After a weekend of rugby that proved absolutely seismic in terms of moving fortunes, the 2026 Six Nations is proving exactly why it’s one of the most unpredictable tournament in modern sport.
With some astonishing results across the board, it’s time for our Team of the Week.
Six Nations Team of Round Four
15 Lorenzo Pani (Italy): An absolute rock at the back on a memorable evening for Italy, Pani diffused England’s predictable box kicking like a master. Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn responded to some harsh criticism of his recent form for a much-improved performance as Scotland made their own history up at Murrayfield.
14 Darcy Graham (Scotland): Moved to become Scotland‘s top Test try scorer as he started the rout of France after four minutes and added another after 58 in a brilliant display. Italy’s Louis Lynagh may not have scored but his desire for the ball and his two crucial turnovers in the last quarter demonstrated both his pedigree and his hunger in a wonderfully understated but hugely valuable contribution to an historic day.
13 Tommaso Menoncello (Italy): Given he and another outstanding Azzurri, Nacho Brex, essentially move around their positions all game with young Tommy tending to attack from 13 and defend from 12, we’ve picked the star player of the round at outside centre, where he made his damaging breaks. A superstar in the making. Another Italian, Leonardo Marin, needs a shout out for his immense shift after replacing Brex that saw him score the most famous try in Rome, whilst Steve Tandy will be delighted at the progress of Eddie James as he proved a defensive rock for Wales.
12 Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland): A skipper’s knock of the most telling proportions as the Lions inside centre spent all afternoon manipulating the French defence in a brilliant display, carrying hard and direct. Ireland’s Stuart McCloskey continued his excellent Six Nations form in another evening of no-nonsense carrying and is our runner-up.
11 Kyle Steyn (Scotland): Sadly limped off the pitch, but the time he was on it, he took France apart with opportunism and repelled them with aerial bravery in a statement performance that saw him grab two tries and run for a match topping 110 metres. His opposite number, Louis Bielle-Biarry made the best of his opportunities, scoring one and making another, whilst Monty Ioane was an important cog in the wheel of the Italian three-quarter line.
10 Finn Russell (Scotland): We predicted that the Murrayfield showdown might frame the outcome of the best 10 debate, and we feel that question is now emphatically asked and answered as Russell gave one of his finest displays at Test level in a sumptuous display of controlled high possession rugby. Exquisite. Paolo Garbisi is our runner-up as he delivered one of his best displays in the Azzurri blue too.
9 Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland): No more than a hair between the Irishman and the brilliance of Scotland’s Ben White who got the better of Antoine Dupont and certainly spent 80 reminding the Frenchman of that. Gibson-Park, however, was the singular reason Ireland managed to get around a brilliant Welsh defensive effort and he’s this weekend’s pick. A final word for both Italian Allessandros, Garbisi and Fusco, who ensured that the Azzurri got maximum value at half-back.
The forwards
8 Lorenzo Cannone (Italy): An absolutely massive carrying shift from the big number eight, and it was his ability to get behind the England primary defence that caused so many issues for England. It was hard to leave out Scotland’s immense back-rower, Jack Dempsey and if we could pick two, we would. Two others shone in defeat, Ben Earl making another 20 carries for 58 metres, and Wales’ Aaron Wainwright offering similar impact despite the Dublin loss, whilst Caelan Doris made his own very high par for Ireland.
7 Rory Darge (Scotland): His numbers do not display the impact he had on the ruck speed that was the centre point of the Scottish excellence. It was his support work and clearing that gave Scotland the momentum they needed. Manuel Zuiliani was outstanding once more for Italy, and his opposite number, Sam Underhill, was one of England’s best performers until a mistimed tackle saw him head to the sinbin. In Dublin, both Nick Timoney and Jim Botham can be proud of their evening’s efforts.
6 Alex Mann (Wales): The spiky Cardiff flank wrote his name in the record books with an all time high of 32 tackles in a match as he bettered the 31 made by both Guilhem Guirado and Luke Charteris in a quite astounding personal effort of desire. Wales have a man they can not only build their team around here, but their mental culture too. Matt Fagerson, Michele Lamaro and Jack Conan all had impressive outings for Scotland, Italy and Ireland, whilst France’s Francois Cros at times seemed the only French player interested in stopping Russell and his cohorts at source.
5 Tadhg Beirne (Ireland): Another massive shift from a world class player who simply does whatever Ireland need him to do, whatever the shirt number on his back. Scott Cummings was a tower of power at Murrayfield, whilst Italy’s Andrea Zambonin once again underlined his progress as an integral part of a very impressive Azzurri.
4 Niccolo Cannone (Italy): Cannone Snr joins Cannone Jr in our team of the week for the first time, as the brothers both put in fantastic performances both sides of the ball in Rome. Wales’ Dafydd Jenkins worked himself into a standstill in Dublin as he almost matched Mann blow for blow, recording 27 tackles in a towering personal effort.
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3 Zander Fagerson (Scotland): Fagerson was outstanding off the bench as Gregor Townsend’s tactical switch paid off, giving the Scots real close out depth. Once again, Italy’s Simone Ferrari gave England a torrid time and many would argue that he didn’t get the reward from the officials his efforts deserved.
2 Dewi Lake (Wales): This was a tough call between Scotland’s George Turner and the Welsh skipper. But Lake was abrasive around the field and won a fine turnover with a quarter of the game played. The skipper is simply talismanic and his numbers demonstrate that. England’s Jamie George left nothing out on the Rome turf, whilst Giacomo Nicotera is marked down a notch for his yellow card.
1 Rhys Carre (Wales): The Welsh prop appears to be the only Carre that’s seaworthy in the UK right now, as he gave a performance of battleship proportions, running in the try of the weekend from 33 metres. Italy’s Danilo Fischetti once again delivered a world class effort, especially around defence and breakdown, whilst Pierre Schoeman was back to his very best for the Scots.
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