Aaron Shingler

Age 30, Wales, flanker, caps 15

Much of the attention paid to Wales before the start of the tournament fixated on a long injury list that had claimed most of their Lions. It was expected to curse their tournament but, although the foot infection that forced Leigh Halfpenny out of the side who faced England at Twickenham proved to be a withdrawal too far, it has been in part a blessing. Players such as Aaron Shingler, the rangy, dexterous back rower who has brought a touch of the unorthodox to a side who made their reputation by leaving opponents in no doubt about what to expect, would probably not have been given their chance last autumn but for the various absentees. And so while Wales talked about expanding their game, they found it harder to do so with players who were set in the old ways than with Shingler, who was part of the Scarlets team who won the Pro 12 in style last season. He resembles a French loose-forward of yore, nimble, skilful and deft in the offload but hard with it, prepared to muck in. He also has endurance, as he showed near the end at Twickenham. His break and chip would have resulted in a try but for Owen Farrell.

Greig Laidlaw

Age 32, Scotland, scrum-half, caps 60

Sometimes a side have to go back to get to the future. Gregor Townsend’s first Six Nations match as Scotland’s coach started brightly in Cardiff. Jonny Gray was thwarted in the opening minutes and the visitors were in possession when the scrum-half Ali Price attempted a long pass from a ruck even though his half-back partner Finn Russell was lying on the ground. He took a couple of steps first, allowing his opposite number Gareth Davies to get in position for an intercept and score from 60 metres. Price had been picked ahead of the experienced Greig Laidlaw because he suited Scotland’s gung-ho approach but the positions were reversed in the following match against France. It was not a U-turn, merely a means of marrying ambition to circumstance. Scotland were able to see out the match, despite not scoring a try in the second half when Laidlaw’s boot edged them in front. He ended the match at fly-half and will be in their tactical vanguard for the visit of England. Scotland last scored a try at Murrayfield against them in 2004 and they will need Laidlaw’s wiliness as well as his accuracy.

Sebastian Negri

Age 23, Italy, flanker, caps 4

A year ago, the 23-year old, who was born in Zimbabwe, was studying sports business management at Hartpury College having been capped by Italy while not playing for a senior club. The Italy coach, Conor O’Shea, predicted at the launch of the Six Nations that Negri would leave a mark on the tournament and the flanker, who can play in the second row, did so in the opening match against England. There is something of Sergio Parisse in Negri who is powerful and athletic, hitting hard in contact with and without the ball and possessing superb handling skills. A player who makes his mark in a struggling side stands out and after being given a daunting opening two rounds, at home to the champions and then away to the third-ranked team in the world six days later, Italy will find some relief going to Marseille next week. They have lost their past 14 matches in the Six Nations but O’Shea is putting together a young side and is prepared to give them time so that within a couple of years Negri and co will no longer be swimming against the current.

Sam Underhill

Age 21, England, flanker, caps 6

A difference between the nearly men that England were between 2012 and 2015, when in four Six Nations one defeat each year cost them the title, three times on points difference, was summed up by Sam Underhill’s tackle on Scott Williams at Twickenham with 19 minutes to go. As the Wales centre looked to finish off a flowing move, he dived for the line five metres out. In the first half, when it was raining, it would probably have been an effective option, but in drier conditions it gave the Bath flanker the chance to deny Wales’s match-winner at the ground in 2012 the opportunity to repeat history. Underhill was on the floor at one point but he picked himself up, angled his run and brought off one of the tackles of any age, getting underneath Williams and flipping his legs into touch. It summed up what England have become under Eddie Jones, whether winning a match in the final minutes, as they did with Elliot Daly’s try in Cardiff last year, or saving one. They have a killer instinct and Underhill, who was making his first appearance in the Six Nations, has the detached ruthlessness of an assassin.

Jack Conan

Age 25, Ireland, No 8, caps 6

Like Sam Underhill, Jack Conan has played only 40 minutes in this year’s Six Nations. It was against Italy and Ireland were on top from the outset but at a time when teams are expected to have a plan B they attacked in a different way and widened the point of their attack. There was less looping from Johnny Sexton and more quick passing which suited the Leinster No 8, who was starting ahead of C J Stander so the Ireland coach, Joe Schmidt, could assess his options. It was Conan’s first appearance in the Six Nations, late for a player who is 25, and he offers something different from the direct, tackle-busting might of Stander as he showed in an exchange of passes with Conor Murray on the left wing. One reason why Conan has watched the Six Nations rather than being involved is that for all his ability with ball in hand, there were questions about his relish for the less conspicuous parts of the game, such as hitting rucks hard. A shoulder injury forced him off at half-time when Stander, who will take some shifting came on, but Conan widens Ireland’s reach.

Teddy Thomas

Age 24, France, wing, caps 10

The Racing 92 player will not be involved against Italy in Marseille on Friday, when he would probably have added to his haul of three Six Nations tries this year, because of disciplinary action taken against eight players for enjoying a night out after the defeat in Scotland. But a side in desperate need of a meaningful result – England are in Paris on 10 March – cannot afford to leave him out for long. It says a lot about what France have become that Thomas’s 10 caps have been spread over five seasons and involved three coaches, but his eight tries mark a healthy return given France’s relative weakness. His three in the opening two rounds all came from positions that were not threatening, on or around the halfway line. Two involved breaking tackles, stepping inside and outsprinting the cover defence. France have the basis of a strong side, shaped by clubs who have done well in Europe, but while other countries grow stronger the more time they spend together, the opposite seems true of a team who have not won the Six Nations since 2010 and desperately need Thomas’s opportunism, even against Italy.