Week one of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations saw great wins by France, Ireland and Scotland while England could be up for a surprise against the "Big Three", however at this stage Wales and Italy should fight it out for the "wooden spoon."
Several players put their hands up for selection for the 2025 British and Irish Lions to Australia while several French players issued an early warning to the Springboks for their match on the 08th of November 2025 at the Stade de France.
1. Jean-Baptiste Gros (France) - Gros handed Gareth Thomas a few lessons at scrum time, though neither prop was in the mood for small talk. Looked comfortable in the loose, where he got through a mountain of work.
2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland) - Instantly made his presence felt with two huge carries and played a key role in Lowe's try. Remarkable impact, considering he only returned from a six-month injury layoff last week.
3. Simone Ferrari (Italy) - A rock. Ferrari dominated at the scrum and backed it up with a big defensive shift, putting in some crunching hits.
4 James Ryan (Ireland) - Led with composure and marshalled the pack with his trademark calm authority. A steady hand in the boiler room, even if his hands let him down on occasion. He wasn’t the only one.
5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland) - One of the best in the business. Made a crucial turnover when Ireland was under the pump early on and then powered over for a try. A relentless presence on both sides of the ball.
6. Francois Cros (France) - Efficient all day piling up tackles in a no-nonsense manner. Not the first name on highlight reels, but crucial in shutting down any Welsh sparks.
7. Jac Morgan (Wales) - Took the mantle of adding grunt up front which Wales have missed over the last year. Top three for tackles (21) and carries (15) was a huge return.
8. Gregory Alldritt (France) - Commanded collisions and refused to let Welsh defenders halt him. As relentless as ever, the La Rochelle star ensured Les Bleus kept up the momentum from start to finish. Deserved his try..
9. Antoine Dupont (France) - The return of the king. Seemed a step ahead of everyone, including his teammates on occasion. Kept the Welsh back row guessing with tempo changes and pinned Wales back with a boot that remains among the best in the game. Had a hand in everything France did well.
10. Marcus Smith (England) - Silky. Smith was electric with the ball in hand, constantly testing Ireland’s defence and running from deep with confidence. Nailed his kicks too, but was brushed aside by Bundee Aki for Ireland’s second—one blot on an otherwise strong display.
11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France) - Kept Wales on their toes. Didn't get as much ball as he'd have liked but made sure the defence stayed honest with some sharp runs. His 23rd-minute try was a walk-in, but his second just before half-time took a bit more effort.
12 Bundee Aki (Ireland) - Exposed early by Marcus Smith but brought his trademark directness and physicality after that. Always ready to truck it up when needed, and his hard work eventually paid off when he evened the score with Smith by running over the Englishman on his way to the try line in the 52nd minute.
13. Huw Jones (Scotland) - Hat-trick hero. Jones celebrated his 20th try for Scotland in style, running a brilliant support line for his first. His third was the pick of the bunch, beating three Italian defenders before powering over in the corner.
14 James Lowe (Ireland) - Looked fresh after a run-out last weekend for Leinster and was a potent threat any time Ireland got him the ball. His boot was a powerful weapon, even if his radar was a little off on occasion. A bullocking run just before the break set up Gibson Park’s try and he set up another two to give Ireland some breathing space in the final quarter.
15. Thomas Ramos (France) - Opened his account with a supreme 60-metre touchfinder. Economical in everything he did, from pinpoint punts to slicing through defenders.