The Six Nations came back with a bang this weekend as Scotland stole the show with a hard-fought 20-17 home win over border rivals England, while Ireland demolished an injury-hit Wales 29-7 in Dublin.
Title favourites France will unsurprisingly end the first round as table leaders, however, after they made light work of Italy and emerged 37-10 victors in Paris on Sunday.
Four rounds remain in the race to be crowned conquerors of the northern hemisphere, leaving only a brief opening to savour the Week 1 results and some of the star displays.
Mirror Sport has compiled a XV of the best performers witnessed during this opening salvo, with ratings adjusted for the difficult of opposition (meaning you aren't guaranteed a place just because you face Italy).
15. Full-back - Hugo Keenan
Calls for Ulster live-wire Michael Lowry to get his shot at Ireland's full-back jersey are gaining in volume, but as long as Leinster star Hugo Keenan is playing like this, he can't be moved from the starting XV.
A nearly flawless outing as his side's last line of defence, Keenan stood up well to the aerial threat of Wales counterpart Liam Williams and delivered one particularly special pass through traffic to keep a counter alive.
14. Wing - Darcy Graham
Andrew Conway was hard done by not to win Player of the Match following his two-try display in Ireland's win over Wales, and Darcy Graham's all-action outing for Scotland ensures he'll be denied again in his Team-of-the-Week aspirations.
Edinburgh's Energizer Bunny started the move that eventually saw him assist scrum-half Ben White for a debut try, while his turnover in the fifth minute of stoppage time effectively sealed the upset of England.
Only Max Malins (100) and Duhan van der Merwe topped his 52 metres gained with ball in hand, but Graham beat six defenders on the afternoon, at least twice as many as any other player on the park.
13. Outside centre - Garry Ringrose
One of the best performances we've seen from Garry Ringrose in an Ireland jersey, this was the swashbuckling, Brian O'Driscoll-esque version of the centre fans often long to see in full flight.
Only Mack Hansen (105) managed more than his 65 metres gained, and although there were a few too many missed tackles, Ringrose's ability to seamlessly link play shone through, topping it off with a fabulous try.
12. Inside centre - Mack Hansen
Player of the Match on debut is no bad way to mark one's first outing in Ireland green, especially considering Hansen was still playing rugby in his native Australia this time last year.
Granted, he plays out wide for club and country, but Hansen thrived in a free-roaming role where his passing strengths really shone, not to mention there was a lack of star centre displays this weekend.
James Lowe's injury may have been the closing door, but Hansen proved the proverbial open window as he delighted in the Leinster man's absence, teeing up Connacht team-mate Bundee Aki for the opening try.
Wales could hardly get a lock on the multi-talented winger as he varied his positions to great effect throughout, beating three defenders and clocking up match-high yardage with ball in hand.
11. Wing - Gabin Villiere
An early bolter for the tournament's top try-scorer award, Gabin Villiere all but carried France to victory over Italy on his own, finishing a trio of tries in his corner to account for almost half of Les Bleus' points.
The Toulon talisman's 88 metres carrying set the tone in Paris, while he failed to miss a tackle and beat a joint-high five defenders across the 80 minutes.
10. Fly-half - Finn Russell
It wasn't always pretty, but Finn Russell made the telling incisions when needed to continue a superb record against England, having now won four and drawn once in his last five meetings with the enemy to the south.
Aside from the ultimately decisive pair of penalties, Russell orchestrated some wonderful attacks via his boot, not to mention the kick that put Luke Cowan-Dickie under enough pressure to get himself sin-binned.
9. Scrum-half - Antoine Dupont
The reigning World Rugby Player of the Year wasn't at his finest in front of the French fans, but even an Antoine Dupont working at half-speed is a terror to keep tabs on.
Italy found out as much when the Toulouse talent combined with Damian Penaud for a sensational try down the right flank, responding well to the early frustrations as any captain should.
8. Number 8 - Matt Fagerson
Very few would have expected Matt Fagerson would be coming out of the Calcutta Cup grabbing more headlines than opposite number Sam Simmonds—and yet here we are.
The 23-year-old looked every bit the veteran as he made valuable carries to get the Murrayfield hosts out of numerous hairy situations, adding 13 tackles—10 per cent of Scotland's total and more than any England player.
7. Open side flanker - Josh van der Flier
Did you hear? Josh van der Flier has really gone away and worked on his work with ball in hand.
It's a line that's been trumpeted by pundits and commentators on repeat in recent weeks—and yet it's also the truth after he was one of only two Irish forwards who succeeded in making a clean break against Wales.
Defence remains the feather in Van der Flier's cap, however, as he looked tireless in an 80-minute display and completed more tackles than any other Irishman (16).
6. Blindside flanker - Taine Basham
A rare Wales entrant in the line-up, Taine Basham not only scored his side's singular try but was also their top tackler (22 altogether), top carrier (13 attempts), and only Liam Williams could match his two defenders beaten.
Having shone for Wayne Pivac's men even through the gloom during the recent autumn series, Basham is now delivering the kind of consistency that could make him undroppable even in a fully fit Wales squad.
5. Lock - Will Rowlands
The only other candidate from Pivac's order to make the cut, Will Rowlands continues to put his hand-up as the Alun Wyn Jones successor Wales need following another dynamic display in Dublin.
Ryan Elias and Dewi Lake had a difficult time fending off Ireland's line-out, but Rowlands was relentless in open play and finished with an AWJ-esque 17 tackles to his name.
4. Lock - Grant Gilchrist
Jonny Gray may be the man back in Scotland blue after enduring an injury-enforced absence in the autumn, but second-row partner Grant Gilchrist was more deserving of the post-match praise in Edinburgh.
Contributed 10 tackles on the day and succeeded in his job of keeping Maro Itoje quiet as Scotland won all their own line-outs and managed to steal two of England's.
3. Tighthead prop - Tadhg Furlong
Those arguments suggesting Tadhg Furlong may be the best prop in rugby certainly weren't hampered by a well-rounded effort against Wales, where he thankfully had the chance to show off his twinkling feet.
That being said, Furlong's fundamentals at the set piece very much remain the bedrock of his game; it's merely a bonus he's able to deliver some of the deftest link play you'll ever see from a front-rower.
2. Hooker - Julien Marchand
Amid the malaise that was France's first-half performance on Sunday, hooker Julien Marchand set the tone in regards to the intensity many of his team-mates should have been targeting themselves.
Ireland's Ronan Kelleher came close to making it an all-Irish front row following an impressive hour-long display against Wales but just loses out to the Toulouse stalwart.
1. Loosehead prop - Andrew Porter
The tip of Ireland's spear when swarming Wales' pack, tighthead convert Andrew Porter proved close to perfect again in the No. 1 jersey, steering his side's success from the set piece and in the loose.
Ripped the ball that ultimately led to Ringrose crossing over for the hosts' bonus-point try, while he also completed nine tackles and failed to miss any.
