Ultimate Rugby's Six Nations Player Of Round One
- 2212
Following the opening round of the 2019 Six Nations, we select our player of the round.
The Six Nations have announced the nominees that fans can pick from:
George North, Finn Russell, Mako Vunipola, Owen Farrell, Blair Kinghorn and Jonny May all got nominated for their efforts over the weekend. North scored a second half brace to guide Wales to victory over France while Finn Russell was at his mercurial best against Italy.
Bliar Kinghorn scored the first hattrick by a Scotsman since Italy joined the competition while Owen Farrell and Jonny May were outstanding in England's win over Ireland.
However, our vote has to go to the man of the match in England's win over Ireland in Dublin, Mako Vunipola. The English loosehead was all over the pitch making a mammoth 27 tackles, a tally impressive in itself but even more impressive for a man playing in his position.
Mark Wilson matched Vunipola's tally with Ross Moriarty 7 tackles short of the pair. Vunipola also made more carries than any other front rower this weekend.
Vunipola was excellent in the scrums against possibly the best tighthead in the world, Tadgh Furlong. The 27-year-old was aggressive and physical leading the charge for the English side that Joe Schmidt said 'physically bettered' his side.
The English loosehead continues to set new standards for loosehead props and his performance against Ireland was no different.