15 Leigh Halfpenny
Practically in tears at the end of the match and who could blame him. Halfpenny had won just two of his last 18 matches before showing nerves of steel to kick Wales to victory in the hostile Stade de France. Deserved man of the match and earns place in this team ahead of excellent Stuart Hogg and Alex Goode

14 Craig Gilroy
Tempting as it is to switch George North from the left to fit the Welshman in, Craig Gilroy continues to impress at international level. Made a few fine runs, but was underused by Ireland. Tackled hard again

13 Brad Barritt
Probably the first name on Stuart Lancaster’s team sheet. Would tackle trucks with the same relish he tackled Ireland’s attackers and he kept Brian O’Driscoll in check. His kind of game

12 Matt Scott
Didn’t quite have the legs in the first half but got his try in the second. Having toiled so hard last year he’s deserving of the rewards he is getting now. A bright international future beckons

11 Tim Visser
The flying Dutchman edges out North after dancing his way to his fifth try in seven international tries. Club scoring record is hugely impressive and he’s not slowing down for Scotland.

10 Dan Biggar
For the second week running Owen Farrell just misses out, this time to Biggar, who provided the moment of magic for Wales’ victory in Paris with his chip through to North. If he looked like a lost boy against Ireland he rose to the challenge in a fierce atmosphere in Paris

9 Greig Laidlaw
Against England he barely had a sniff but with Scotland’s forwards fronting up and doing what they do best, Laidlaw had the platform to pull the strings. Showed what he can do with lots of ball

1 Ryan Grant
One poor fumble aside, Grant was lively throughout against a fierce Italian front row. Justified the hype after a quiet game against England

2 Richard Hibbard
Scrummaging in the Stade de France looked quite the ordeal as the pitch continued to cut up but Hibbard won the battle of the hairstyles up against Dimitri Szarzewski.

3 Nicolas Mas
Mas played a large part in France’s dominance at the scrum for the first 60 minutes of the match, holding his own against Gethin Jenkins. Unfortunately les Blues couldn’t capitalise

4 Andrew Coombs
Again Coombs continues to impress despite his inexperience on the international stage. Busy and effective in the loose and exemplified Welsh work-rate

5 Richie Gray
Some lovely hands at one stage but he was back to what he does best against Italy, giving the impressive Scottish backs the chance to shine. Very athletic

6 Ryan Jones
In the absence of Sam Warburton, Jones was a colossus as Wales captain. Heart-warming pride at his side’s victory followed a warrior-like performance. Showed how much they missed him a week previous

7 Chris Robshaw
Man of the match for his immense work-rate, ending up as the top tackler in the sort of match he relishes. Must also receive credit for his captaincy with England down to 14

8 Sean O’Brien
Having resisted the temptation to play around with positions until now, Sean O’Brien comes into this side at No.8. A back row battering ram, he didn’t devastate England but made sure they felt their win on Monday morning