15 Stuart Hogg
Scotland’s stand-out performer at Twickenham, his blistering early break set-up Sean Maitland’s try and he outstripped Toby Flood for one of his own

14 Chris Ashton
Saracens flyer looks back to his hungry best again and a first RBS 6 Nations try in almost two years will have done plenty to boost his confidence further

13 Brian O’Driscoll
No captaincy, no problem. O’Driscoll was determined to put on a show in what could have been his last RBS 6 Nations appearance at the Millennium Stadium and he didn’t disappoint. In BOD Ireland still trust

12 Billy Twelvetrees
With an assured debut and a name like that, Twelvetrees looks destined for a sparkling international career with England. A try capped it all off but will he keep his place against Ireland?

11 Simon Zebo
Billed by some as Zebo Zidane after his outrageous backheel to set up Cian Healy, he also showed no little skill in finishing off Ireland’s first try. Born to finish

10 Luciano Orquera
Owen Farrell can count himself unlucky to miss out but Orquera’s wonderful performance was crucial to Italy’s victory. He came in for plenty of stick pre-tournament but boy did he show he can play. Offload for Martin Castrogiovanni’s try was special

9 Ben Youngs
There are no Frenchmen in this team and while Maxime Machenaud was probably the closest, Ben Youngs looked back to his best against Scotland. A fine break and two assists showed he’s a handful when on form

1 Cian Healy
Ireland’s backs fizzed in Cardiff but Declan Kidney will be particularly pleased with how his scrum performed and Healy was fundamental to that. Grabbed a try too

2 Rory Best
Blotted his copybook with a yellow card in the second half but a crucial turnover late in the first half and remarkable dexterity to field his own charge down to set up Cian Healy’s try sees Best get the nod

3 Martin Castrogiovanni
A try to cap a typically warrior-like performance from Castro. The sight of him blowing a kiss to the Roman crowd to celebrate his score is one that is sure to endure

4 Andrew Coombs
A few nervous moments early on but they were quickly forgotten. His size makes him a real handful but he can clearly play too

5 Geoff Parling
Mike Brown may wonder what Parling was doing on the left wing but the Leicester man capped off a fine performance with a try. Fast becoming indispensable in Stuart Lancaster’s team

6 Tom Wood
An excellent early run showed he has picked up from where he left off against New Zealand. Wonderful to see him back to form after long-term toe injury

7 Chris Robshaw
Another typical unstated but extremely impressive performance for England’s captain. He says he goes unnoticed on the London Underground – for how much longer?

8 Sergio Parisse
What a shame it is we will never see Parisse going head-to-head with the Southern Hemisphere’s finest on an equal footing. Having said that, who knows if Italy’s upward curve continues. Immense yet again against France