15 Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
No one carried for more metres than his 562, no one looked more assured under the high ball and no one looked as sharp from the back, with a nod to Freddie Steward of England and Thomas Ramos of France. Keenan was man of the match in the opener against Wales and maintained his high standards throughout the tournament.
14 Damien Penaud (France)
Mack Hansen of Ireland pushed hard for the No 14 berth, but France’s power right wing was in irrepressible Six Nations form, scoring a tournament-high five tries. His second against England was a team move of beauty, evoking memories of the great 1980s French backline executing sweet passes in midfield to create space out wide.
13 Gael Fickou (France)
Elusive or direct on attack, Fickou is now a defensive rock, benefitting from tuition from Shaun Edwards. He barely missed a tackle (only three men made more) and did not miss a minute for France.
12 Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
Scotland often looked dangerous on attack, and the 10-12-13 combination of Finn Russell, Tuipulotu and Huw Jones had much to do with that. The No 12 made three try assists and showed some deft touches and robust work in contact. Jonathan Danty of France and Ollie Lawrence of England merit a mention.
11 Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
Two stunning solo tries against England and Italy seal it for this powerful Scotland wing. He was very hard to bring down and that is why we have plumped for him over the ever-improving James Lowe of Ireland.
10 Finn Russell (Scotland)
He missed the final match with injury but his influence on Scotland’s growing fortunes was palpable. Russell was very good in most games and imperious against Wales, his passing and incisive running, not to mention some judicious kick passes and offloading all to the fore.
9 Antoine Dupont (France)
Still the best player on the planet, along with Ardie Savea. But even Savea does not control the tempo of games and bamboozle his opponents with a wide variety of kicks off either foot like the French No 9. His display against England was quite brilliant.
8 Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Gee, the Irish have some loose forward depth. Doris stood tall against France in the best game of the tournament and, though he missed a match, his influence was still massive. He wins ball in the air and on the ground and takes the direct route on the carry. There were several very good No 8s on show, including his teammate Jack Conan, Gregory Alldritt of France and Taulupe Faletau of Wales.
7 Josh van der flier (Ireland)
Must be close to the premier opensider in world rugby, having shown his wares in New Zealand last winter. Only two players made more tackles than his 67, and he carried for more than 200m. Yet he still did not appear to stand out until you watched him closely.
6 Antony Jelonch (France)
He only played three games but that was enough for us. Big, robust, direct, aggressive, like all good French blindside flankers, he complemented Alldritt and Charles Ollivon nicely. Others of note were Peter O’Mahony of Ireland, the industrious Sebastian Negri of Italy and Jamie Ritchie, captain of Scotland.
5 James Ryan (Ireland)
Does anyone work harder than this bloke in the Ireland engine room? Ryan played every minute and did not let up. No one made more than his five turnovers.
4 Thibaud Flament (France)
Another big slab of a man in the French pack, Flament enjoyed his two try double at Twickenham. It looks like he also enjoyed making 81 tackles (second in the comp) and pulling down 17 lineouts (third).
3 Uini Atonio (France)
One of Wesley College’s finest rugby products, Atonio did not play big minutes but most of them counted, especially at scrum time where he was solid as a rock. He scored a try for good measure against Wales. Edges out Finlay Bealham of Ireland and Zander Fagerson of Scotland.
2 Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
In the best traditions of Keith Wood, this Ireland hooker is dynamic in the loose and accurate at set-piece. He’ll never forget his brace against England on Grand Slam-winning day. Heads off Julien Marchand of France and George Turner of Scotland.
1 Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
Cyrille Baille of France will have his fans, but Schoeman was tremendous value for his Scotland team throughout the tournament. He played upwards of 300 minutes, made 60 carries and missed just three of 52 tackles. His prominence in the forward exchanges helped Scotland give full rein to its attacking instincts. Andrew Porter of Ireland, too, rates a mention, as does Danilo Fischetti of Italy.
EXCLUSIVE COLUMN
