Three teams went into the second round of the 2022 Six Nations with a chance of winning a Grand Slam, but only France emerged with their hopes of a 100 per cent record intact.
Les Bleus bulldozed their way to a hard-fought 30-24 win over Ireland in a game of two halves, where Andy Farrell's men recovered from an early battering to at least make the match competitive in the end.
Wales battled to another narrow win over Scotland, who succumbed 20-17 in Cardiff and will have to wait at least another year before they get the next chance to win two opening Six Nations fixtures for the first time.
They're one of four teams now level on one win and one loss after England thumped Italy 33-0 in Rome, where Jamie George scored twice and Marcus Smith extended his 100 per cent try record in the Six Nations.
Not all performances are created equally considering England travelled to the Stadio Olimpico as such overwhelming favourites, but Mirror Sport has dissected this weekend's best displays to form Round 2's elite XV.
15. Full-back - Melvyn Jaminet
Was at fault for Mack Hansen's run-in to score straight from a kick-off, but France full-back Melvyn Jaminet was otherwise largely faultless and should have been awarded a nerve-settling try in the closing minutes.
The Perpignan playmaker constantly tested Irish airways with his howitzer of a right boot and kicked 20 of France's points on the day, starting with his difficult conversion from a first-minute try.
14. Wing - Darcy Graham
Edinburgh winger Darcy Graham is enjoying rare form on the Test circuit after his opener against Wales means he's now either scored or assisted a try in each of his last three Scotland appearances.
Pound for pound, Graham continues to rear his head as one of Europe's in-form finishers at present.
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13. Outside centre - Owen Watkin
Scotland will hate the sight of Owen Watkin after he was recalled into the Wales XV for another close encounter between the two sides, and again the Ospreys man delivered what was asked of him.
Nick Tompkins deserved praise for the grunt work he undertook in Wayne Pivac's midfield, but an absence from the Test team didn't hurt Watkin as he made 60 metres off 11 carries and beat a match-high four defenders.
The 25-year-old also recorded 12 tackles and was the only one of Wales' starting backs who failed to miss an attempt, coaxing more confidence in midfield than makeshift option Josh Adams did in Dublin.
12. Inside centre - Gael Fickou
Ireland centres Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose carried for a combined total of 27 metres this weekend, which is a credit to French counterpart Gael Fickou considering the visitors had 53 per cent of the possession.
Even with the inexperienced Yoram Moefana as his stand-in midfield partner, Fickou was peerless in Paris and made nine tackles without missing any, using his combination of speed and size to star as a constant conduit in attack.
11. Wing - Gabin Villiere
Retained as part of the dream XV after scoring a first-round hat-trick against Italy, Gabin Villiere proved similarly industrious against Ireland.
Far from the glamour of last week's performance, however, Villiere impressed largely thanks to his work around the breakdown and effectively acted as a fourth back-rower at times.
Big things in small packages, and all that.
10. Fly-half - Dan Biggar
One couldn't describe it as pretty, but what Dan Biggar's performance in the win over Scotland lacked in glitz, he more than made up for in grit and match-winning nous when it was needed.
Despite being partially crippled by a knee injury for what felt like most of the match in Cardiff, Biggar's 15-point kicking haul included the match-winning drop goal, and he marshalled the Welsh line with aplomb throughout.
9. Scrum-half - Antoine Dupont
Another of the French contingent making back-to-back appearances in the team of the week, Antoine Dupont's first-minute try in Paris set the tone for a first half at the Stade de France from which Ireland never recovered.
That early run in to score accounted for a good portion of his 48 carrying metres—the most of any French player on Saturday—while he contributed seven tackles and brought his customary pace to the attack.
1. Loosehead prop - Cyril Baille
Cyril Baille was even more impressive in the win over Ireland than he was en route to victory against Italy the previous week, and not only because he grabbed a try for his troubles this time around.
It's no small feat for a loosehead prop to come out of a contest opposite Tadhg Furlong with their dignity intact, but Baille did just that after enjoying an all-action outing.
2. Hooker - Jamie George
Eddie Jones will almost certainly be questioning why he dropped George immediately after the British and Irish Lions tour, all the more so after watching his hooker score twice at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Saracens No. 2 proved clinical from both short range and further out as he grabbed a first-half brace against Italy, while England's line-out was also close to perfect.
3. Tighthead prop - Tomas Francis
Wales won the scrum tug-of-war in what was a pivotal battlefield on Saturday, but Tomas Francis also bundled over for his first Test score in more than three years to help seal a special win.
4. Lock - Will Rowlands
Certain stars of the Wales team may look back on Saturday's nail-biting result against Scotland with a slight grimace, but Will Rowlands certainly isn't among them following one of his best Test outings to date.
Made more tackles (11) than he did carrying metres (seven), but his reliability at the line-out was a very valuable comfort and generally popped up where Scotland needed him not to.
5. Lock - Paul Willemse
Cameron Woki may be the more fashionable France lock of late, but it was Paul Willemse whose mountainous frame proved most devastating to Ireland's fortunes in Round 2.
Helped spoil the guests' line-out and made ugly (but necessary) carries when required, although he was left for dead when Jamison Gibson-Park stepped him to score off a breakdown.
6. Blindside flanker - Tadhg Beirne
Even amid the wave of sub-par performances witnessed among the vast majority of Ireland's players, Tadhg Beirne succeeded in sticking out as a thorn in the hosts' side.
A tally of 12 tackles was indicative of the graft Beirne put in, while his 50-22 kick on the turn in the second half deserves to be put in a museum.
7. Openside flanker - Jac Morgan
It was significant that Biggar directed debutant Jac Morgan to lift the Doddie Weir Cup following Saturday's win at the Principality Stadium, some small recognition of the occasion but also his individual display.
The Ospreys back-rower didn't look at all out of his depth during his first Test outing, carrying for 51 metres—almost as much as the rest of his pack combined—and completing 13 tackles, missing just one.
8. No. 8 - Gregory Alldritt
Blitzed off the back of numerous scrums and rucks to showcase why he's one of the most devastating carriers in rugby, making the kind of metres (30 altogether) only one like Gregory Alldritt can.
Names Player of the Match for the fourth time in 13 Six Nations appearances and was one of only two French forwards to play the entire 80 minutes, recognition of his importance to their plight.
