The 2013 Six Nations ended in France on Saturday night with the French holding on against a fiery Scots team. This after Wales had demolished England in the last twenty minutes in Cardiff and Italy had shown Ireland a clean pair of heals for the first time in the Stadio Olimpico, Rome.
So what of our players how did they perform in the last games and for those eligible what of the Lions chances?
First we travel to Rome and the Italy Ireland encounter here Andre Masi had a steady game for Italy, nothing outstanding compared to last weeks effort. He did do enough until he was subbed on sixty five minutes to score a 7/10. Overall we would give him 8/10 which is high given that week in and week out he plays in the Centre for London Wasps and here throughout the campaign he has played fifteen. For Ireland Paddy Jackson had a reasonable game growing into the ten shirt as the game progressed. As all about him failed to reach the heights, he kicked for position well and also slotted his goals.
All in all we would give him 7/10 and this score overall he will not feature in the Lions selection but we feel he has a long future in the Ireland set up just needing new blood around him. So a dismal campaign for Ireland ended with defeat in Rome. The one high spot being the first 40 minutes against Wales and the win.
Next to Cardiff and England travelling with great expectation but coming under the wrath of the referee and the power of the Welsh scrum. So first to Alun Wyn Jones
with another barnstorming performance. He played the full eighty minutes and must be a shoe in for the plane to Australia with the Lions. Some are even touting him as a Lions skipper. Joe Launchbury had a positive game and was one of the plus points for England for the fifty one minutes he was on before making way for Courtney Lawes. Whilst he was on Joe was around the field and at most breakdowns. We give him another 7/10 and 8/10 overall. He is good enough to go to Australia and if he makes it would be one of the back-up midweek players.
Joe joining Tom tackling Alun
The final game of the weekend and France hosted Scotland. This was not the ideal of games with poor weather again however one man lit up the stadium and got through copious work, that was our man Wesley Fofana
with a good try, some strong tackles and a few sublime offloads all of which won him the man of the match award and 8/10 from us. For Scotland Johnnie Beattie was back to his old self and may just have played himself onto the plane to Australia, though there is plenty of competition for back-row places.
So another Six Nations that offered so much passes as a bit of a damp squib. Possibly mainly thanks to the poor weather but also because so many players look as if they have played to much rugby already. We must now wait in anticipation of hard grounds and running rugby for all the summer tours and the British and Irish Lions. We will report on our players and others in the forthcoming tours and look forward to a higher quality Six Nations 2014.