France secured a record eighth Six Nations title with a thrilling late win over England in Paris on Saturday.
Dubbed the greatest tournament of all time, who will make every expert’s tournament team?
advertise
Former Wales captain Sam Warburton and former Scotland captain John Barclay discuss their teams in a BBC Rugby special.
Despite lifting the trophy, France captain Antoine Dupont failed to make the cut at half-time and only one Englishman was selected – and only former Wales captain Warburton.
“It’s unbelievable to say it, but Dupont was quiet in the fourth round. That’s unheard of for him,” Warburton said.
Scotland flyback Finn Russell was at his magical best at times but only received an “honorable mention”.
Warburton and Barclay chose different forward lineups, but their defenses were exactly the same.
advertise
Remember to have your say in the comments below.
[BBC]
[BBC]
forward
Loose head pillar
Rhys Carey – Wales
SW: He has become a cult hero in Wales through the Championship. He is probably one of Wales’ most well-known players and deservedly so. Try scorer and source of progress. He’s great.
prostitute
Lough Dervey – Wales
SW: Just like the basketball metaphor, he had a triple-double every game. Lots of bumping, holding and tackling.
He’s making plays across the board and is a triple-double player. His work rate is high and fits the modern game. He’s a big, rough scrum-half – his boundary darts may be his weakest area.
advertise
You find a leader when you’re in adversity, not so much when you’re winning. And in the face of adversity, he stood up.
Julien Marchand – France
JB: He’s got great consistency, he’s a good dribbler, he’s a good decision-maker, he’s got a great dart and he’s got a good scrum.
Tight head prop
Simone Ferrari – Italy
JB: Anyone who can pick someone up in Scrum and take them to the cloud (up to the fourth floor) is a good fit for me.
Italy broke up Scotland’s scramble. They caused problems throughout the tournament and he was outstanding.
SW: Sergio Parisse, who watches a lot of Italian rugby carefully, said before the game against Wales that Ferrari were a huge mistake. He said it would be a rough afternoon without him, and it was.
advertise
second row
Charles Olivine – France
JB: He played eight games over the weekend. He has played six games for France. He played in seven games, four and five games.
When you put him in the second row, his legs won’t be as effective because he’ll be asked to do more of the heavy lifting – the nuts and bolts of the game.
He was involved in big moments throughout the game. His support performance was fantastic.
He’s a very good player.
Emmanuel Meafou – France
JB: He was so destructive. The way he carries the ball – whether it’s him driving out from the back or in tight encounters – some of the collisions he wins, I don’t think there’s a player in the northern hemisphere who can do what he does.
advertise
SW: Some will say he didn’t start as many games as Mickael Guillard, who was also very good, but Mefo showed, especially in the final round, why you need this enforcer.
blind side flanker
Tadhg Beirne – Ireland
SW: A large number of players in big moments.
open wings
Ben Earl – England
SW: I’ve always been a big fan. It’s a bit cheeky to put him seventh instead of eighth, but I had to fit him in.
Earl, no matter what happened to England in the Championship, he would persevere and carry them forward in every game.
He’s very productive – he’s a great athlete.
Rory Dutch – Scotland
JB: Rory Dutch needs a big championship and some young guys following suit. He stepped forward.
advertise
No. 8
Jack Dempsey – Scotland
JB: Scotland probably don’t have another player like him with the quality of his dribbling and the amount of work he does.
From a leadership perspective, he improved dramatically.
He’s the one playing the drum. Obviously he was the one who stepped up in the half-time game against Wales. He leads the championship in turnovers – he makes them off the charts.
Aaron Wainwright – Wales
SW: He is a fantastic number eight and will be a great signing for Leicester Tigers.
backplane
Scrum-half
Jamison Gibson-Parker – Ireland
JB: You see the difference when he plays and when he doesn’t play.
advertise
He got the Irish moving. He is the heartbeat over there. Ireland have the best structured attack and the quality of his role in it – in decision-making and quickly getting the ball out of collapse – is stunning.
SW: Any young nine-year-old – just watch him. He doesn’t take any time away from the game. He got the ball and jumped away. This creates such a difficult downward spiral for defenses.
His kicking ability is also underrated. People talk about Dupont’s kick length – Gibson Parker’s kick length is outstanding. His specific details are outstanding.
fly half
Mathieu Jalibert – France
JB: An obvious choice.
advertise
left wing
Louis Biller-Biare – France
Former England winger Hugo Moyer: He’s breaking records we’ve never seen before and setting new standards, scoring in every Six Nations match in the past two editions.
center
Stuart McCloskey – Ireland
SW: McCloskey is 33 years old and is already a senior player in terms of age, but his real breakthrough moment came when he was 12 years old.
If hypothetically there was a Lions tour this summer, he would be on it. I think he’s outstanding.
JB: He’s probably played over 20 times for the national team but this is the first time he’s had a competitive game and he looks very comfortable.
All play was played through him and his tackle on Marcus Smith was probably one of the highlights.
advertise
Tommaso Menoncello – Italy
Johor Bahru: I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins Player of the Tournament again. He’s always been so good.
right wing
Keir Stein – Scotland
UM: Excited for Kyle Stein. A player with specific details who has achieved a breakthrough.
full back
Thomas Ramos – France
SW: Tomas Ramos has been the Six Nations’ leading scorer for four consecutive years.
When there’s a real high-pressure ball at the end of an England game and you’re looking around for those players who are built for the big moments, he doesn’t wait for his captain to come up to him and ask: “Can you have these three?” He just picks up the ball and asks: “Where do you want me to take the ball from?”
advertise
He was very relieved and just did it.
Player of the Tournament – Louis Bielle-Biarrey
SW: I’ve always been defensively oriented, so my first thought was always, “What is the defense doing wrong?”
But given the number of chases and shots he takes, there’s not much defenders can do about it. Some of his attempts were untenable.
