Our 2018 Six Nations team of the tournament
The Six Nations concluded on Saturday with Ireland claiming just their third men’s Grand Slam in history to add to their 1948 and 2009 triumphs, winning the prestigious clean sweep at Twickenham for the first time and rising above England in the World Rugby rankings in the process.
With Joe Schmidt’s side now on a run of 12 straight victories that stretches back to last year’s Six Nations championship, it’s no surprise to see the Irish dominate our Team of the Tournament line up, although Wales also have a smattering of players included after they secured second place in the table with a 14-13 victory over France on the final weekend.
Scotland, France and Italy are all represented too with a player each, but England’s dismal campaign – in which they suffered three defeats for the first time since 2006 – means that they do not have a single representative in the team.
Having gone from back-to-back titles to a fifth-place finish, England certainly have plenty of work to do if they are to get back to the peak of European rugby where they once were under Eddie Jones, and while they are not as bad as their recent results suggest, all is not well in the England camp.
But now is not the time to discuss their fall from grace, and instead we praise the players who stood out over the last seven weeks in what is the best championship in world rugby today.
Here, we pick our team of the tournament: 1. Cian Healy (Ireland)
At one stage it looked as if the loosehead prop had lost his place in the Irish side due to a combination of repeated injuries and the emergence of Jack McGrath, but the 30-year-old enjoyed a resurgent tournament in which he won back the No 1 jersey and enjoyed emphatic performances against Scotland and England.
2. Guilhem Guirado (France)
It’s harsh to leave out the Grand Slam-winning captain Rory Best but Guilhem Guirado simply cannot be left out of the side. His performances throughout the campaign were of the highest degree, and even when he struggled in one area – such as the lineout against England – he enjoyed a destructive display in the loose. Had he been available for the final match in Wales, the French may well have won it.
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
Proved why he is so revered around the world with a string of match-defining performances, not least his man-of-the-match display against England to help secure the Grand Slam triumph. His scrummaging is as strong, but it’s his work in the loose that really stood out this year as he showed a talent to not only carry powerfully but also pass with the ability of an inside back.
4. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
Another year, another storming display from the Wales lock, whose captaincy this year was very reliable and performances even better. At 32 years old, the lock would not have been blamed for starting to tail off, but Father Time has not caught up with him just yet and Jones even celebrated a new contract during the tournament to prove he’s got no plans to let off just yet. Jones was excellent in the opening victory over Scotland and was unlucky to be on the losing side against the English.
5. James Ryan (Ireland)
One of the finds of the tournament and a man who looks to have a bright future in the Irish second-row. Ryan more often than not made The Independent’s team of the weekend – which is some doing given he missed a week through injury – and at just 21 years old he is growing in both talent and the impression that he is making on matches.
6. Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)
The Munster flanker picked up where he left off in the Six Nations following his star cameo last year, and with his fitness concerns well behind him, O’Mahony was excellent in disrupting opposition lineout and also proved a massive thorn in the side of rival teams in the breakdown. The 28-year-old has a level that he rarely dips below, and he’s emerged as one of the most consistent performers not just in the Ireland squad, but in the entire championship.
7. Josh Navidi (Wales)
In the absence of Sam Warburton, Navidi seized his chance with both hands as the Cardiff Blues flanker enjoyed a wonderful opening performance against Scotland as he wreaked havoc on their possession, and he also impressed in the defeat by Ireland.
8. CJ Stander (Ireland)
A marauding performance against England is a good way to sum up his tournament, which saw him flourish in the injury-enforced absences of Billy Vunipola and Taulupe Faletau. Stander was the standout No 8 by some way, and while Scotland’s Ryan Wilson had a few moments to remember, the Irishman was simply on another level throughout the competition.
9. Gareth Davies (Wales)
A controversial choice given what Conor Murray contributed to Ireland’s Grand Slam success, but Murray is widely regarded as the best scrum-half in the world and that is almost granted now. In Davies, Wales turned to their back-up scrum-half in the absence of Rhys Webb and they found a more than able replacement who will hold them in good stead moving forwards. Davies scored a sneaky interception try against Scotland and bagged another against Ireland, and he takes the shirt for stepping up to international level and taking it all in his stride.
10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
The man was nothing short of brilliant throughout the tournament and kicked one of the most memorable drop-goals in history to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against France. He masterminded Ireland’s
rampant back line and found ways to bring the best out of the three outside centres that he played with as well as both wings. His tactical kicking from hand was as good as it’s ever been.
11. Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
His international record of 11 tries in just nine matches is nothing short of phenomenal and he appears to have all of the traits of a world class wing, having demonstrated pace, a strong reading of the game with two interception tries and a clinical finish against England to touch down his own chip and chase. At just 21 years old, he could turn out to be one of the greats.
12. Hadleigh Parkes (Wales)
His selection for Wales was certainly a controversial one but his Test level calibre is no longer in question after a number of strong performances for Wales. The New Zealand-born centre hit the ground running in week one and formed a strong partnership with his Scarlets colleague Scott Williams, and also linked up well with Owen Watkin when the Ospreys star was brought into the side.
13. Huw Jones (Scotland)
Jones certainly had a flying start to the tournament, but this was perhaps the most competitive spot in the team that could have gone just about anywhere – except England. Ireland’s 13s all performed well but, with Robbie Henshaw, Chris Farrell and Garry Ringrose all taking turns in the shirt due to injury, there was no consistency. Mathieu Bastareaud’s return to the France side showed how far he has developed, while Italy’s Tommaso Boni was a real find for Italy until he suffered a championship-ending injury against France. Even though he tailed off, Jones was excellent against England and also impressed with an excellent try against France.
14. Keith Earls (Ireland) 15. Matteo Minozzi (Italy)
This was the tournament that Earls proved why he has been around the international stage for so long, and having missed out on the 2009 Grand Slam success as well as the 2014 and 2015 championship wins, it felt like just desserts for the Munster wing. Earls may have only scored one try all tournament, but his work rate was a key reason why Ireland scored more tries than ever before. For so long Sergio Parisse has been the lone Italian in the Six Nations Team of the Tournament, but it’s time for the talismanic No 8 to step aside after the arrival of full-back Minozzi. Not only did he make his first start for his country against England, he became the first Italian to score in four straight Six Nations matches and displayed an attacking threat that few Azzurri players have possessed. His speed combined
with footwork that Jason Robinson would be proud of should see the 21-year-old become a player to watch for the foreseeable future.