Six Nations 2016

Six Nations

2015's six nations ended with a spectacular final weekend, and whilst 2016 ended with the same set of fixtures, there was less drama.

Wales smashed through a weak Italy and Ireland finally hit their stride against Scotland, the drama on the final weekend was whether England could complete the grand slam.

France battled valiantly, in their best performance of the six nations but England were too strong with the second rows Maro Itoje and George Kruis winning key line out ball.

England managed to win their first six nations grand slam for 13 years, built on a basis of doing the basics and good tactics.

Prop
Jack McGrath - Ireland
Ireland barely missed Cian Healy as Jack McGrath stepped up and provided a stable base at the scrum.

Hooker
Guillem Guirado - France
The only consitent French player throughout the tournament, pushed close by Dylan Hartley who was also consistent and lead England to their first grand slam in 13 years, but Guirado was outstanding in an inconsistent side.

Prop
WP Nel - Scotland
Scotland's scrum improved markedly due to the impact of WP Nel and the improvement of Alistair Dickinson. Nel was also prominent in the loose, his only downfall was that he missed the most tackles of anyone in the Championship, but this is partly due to his work rate.

Second Row
Maro Itoje - England
The find of the Championship, Itoje's performances improved throughout the Six nations, he was a constant menace at both the breakdown and the lineout, could be a world class player for years to come.

Second Row
George Kruis - England
It wasn't long ago that Joe Launchbury was lauded as England's future captain and a certainty in the second row, but he didn't even get off the bench against France. That was due to the leadership and imperious performance of Itoje and George Kruis. Kruis lead the lineouts and with Itoje caused chaos in the French lineout that helped secure England's six nations victory

Flanker
C J Stander - Ireland
Stander combined strong carries in the loose with hard work at the breakdown, and showed that Ireland have strength and depth in the back row. He had the most carries of anyone in the Championship with 79.

Flanker
John Hardie - Scotland
Hardie was the tournament's top tackler and was tireless around the field and impressive at the breakdown, part of an improving Scottish side.

No. 8
Billy Vunipola - England
Arguably the player of the tournament, he was a constant threat gaining metres, beating defenders and sucking in the defence, creating space for the backs to play in. He was closely pushed by the Toby Faletau who is now an ever present for Wales, and plays as such on the field with a great all-round game.

Scrum Half
Greg Laidlaw - Scotland
A tight run thing between Laidlaw and Murray, both aided in the scrum half rotation emplyed by England as either Care or Youngs could have made it in to the team with more game time. Laidlaw edges Murray on the basis not just of his almost flawless goal kicking but also his marshaling of the Scottish forwards.

Fly Half
Dan Biggar - Wales
There was no standout fly half in this six nations, Jonny Sexton is perhaps the most talented of all the fly halves but his poor tackling technique has meant he is prone to head injuries and Ireland struggled to find consistent form. George Ford had a good game against France but struggled against Wales. Biggar was consistent throughout 

Wing
George North - Wales
North rediscovered his form, scoring the most tries of anyone, making the most clean breaks and beating the most defenders. At his best, he is one of the world's best wingers.

Centre
Owen Farrell - England
He kicked the most points, and carried his ferocious aggressiveness into every game, playing on the edge (and occasionally over it), he managed a turnover against France also.

Centre
Michele Campagnaro - Italy
Italy struggled in the Championship, but Campagnaro was a bright spark. He beat more defenders and made more clean breaks than any other Italian player.

Wing
Anthony Watson - England
Watson has become more and more integral to England's plans. His pace on the wing created openings, and he has a top finishing instinct. He was joint top try scorer for England with Jonathan Joseph.

Full Back
Stuart Hogg - Scotland
Electric with ball in hand, his attacking instincts have reformed a Scottish side that once struggled for tries, but are now becoming serious competition in the northern hemisphere.