6 Nations Round 3 - Lions Watch

Article Published: Tuesday 17 March 2009

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So... three rounds of the 6 Nations complete, Ireland the only side still on for a Grand Slam and the table looks like this:

	Games				Points Scored			Points
	P	W	D	L	F	A	D	P
Ireland	3	3	0	0	82	43	39	6
Wales	3	2	0	1	65	49	16	4
France	3	2	0	1	64	59	5	4
England	3	1	0	2	64	48	16	2
Scotland	3	1	0	2	52	54	-2	2
Italy	3	0	0	3	26	100	-74	0

France dashed Welsh hopes of a Grand Slam, Scotland chalked up their first victory of the tournament leaving Italy very likely to receive this season’s wooden spoon, and Ireland only narrowly beat England in a pretty poor game. Who has improved their Lions hopes? Who hasn’t?

So based on this week's Round 3 performances:

Fullback

Our test starter: Lee Byrne, despite being on the losing side for the first time in a while, put in a solid try scoring effort. Based on his performance in the first half, he would be nailed on for a test start, however his second half showing let him down a bit.

In the squad: Rob Kearney looked good, had a decent game but was not at his best. It would have been nice to see him running more ball back at England. Delon Armitage had a strong running game again and scored a late try causing some last minute nerves at Croke Park.

Wingers

Our test starters: Simon Danielli had a very impressive man of the match performance with a well taken try and was unlucky to miss out on a second. Repeat this performance and he might make it to at least “possible” category for the real squad. Tommy Bowe did well this week, unlucky to be beaten to a touchdown by Mark Cueto, looked dangerous with ball in hand.

In the squad: Luke Fitzgerald didn’t do anything spectacular; but starved of chances. Shane Williams didn’t get much ball, but suspect he will be one to watch against Italy. Thom Evans did most of the work for Scotland’s second try.

Missing out: Paul Sackey not his best game by any means, replaced with injury worries. Leigh Halfpenny made quite a few errors under a good deal of French pressure.

Centres

Our test starters: Brian O’Driscoll, despite picking up his fair share of knocks, had another great game, deserved his man of the match status and will almost certainly feature in the test side. It looks like he really has regained much needed confidence and form. Odds have also narrowed on him captaining the side. Tom Shanklin served up a magnificent first half performance, the catalyst for some great line breaking moves, lucky to avoid a yellow card and looking a likely suspect to feature in the test line up.

In the squad: Mike Tindall committed and solid... lucky to be included as there are better centres in the mix for Lions spots. Jamie Roberts had a quiet game, but just squeaked in. He was almost absent by his usually high standards.

Missing out: Gavin Henson looked unfit and ineffectual. Riki Flutey showed only glimpses of the promising form shown against Wales. Looked shaky as an England, let alone Lions, selection. Max Evans turned in a solid game but did not have enough opportunities to show off his impressive pace. Matthew Tait made one good run but he didn’t get sufficient chances to impress.

Fly Half

Our test starter: Stephen Jones controlled the line well and kicked reliably.

In the squad: (but only because no one else was anywhere near good enough) Ronan O’Gara missed two fairly simple penalty attempts, not great in open play either, a game to forget.

Scrum Half

Our test starter: Mike Blair had another good game, leading from the front.

In the squad: Tomas O’Leary dodgy decision making previous weeks but clever kicking display this week. Mike Phillips had a great first half but faded fast after that.

Missing out: Harry Ellis had a decent enough game but does not make the grade.

Back Row

Our test starters: Stephen Ferris is steadily building upon top notch performances week on week. He will definitely be on the plane. Martyn Williams as always fronted up with a great defensive game and proved yet again that he deserves his status as a Lions favourite. Ryan Jones, potential Lions skipper, put in a massive committed performance including some great hits despite ending up on the losing side in Friday night’s clash with France.

In the squad: Jamie Heaslip this weekend’s performance did not stand out as much as his previous two did, but still impressive with strong running. David Wallace as always, a very solid performance. James Haskell an industrious performance, would have been better had he not given away a penalty.

Missing out: Joe Worsley great defensive display again, but we need to see some quality attacking rugby too.

Locks

Our test starters: Paul O’Connell, once again, showed his Lions skipper credentials with a fantastic performance. Ian Gough huge effort in defence, looking good for Lions selection.

In the squad: Jason White great work in the lineout and deserves a spot in the squad. Donncha O’Callaghan put in another workhorse-like performance. Deserves a place on the tour.

Missing out: Alun-Wyn Jones another good performance, but squeezed out this week by stronger performances elsewhere.

Front Row

Our test starters: John Hayes was immense, winning a record-equalling 92nd cap. Lee Mears probably had his best game so far in the 6 nations, the lineout went well and he made a couple of nice little runs upfield. Gethin Jenkins secured a number of key turnovers.

In the squad: Marcus Horan, again did the basics well. Jerry Flannery had a reasonable game, although uncharacteristically made a bit of a mess of a couple of lineouts. Adam Jones displayed great work rate once again but unable to dominate .

Missing out: Phil Vickery failed to sort out discipline issues and ruined a very strong overall performance looking to be a bit of a liability. If he does tour, his propensity to give away key penalties won’t have gone unnoticed in the Springbok camp. Andrew Sheridan – got involved well in open play, but needs to do more.