“Statistical performance across different action categories”
With the games now done and dusted, and with the various ‘Teams of the Tournament’ also in the books, all that is left if for the official player of the championship to be named.
Of course, we’d like to think they’d be Irish but with the Irish success being the very definition of a collective effort, we wouldn’t be surprised, or disappointed, to see the award go elsewhere.
Three Irish player make the shortlist, Paul O’Connell, Conor Murray and Robbie Henshaw. You could make a case for Sean O’Brien and Jonny Sexton if you asked us but missed games may have gone against them.
England lead the way with four names on the list, including top scorer George Ford, top-try scorer Jonathan Joseph, plus Ben Youngs and Billy Vunipola.
It is Wales we feel sorry for. So close to glory, they only get two on the list; Alun Wyn Jones and fly-half Dan Biggar.
But we could easily have seen Leigh Halfpenny, Luke Charteris and Sam Warburton get the nod too.
Scotland have two, Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray while Sergio Parisse rounds out the list.
The methodology for selecting these names is woolly to say the least. They say that “statistical performance across different action categories that cover all aspects of the game” were considered, with players getting, or losing, points as a result of those stats.
Who knows what that means, and the list is far from awful, but they could surely have added a few more?
Anyway, it will be decided by a public vote and the poll on the official Six Nations site closes at midnight on Wednesday.
Click here to cast your vote.
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