him when replaced late on. Gray is already being touted as a 2013 British and Irish Lion.

3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) - Ireland struggled to cope in the scrum at times as Rory Best popped up on numerous occasions courtesy of Castro's power. He edges Dan Cole.

2 William Servat (France) - A line-out success rate in the late 90s and a showing of real sturdiness elsewhere, Servat continues to prove that he is Europe's number one #2.

1 Thomas Domingo (France) - Quickly becoming indispensable to this Les Bleus line-up, Domingo's raw power and squat frame makes him a real handful in the loose.

[jaco]

Immancabile, ormai, la presenza di Castro.
Sorprende, in quello di scrum, la "convocazione" di McLean, ma ne sottolinea la buona prova (a parer mio) con l'aggiunta di una bella meta... non poi così azzardata, insomma.

Citazioni anche per "super Human" Parisse e Masi.
Nei commenti a margine della formazione di PR si leggevano interventi a favore di Sgarbi e Zanni (forse di italiani). Per quest'ultimo, però, anche la redazione di è trovata d'accordo nel considerare buona la prova del friulano ("The editor says.... Agreed about Zanni. Another good game on Saturday".

Non male, direi...

[Rugby-Tv]

Immancabile, ormai, la presenza di Castro.
Sorprende, in quello di scrum, la "convocazione" di McLean, ma ne sottolinea la buona prova (a parer mio) con l'aggiunta di una bella meta... non poi così azzardata, insomma.

Citazioni anche per "super Human" Parisse e Masi.
Nei commenti a margine della formazione di PR si leggevano interventi a favore di Sgarbi e Zanni (forse di italiani). Per quest'ultimo, però, anche la redazione di è trovata d'accordo nel considerare buona la prova del friulano ("The editor says.... Agreed about Zanni. Another good game on Saturday".

Non male, direi...

come ho già scritto in un altro intervento, nel XV ideale del Midi Olympique c'è, come unico italiano, Sgarbi

[nino22]

Imho McLean meta a parte non ha giocato sta gran partita, molti errori di posizionamento ed insicurezza nei palloni aerei.

[jaco]

Imho McLean meta a parte non ha giocato sta gran partita, molti errori di posizionamento ed insicurezza nei palloni aerei.

Mah, forse ho visto un'altra partita. Ricordo solo un errore grave (quando si è fatto scavalcare da un calcio non potendo poi controllarne i rimbalzi e regalando, di fatto, una touche nei nostri 22) e non ho visto tutte queste incertezze sui palloni alti, in compenso ricordo un placcaggio salva risultato...

Con questo non voglio dire che sia stato il miglior estremo del turno, ma a me è piaciuto.

[nino22]

In + di un calcio (in primis quel calcio che citi tu dove doveva essere posizione per prendere il pallone al volo) l'ho visto mal posizionato ed ha quindi regalato metri o touche agli irlandesi.

[blackjack]

Ho visto solo Francia - Scozia, ma Domingo e Harinordoquy hanno giocato due partite stellari, così come Gray

[Hap]

A me ha impressionato Flood. L'ho visto abbastanza spesso giocare con i Tigers e mi è sembrato che migliorasse di partita in partita.
Non mi dava per nulla la sensazione di sicurezza che mi da ora, mi sembrava soffrire la responsabilità che comporta l'avere il n.10 dell'Inghilterra sulle spalle. Oltretutto lui non è nato centro?
Oltre a essere migliorato moltissimo al piede ora mi sembra che sia molto più efficiente anche come incursore e creatore di gioco.

In ogni caso ora mi sembra molto più che un rincalzo di Wilko, sempre con rispetto parlando...