"Struggled" - Five England hopefuls who flopped this weekend

While every English side apart from Gloucester progressed to the last 16, not all England hopefuls seized the moment. Here are five players who struggled to make the impact they would have wanted at a crucial time.

Saracens were comfortably beaten by Glasgow Warriors and, while no individual was particularly poor, few truly stood out. Jamie George typified that performance. He was steady rather than influential, which falls short of the level expected for England selection. He worked hard around the pitch, especially in attack, and was typically reliable at the lineout, but ultimately failed to make a decisive impact.

With Farrell’s Six Nations involvement still uncertain, his showing against Glasgow did little to clarify matters. Like George, he was competent but largely unremarkable. Cast as the evening’s pantomime villain, he was booed with every touch, yet to his credit he remained composed and error-free. He carried well into Glasgow’s defence, contributed defensively in a busy midfield role, and scored Saracens’ only points of the match.

Gloucester’s Champions Cup exit was not down to Atkinson, who was far from a poor performer. However, given the fierce competition for England’s centre spots, the match is unlikely to have helped his international prospects, particularly with Rekeiti Ma’asi-White impressing despite Sale’s heavy defeat to Toulouse.

Atkinson was central to Gloucester’s attacking efforts, repeatedly denting the Toulon defence with powerful carries. A relentless, no-nonsense runner, he kept taking the ball up with limited reward and continues to establish himself as a key figure for the Cherry and Whites.

Mitchell is still expected to start scrum-half in the Six Nations, but this was not his sharpest outing, despite Northampton Saints’ victory over the Scarlets. An early lapse proved costly when his kick was charged down by Taine Plumtree, leading to Ryan Elias’ try, even after Saints had set a caterpillar ruck. He improved as the game went on, but that initial error lingered as a blemish on his performance.

De Glanville may not be a leading England contender, but his consistency at Premiership level keeps him on the fringes of the conversation, however unlikely a call-up under Steve Borthwick may be. Despite Bath’s dominant win over Edinburgh, he struggled to make a lasting impression. Starting once again, it was a quieter night than hoped, with little of note before misfortune struck. He was forced off injured after 53 minutes and replaced by Santiago Carreras.