Another slow week where a decent performance was enough to get noticed. The backs hardly saw the ball as the forwards were happy to just scrum and maul all day.

1 – Mako Vunipola (England) A strong showing in his run-on debut. Combined his usual power running with a high work rate and fared well enough in the scrum.

2 – Rory Best (Ireland) Solid enough performance with few noticeable mistakes. His lineout throwing looked sharp.

3 – Adam Jones (Wales) Excellent shift at the coalface for the hirsute hard man. Commanding in the scrum and plenty of tackles on the fringes.

4 – Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) Looked as if he had never left. Right in the thick of the action in a more balanced-looking Welsh pack.

5 – Donnacha Ryan (Ireland) A real warrior who put in a massive effort at the lineout despite suffering from a bad back. He was a big loss for the final minutes of the match.

6 – Alessandro Zanni (Italy) So often in the shadow of his supreme leader, he was class in every department against England. Top player.

7 – Sam Warburton (Wales) His best game for his country since last year’s tournament. His removal from the pressures of the captaincy might have been a blessing in disguise.

8 – Sergio Parisse (Italy) Very tough call to make with Louis Picamoles also worthy, but the Italian gets the nod for his persistence in being involved in absolutely everything.

9 – Conor Murray (Ireland) Arguably his finest performance for Ireland, his tactical kicking kept France guessing. It’s anyone’s guess why Declan Kidney replaced him.

10 – Dan Biggar (Wales) His second consecutive match without incident. Calm and efficient.

11 – Luke McLean (Italy) One of his better games in an Italian shirt. An impressive performance from a player not known for being a runner and normally a fullback.

12 – Luke Marshall (Ireland) To be fair he didn’t have a huge involvement in the game, but he had a good tactical kick and a key turnover. Didn’t make any glaring errors so he gets a pass.

13 – Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) Makes it for his gutsy performance that may yet prove to be his last ever Six Nations game. Here’s hoping it isn’t.

14 – Giovanbattista Venditti (Italy) Turning out to be a real force on the wing. Seems to make yards no matter how many players are in front of him.

15 – Rob Kearney (Ireland) Honourable mention to Andrea Masi, but the Leinster man edges it for his textbook play in the rain. Rock solid in the air and top shelf kicking.