The nominees for the Guinness Six Nations Player of Round Three are here and they make for fascinating reading.
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The young French No.9, Antoine Dupont had never before started a game for France in the Guinness Six Nations.
But the scrum-half pulled the strings in impressive fashion throughout, kicking accurately and showing his customary sniping ability around the fringes.
The Toulouse star also played a key role in the opening try of the match for his half-back partner Romain Ntamack and fully deserves his nomination as player of the round as France came storming back into contention in the 2019 Championship.
The official man of the match in the Stade de France was Demba Bamba.
The 20-year-old French prop had never before started a game for Les Bleus in front of his home fans, but he looked to the manor born.
The front-rower made more carries than any other forward on the pitch and bossed Allan Dell at scrum-time as France got back to winning ways.
The Wales full-back Liam Williams was always going to have to be at his best if his side were to quell an English kicking game that swept both Ireland and France aside.
And the Saracens star proved up to the job, with a virtuoso attacking performance.
Williams was totally dominant in the air under the barrage of high balls and also carried elusively with ball in hand as Wales lit the Championship on fire in Cardiff on Saturday night.
The Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones led by example at Principality Stadium as Wales kept their sights set on a Grand Slam.
The lock was Wales’ top tackler on the night, but it was the little unseen things he did to rally his troops that made all the difference in the end.
Williams might have scooped the man of the match award, but was there a more important player in the round than Jones? His celebration at the final whistle was an iconic moment in Welsh rugby history.
Clearly, Dan Biggar saves his best for when Wales play England.
When he entered the fray on Saturday night, Wales were trailing 10-9.
But his intervention was absolutely pivotal to Wales’ comeback win, laying on the pass for Cory Hill’s try and a perfect cross-field kick for Josh Adams’ match-winner.
In less than half an hour on the field, Biggar swung the momentum Wales’ way and turned this Championship on its head.
It may have been Ireland who ended up as the winners on Sunday in Rome but the stand-out star was undoubtedly Tito Tebaldi.
The Italy No.9 was starting his first Guinness Six Nations game in five years but was the talisman in their first-half fightback.
The way he ripped the ball from Conor Murray in his own 22 and marched his side up the other end for what ended up as Luca Morisi’s vital epitomised a fearless Azzurri effort.
And although it ultimately fell short, Tebaldi deserves your consideration for player of Round Three.
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