Six Nations team of the weekend: England's bone-cruncher who had France wilting, Ireland's bulldozer in prime Lions form, and the Italy star pitching to be a world-beater

The second weekend of the Six Nations delivered yet more drama and intrigue - and England upset the apple cart. Steve Borthwick's men responded perfectly to their defeat by Ireland by pulling off a shock 26-25 win over France at Twickenham, with Elliot Daly scoring a momentous 79th-minute try. Over in Edinburgh, Ireland bolstered their Grand Slam hopes with a convincing 32-18 bonus-point win against Scotland - their 11th straight victory against the Scots, and one that keeps them on track for a third successive Six Nations title.

Meanwhile, Italy piled more misery on Wales as they inflicted a 22-15 defeat on Warren Gatland's side -  their 14th successive Test defeat. Wales are now ranked 12th in the world, their lowest-ever position, and are on course for a second straight wooden spoon. As we know, the home nations stars are battling for their Lions places, so these games matter beyond the immediate glory of the Six Nations.

Mail Sport's Nik Simon reveals his best XV from across the weekend. Nik Simon reveals his Six Nations best XV after a weekend which saw England shock France. Ireland stay on course for a third successive title after their 32-18 bonus-point win in Scotland. It was another miserable weekend for Wales as they fell to a 14th successive Test defeat. 15 Hugo Keenan (Ireland). He runs and runs, like a long-distance athlete. Few players cover as many metres as he does from the backfield, chasing everything as Scotland were pinned deep in their own half.

14 Tommy Freeman (England). The Northampton combinations paid dividends for England. Linked up seamlessly with Fin Smith, claiming his kick-offs, running dummy lines and scoring from a cross-field kick. 13 Ollie Lawrence (England). Sent Thomas Ramos flying with a fend-off that summed up France’s day at Twickenham. He is getting more touches than previous campaigns and bringing his explosiveness to the Test stage.

12 Tommaso Menoncello (Italy). Has spoken about his ambition to become the best centre in the world and is certainly has the raw materials. Delivered the kind of dominant shots that Wales cannot match. Ollie Lawrence is bringing his explosiveness to the Test stage and had another active game. Tommaso Menoncello is proving that he has the gifts to be the best centre in the world. James Lowe is in prime Lions form and has the habit of being everywhere across the left wing.

11 James Lowe (Ireland). A bulldozer of an operator on the left wing. He is not the fastest player in his position but he pops up everywhere and pinned back the Scots with his booming left boot. Prime Lions form. 10 Fin Smith (England). Ended up a bar with Alex Mitchell in the early hours of Sunday morning and the drinks were well deserved. One of the coolest final quarter performances from an England 10 for a long time.

9 Martin Page-Relo (Italy). Controlled the territory on a rainy day in Rome, operating off Welsh mistakes, pinning them back with an early 50-22. Not as spectacular as Jamison Gibson-Park but a more significant display. 1 Andrew Porter (Ireland). Made a nuisance of himself around the pitch with charge downs and a performance at the top of the tackle charts. Just as importantly he held strong at the scrum and nicked a penalty.

2 Jamie George (England). Stuck to his brief perfectly from the bench. Offered a steady hand at the lineout, made a line-break and shored up the scrum. The perfect riposte to losing the captaincy to Maro Itoje. 3 Finlay Bealham (Ireland). Huge boots to fill in the absence of Tadhg Furlong but he is proving to be an able understudy. Came out on top in his scrummaging duel with Lions prop Rory Sutherland.

New England captain Maro Itoje used his physicality well and demonstrated good leadership. Jamie George had to settle for a place on the bench but stuck to his brief perfectly. Jack Conan scored a try off the bench for Ireland and would walk into most Six Nations teams. Lorenzo Cannone had the most tackles, carries and turnovers against Wales - a sparkling day. Tom Curry was a bone-cruncher for England, leading to a high error count for France.

4 Maro Itoje (England). There were 15 scrums at Twickenham and it never felt like England were shoved around by the 145kg giants in the French pack. As skipper, Itoje deserves credit after the team finally held their nerve. 5 Tadhg Beirne (Ireland). An arch disruptor in the Irish ranks, frustrating Scotland’s driving mauls. He shifts his body into immovable positions in the breakdown and provides a well-oiled cog in attacking pods.

6 Jack Conan (Ireland). Ireland’s super-sub once again. Adds real punch and physicality against fading defenders, with a nose for a try. Would walk into most starting XVs across the Six Nations. 7 Tom Curry (England). His reduced training load during the week is paying off, delivering another bone-crunching performance. His physicality in defence was one of the key factors behind France’s remarkably high error count.