The 2025 Guinness Six Nations is heating up, and with just two rounds remaining, British and Irish Lions hopefuls are making their cases for selection. Round three delivered yet another thrilling weekend of rugby, with standout performances across all three fixtures.
In a tense battle in Cardiff, Ireland showed resilience to grind out a crucial victory, while Wales proved their doubters wrong with a reinvigorated display.
Over in London, a dramatic encounter ended in controversy as Scotland came up just short in their bid for a fifth consecutive Calcutta Cup against England.
Meanwhile on the continent, France got their campaign back on track with a dominant display against Italy, setting up a Championship defining clash with Ireland in Dublin round four.
Ahead of the next round, here is our British and Irish Lions-23 from round three of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations.
1. Nicky Smith – Wales
One of the many recalled players to the Welsh starting XV for round three’s clash with Ireland, and boy did he make the most of his opportunity. Getting on top of Ireland’s new tighthead Thomas Clarkson early on, Smith appeared to utilise all of the ‘dark arts’ to his advantage. Teaching the youngster a thing or two, Smith milked two scrum penalties, which gave his side a foothold in the fixture.
2. Dan Sheehan – Ireland
Marking the occasion of his first match as captain with a win, Sheehan was a content figure at full-time in Cardiff. Despite all of the noise outside the camp, there was no doubt Ireland understood the challenge Wales would pose. To their credit, after a shaky opening 60 minutes, Sheehan and his charges came through with a two-score win.
3. WillGriff John – Wales
Mirroring his loosehead, the recalled tighthead ate Andrew Porter’s lunch early on in the contest, earning two penalties of his own. As the Irish front row debated the legality of their Welsh counterparts with Christophe Ridley, John went about his business frustrating Porter.
4. Joe McCarthy – Ireland
Reminding Ireland what they were missing during the opening two rounds, ‘Big Joe’ had a big impact in Cardiff. Bringing significant oomph to the Irish pack, the Leinster lock got through a mountain of work which won’t grab the headlines.
5. Maro Itoje – England
Shifting from four to five for us this week, the England skipper complimented his strong personal performance with astute leadership. Certainly Scottish fans will (rightly) have their gripes about certain moments namely the final conversion which Itoje in no uncertain terms disrupted. However it is these instances the prove how influential Itoje is and will be for England going forward.
6. Peter O’Mahony – Ireland
Topping the tackle charts, securing line-out ball (in yet another shaky day for Ireland in that department) and going the full eighty, it is safe to say there is life in the old dog yet. Sure, he may have lost a step in terms of explosive power, but the Munster icon remains a key leader in the Irish set-up. His influence was crucial in calming things down for the men in green as they closed out what could’ve been a tournament-derailing slip-up.
7. Jac Morgan – Wales
Playing a squad full of promising young players, the Welsh skipper is their one truly world-class operator (Dewi Lake, when fit, sits in this category). Once again, the backrow who started at six was instrumental in everything positive his side did and at a key juncture against an Irish backrow stacked with Lions contenders.
8. Taulupe Faletau – Wales
Winding back the clock as far as O’Mahony, the 34-year-old number eight was at his barnstorming best against Ireland. Getting on the ball regularly, making momentum-stunting tackles and guiding his younger teammates around the park, Faletau proved he is the perfect bridge between the last generation and this new outfit.
9. Jamison Gibson-Park – Ireland
Named player of the match and for good reason, Gibson-Park feels like the only untouchable Lion in this year’s Championship. Taking the pressure off young Sam Prendergast with his top-notch box kicking, the Leinster nine managed a challenging fixture perfectly (outside of a rather haphazard quick tap).
10. Gareth Anscombe – Wales
Who would’ve known picking a flyhalf in the number ten shirt would actually make the team better? Well, when you pick a playmaker with tons of experience and who is in top-notch form, good things happen, as Wales learnt (not that their fans didn’t already know this!). Anscombe was superb and similar to Faletau, he is a great mentor for the younger generation of players coming through. Bringing shape to the Welsh attack and tidying up their kicking game, Anscombe got the best out of those around him, and it showed in the team’s performance.
11. James Lowe – Ireland
Once again, the class act of the Irish backfield, the veteran winger is ageing like a fine wine. Having never been a top end pace winger (he is no slouch), it is Lowe’s rugby intellect that sets him apart from any other home nations wing. Getting up high to slap back the ball to Jamie Osborne for Ireland’s crucial second try was truly special.
12. Bundee Aki – Ireland
Yes, he started on the bench, but there is no denying that Aki was far and away the best inside centre in round three. Bouncing through Welsh defenders, smashing their ball carriers and wreaking havoc at the breakdown, Aki, like Lowe, shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
13. Max Llewellyn – Wales
Less than a week removed from Warren Gatland taking a dig at him for his performance against the Springboks, the Gloucester centre was another player who fully justified his return to the Welsh squad. The 6’5″ and 110kg bruiser mixed in hard, direct carries with plenty of deception and deft touches to keep the Irish defence guessing.
14. Duhan van der Merwe – Scotland
Shifting from left to right for us this week, if the Scotland powerhouse only played England, he would win the World Player Of The Year award every year. Dotting down for what had the potential to be the match-winning try, the only potential criticism one could have of his performance was whether he could have got closer to the posts. Having watched the score back, we feel it was too much of a risk with the English cover defence being in a position to hold him up. Ending his day with 88 meters from 12 carries, 2 line breaks, 5 defenders beaten, and a try is a serious showing.
15. Blair Kinghorn – Scotland
Quietly becoming the best fullback in World Rugby, Blair ‘Air’ Kinghorn (RugbyDump trademark…) was PHENOMENAL against England. Carrying the ball 22 times for 122 meters with 7 defenders beaten, 3 line breaks, 3 offloads, and 1 try assist say it all, really. Approaching nailed-on status as a Lions starter, the battle between the Toulouse star and Hugo Keenan will be mouth-watering down under.
Replacements: 16. Elliot Dee (Wales), 17. Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), 18. Finlay Bealham (Ireland), 19. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), 20. Jamie Ritchie (Scotland), 21. Tomos Williams (Wales), 22. Fin Smith (England), 23. Blair Murray (Wales)
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