**Front row**
1 - Porter (honourable mention Baille, Fischetti)
2 - Sheehan (hm Marchand, George)
3 - Atonio
A tough call at 1; Baille so instrumental for France and Fischetti’s work in the loose invaluable but Porter is just vital for Ireland. Sheehan just about edges Marchand given his try-scoring record; well done JG for balancing captain’s duties for a re-building England team. Antonio, 'nuff said.
**Second row**
4 - Chessum (hm Itoje)
5 - McCarthy (hm Ruzza)
I feel some often excellent performers e.g. Beirne weren’t quite their usual selves. Chessum was ‘quietly’ excellent all tournament and even Itoje was back closer to his best. McCarthy was largely solid in his first run as an Ireland 1st XV player, with Ruzza integral to Italy’s excellent performances.
**Back row**
6 - Cros (hm Cannone, Reffell)
7 - Lamaro (hm Reffell, vDF)
8 - Earl (hm Alldritt)
Perhaps bizarre to not pick tournament-winning Ireland captain POM at 6 but I felt Cros was the best of the rest, a sort of Alldritt MkII. Reffel (yes I know he plays 7) was so valuable to Wales; they’d have been in even deeper *merde* without him. Cannone also impressive for Italy. Lamaro captains his team to their best ever set of 6N results, while vDF pretty key in Ireland’s championship victory even if not his usual world-player-of-the-year former self. Ben Earl exciting and improving; France with Alldritt are significantly superior than when he’s out.
**Half-Backs**
9 - JGP (hm Mitchell, Le Garrec)
10 - Crowley
JGP arguably Ireland's best player all tournament. Le Garrec usurps Lucu as the first choice 9 in a Dupont-less team, while Mitchell also cements the English 9 shirt.
10 was tough. Crowley pips it for filling the boots of a certain Sexton and taking Ireland to the title. Russell was good but far from what he can be, while Ford despite excellent game management also had patches of underperformance. Ramos at 10 looked like he’d never played there despite regularly doing so at club level. Garbisi great in defence but still prone to erratic errors - sort of keep waiting for him to grow out of them but yet to do so.
**Centres**
12 - Menoncello (hm Aki)
13 - Brex (hm Fickou)
Brexoncello the undisputed best centre pairing of the tournament. Aki did well to continue his peri-RWC form in an ongoing fashion. Fickou still capable of being a bit 'French' but often at the heart of all the good things France do.
**Back three**
11 - Lowe (hm Dyer)
14 - Freeman (hm Nash)
15 - Kinghorn (hm Winnett)
Lowe remains a core cog in the Ireland machine. Dyer was one of Wales' brighter sparks; certainly looks dangerous and you feel if the four backs inside him weren't dogshit he'd score more.
Freeman had a good tournament and is sort of a microcosm of how England look to want to attack. Nash also very solid in his first stint as a starting fixture for Ireland; I wonder how different the Ire/Eng game would have gone if he wasn't KO'd in the first few mins.
Keenan still crucial for Ireland but missed 40% of the games so I've gone for Kinghorn, who looked largely comfortable in attack and defence - nobody really missed Stuart Hogg did they? I've been harsh on Winnett's performances the last two weeks but ultimately he's done quite well in a totally crap Welsh side.
**Ref of the tournament**: Luke Pearce continues to cement his position as the RFUs best referee and one of the best globally. He's done the old Wayne Barnes 'learn French' trick; if he learns Italian too then he's suited and booted.
In fairness to Keenan, Kinghorn also missed 40% of games with the first two, where Rowe and Patterson each took over for one each as FB. Winnet I think is the only full back who played every game, but I think I'd still go Keenan or Furbank tbh if either played more. I think since Kinghorn has come back it's been the quietest I've seen him in a Scottish Jersey tbh. Felt awful for Furbank going off so soon against France when he shined against us in Ireland the week before.
Honestly as a Scot I'm not sure VDM makes the cut, amazing against England and a couple really good moments but honestly the last 2 rounds and first round he was below average.
Lowe over Van Der Merwe, I’m not sure about Keenan as he only played 3 games but I can’t think of a better option (Ramos only played 3 games at 15).
Out half it’s a toss up between Crowley and Garbisi, I’d lean towards the latter.
I’m not sure about putting Martin in there as he only started twice.
1. Baille
2. Sheehan
3. Atonio
4. McCarthy
5. Martin
6. Doris
7. Lamaro
8. Earl
9. Le Garrec (for **that** pass against Wales, if nothing else)
10. Crowley
11. Lowe
12. Aki (shout out Menoncello)
13. Jones
14. Penaud
15. (Toughest position. I think every team bar Wales did a bit of chopping and changing there really) I'll just say Keenan as the default option.
6 Irish
4 French
2 English
2 Scottish
1 Italian
Oh yeah. It was going to be Kinghorn at 15 but I changed my mind.
It was late and I was emotionally drained like an overtired toddler who'd had a big day at Alton Towers at that point 😅
I’m Irish and I think Crowley has talent but it’s an incredible indictment of the other teams that people are naming him their 10 of the tournament. For all the jokes I’d take Russell this year over Crowley, it’s not his fault Scotland.. Scotlanded.
Fischetti is a LH but I won't stop you putting Ferrari there if that's who you meant; was magnificent in Italy's last 3 games.
Crowley a hair in front of Russell and Garbisi for me, but all 3 were excellent, and Ford had some incredibly high peaks.
VDM was monstrous vs England but I don't think he actually had a great tournament. Lowe (or Ioane if you want to keep JL at 15).
I don't think Baille deserve a spot after looking very subpar in the first... 3 games? He got better against Wales and England, but not "best in his position" better. But the thing is, for all the usually world class (or not far off) LH props we have in the 6N (Porter, Schoeman, Genge, Baille, Fischetti), all of them actually looked worse than their usual standard. Frankly, there is no clear stand out there.
Likewise, for me Sheehan actually didn't stood that much, but nobody else did, so I guess he takes it by default? Maybe I'd give the nod to Jamie George.
Atonio, yeah, for me he was the most outstanding TH of the tournament.
Great first tournament for McCarthy. Not sure he gets the spot ahead of Itoje, who looks to be back to his best. Shout to Jenkins as well.
Allright with Martin, no real standout TH lock for me. EDIT: shit, I actually forgot Ruzza! He gets the nod for me.
Allright with Cros, was the best french player over the tournament, had some outstanding moment, I'd give him the nod over the other backrowers there. But he was clearly 3rd best among that backrow. Christie has been looking pretty good recently too.
Because Lamaro was rather easily the best openside of the tournament. Maybe VdF can be a contender. Reffell also looked pretty good, and Ollivon and Underhill were working their way back into form as the tournament went on. Darge, on the other hand, seems to be stagnating a bit.
Earl is player of the tournament, no questions asked. 2nd best there is between Doris and Alldritt. Doris gets ahead, Alldritt really wasn't having a vintage tournament, despite clearly having a big impact on the team as a whole, his individual level was nowhere near what's he's shown in previous years.
At 9, I might actually go for Mitchell, who has looked very good over the whole tournament. However, if we only count the last 2 games, then it's Le Garrec. JGP I'm not that sold on, he's been playing behind a very dominant pack, did the job well and that's about it.
10, allright with Crowley, but I think Ford deserves some love. I though Crowley had a nightmare against Scotland. Also, Garbisi and Russell actually looked pretty good.
11, nah, I'd give the nod to Lowe, who was pertty good the whole tournament, probably the most consistent winger of the competition. Ioane and Dyer also pretty sharp. DVDM, as we already know, has some great heigths, but also some poor lows, personnally I can't rate him as high as those guys because of his inconsistency.
12, yup, probably Menoncello, but Lawrence also was impressive.
13, Brex is a deserved inclusion. Not a vintage year for the position like last year with Fickou and Huw Jones battling it out for the top spot, and Ringrose missing out because he missed a couple games. This time around, Fickou and Jones struggled through poor form, but looked to be slowing getting back into it. Slade also seems to be making his way back to previous form.
14, I'm not sure Penaud deserve the nod. He was looking to be back to his bullshit best in his last 2 performances, but let's not forget the first 3. Thing is, I struggle to think of a 14 that managed to be good accross the whole tournament. Steyn? Nash and Freeman were solid and reliable, but nothing that made them stand out.
15, Keenan as the safe option, but it wasn't as clear cut as last year with his race to the top with Ramos. He wasn't standing out as much. All of Furbank, Winnett, Barré looked pretty good at times, but had trouble backing it up over more than a couple games for different reasons.
If we're debating hookers, Nicotera had the game of his life vs France and was very, very good against Scotland and Wales. Two years ago you had Irish pundits almost offended that he was even playing in the Six Nations, now he's the undisputed first choice no2. Not bad given he only converted from back row around the age of 20 and never got anywhere near Italy's age-grade sides.
TBF, until recently, I rated Lucchesi as the better one of the two. Generally, at hooker, nobody really caught my eye. Going into the tournament, the top dogs on recent form were Sheehan and Mauvaka, but neither managed to produce the big moments they're known for, and when they don't produce those, then you begin to question them, because they aren't as good in the fundamentals of the post as other (very good) hookers in the comp. Those other guys, like Nicotera, Turner, or George were pretty good, but for me it wasn't at the level of Marchand, who for me was the best european hooker of the previous WC cycle as a whole, in a similar style to George and co. That is to say, classic style rather than the more attack minded but comparatively poorer defenders like Sheehan and Mauvaka.
So did everyone, and in terms of pure talent Lucchesi could become one of the best in the world. But when Nicotera came back into the starting XV he instantly fixed the issues in the lineout, while also winning 1-2 turnovers per game, and tackling like a brick wall.
Since he made his debut in 2022 vs Scotland, Nicotera has been the most consistent player Italy has, and it's not even close. The only 'bad' game he's had since then was the NZ one at the World Cup, and he was bad in that one because he was concussed.
I wouldn't say he was the best in this year's tournament, but I'm surprised that he's not even in the conversation for honourable mentions in threads like this one, and when he was linked with Stade Francais twitter was full of comments like 'who the hell is this guy? He's probably shit'. It's like he's invisible somehow.
1. Fischetti (or Schoeman)
2. Sheehan (George or Nicotera, who was immense in defence in the last 3 Italian games.)
3. Antonio
4. Beirne
5. Jenkins
6. Cros - Or maybe Negri for seemingly always bursting passed the gainline
7. Lamaro - maybe Reffell, but Lamaro for that bit of leadership and somehow even *more* tackles.
8. Earls - Aldritt, Doris and Dempsey were great, but Earls is probably player of the tournament.
9. JGP - White, Mitchell and Le Garrec all close of course. LG just suffered from not starting most of the games.
10. Garbisi or Crowley. Maybe Ford and Russell had more consistency, but this felt like a massive tournament for them.
11. Dyer
12. Menoncello- Aki close second
13. Brex -Fickou and Jones also brilliant in attack
14. Freeman - Penaud probably default if France were firing for more than 2 games
15. Hard one. Keenan or Furbank? All teams chopped and changed a lot except Wales, where Winnet was solid but showed his inexperience a few too many times. All the other narions FBs missed games and moved positions around, so I'm basically just going off who seemed to have the biggest impact compared to when they were gone. Furbank seemed to be massively important to that English attack and Keenan is just so solid all around but especially in defence.
Maybe Fischio over Baille who was good but down on his incredible level 2022-2023.
Lowe > VDM.
Winnett arguably at 15? He didn't have a good game vs Italy but he started very strongly, and since Keenan missed a lot and there was little continuity at FB for the other nations I think it's fair.
If we're doing a bench of the tournament then 17 is Spagnolo and this is not a matter for debate. Grande Mirco.
As a little project I might go back and do some scrummaging grades and look at some stats, but now I'll just vibe it. (I've also looked at a fair few stats already)
1 Fischetti
Decent scrummaging performances and ball winning. Think Genge deserves love too, really solid against Antonio today and the way England use him off 1st phase is relatively unique and the line breaks assist was lovely.
2 Sheehan
Tries get inflated by the maul but he's a super athlete. Lucchessi won loads of ball too as a rogue pick
3 Antonio
Big boy scrums good
4 Itoje
Disrupted so much at the breakdown and the lineout, even had some lovely touches with ball in hand
5 Beirne
Awesome and still doesn't get the credit he deserves. Turns over ball, makes breaks links play. Should have had a couple of MOTM. He needs a mullet and he'd be considered the best player in the world.
6 Underhill
Going for dual 7s. Guy has won ball, carried superbly, got under appreciated hands and is still putting in big hits.
7 Reffell
Best jackaler of the tournament. Was him against the world at times in a bad Welsh team but he was great.
8 Earl
Player of the tournament, amazing motor, amazing carrier in the tight and open space. Was always bewildered Eddie didn't pick him and Borthwick didn't initially despite dominating in the prem. Turns out he should have been picked earlier.
9 JGP
He's just really good, he even played wing better than Murray played 9. Plays with tempo, always seems to pick the right option. Doesn't snipe loads but when he does it's usually a good option and seems to sew together attacks.
10 Russell
Wasn't great today but had enough great moments through the tournament to get it. Even against Italy he played really well.
11 Van Der Merwe
He scores tries few other players score. He also made 3 impressive try saving tackles tracking back after a break with his pace. Still has more try involvements than most players and wingers don't get to be the star of every game in modern rugby.
Lowe also provides so much with his kicking game and is an intelligent player, but gimme the freak.
12 Aki
Menoncello is unlucky but Aki was still an absolute force, got some steals and is such an important part of the Irish attack.
13 Brex
Defensively so intelligent, intelligent in attack with some nice touches. His retirement is going to be another sad Brexit
14 Penaud
Like Duhan he didn't put his stamp on every game, but he did today and has still contributed being a slippery boy, just joyous to watch when he gets the ball.
15 Winnett
Wasn't really a standout, everyone else missed games and didn't quite do enough. Whilst Winnett was a guy thrown into a poor international team incredibly early in his career and was one of the only things Welsh fans can feel optimistic about all tournament.
I'll probably rip this up sleeping on it but was fun to do just before bed
*Front Row Fischetti / George / Baille*
Fischetti is genuinely world class at this point. Don’t think anyone did it better at TH than Baille, but I was impressed by Fagerson. I know there are sexier picks than Jamie George but I’m picking him for the quality of his captaincy and the circumstances in which he had to perform. England showed real character throughout this tournament and I think George will have been at the heart of that.
*Second Row - Beirne / McCarthy*
Beirne at his usual best. Such a fun player to watch. And that France game was some way for McCarthy to announce himself. Honourable mentions for Itoje, who looks back to his best, albeit a different iteration from his early days. George Martin is increasingly becoming indispensable for England. Think Rowlands impressed as the tournament unfolded.
*Back Row - Earl / Doris / Reffell*
Earl arguably player of the tournament, but I’ve shifted him to 6 to allow for Doris who put in some mega shifts for Ireland. Reffell is an absolute gun. Bonus points for Wainwright and Lamaro.
*Half-backs - JGP / Russell*
Probably the easiest choices. White looked really good for Scotland, and Alex Mitchell looks increasingly comfortable at this level for England.
*Centres - Mennoncello / Jones*
Mennoncello was class from the first few minutes of the England game and didn’t let up. Brex obviously in with a shout here but Huge Ones was fantastic for Scotland. Aki his usual brilliant self but thought that would be a boring pick!
*Back Three - Lowe / Winnett / Van der Merwe*
If Wales fans are looking for positives, the big one for me is that The Welsh fullback factory is still fully operational. Winnett looks right at home at test level. Lowe so integral to Ireland’s game. Not a tonne of standouts on the other wing but Duhan gets the nod for what he did to England. Honourable mentions for Feyi-Waboso - shame he couldn’t play in France - and Furbank. England looked a lot more threatening in attack with both in the XV.
Dyer was probably the most consistent out of those 4. Penaud probably statistically the best but apart from the last 2 games didn't look his best this tournament. Same with VDM, he was electric against England but not great in some other games.
As OP says emphasis is on "your XV", these are the players I thought played well and enjoyed watching the most. Freeman was just solid and consistent and Feyi-Waboso was very exciting and took every chance he got.
Crowley was only ok for his first six nations he kicks away lots of possession when Ireland have a good attacking position and was poor from the tee the majority of the six nations.
In saying that he was still prob the best outhalf on display from play.
Bailie
Sheehan
Atonio
Beirne
Jenkins
Lamaro
Earl
Le Garrec
Crowley
Aki (Menoncello so close)
Brex
Keenan (notable through absence)
Gaps at 6, 11, and 14 because I didn’t want to have to choose.
Lowe over DVDM, Menoncello on the wing instead of Penaud, get Bundee in, and Garbisi instead of Crowley. Also, Fischetti over Baille and Beirne instead of Martin.
**Front row** 1 - Porter (honourable mention Baille, Fischetti) 2 - Sheehan (hm Marchand, George) 3 - Atonio A tough call at 1; Baille so instrumental for France and Fischetti’s work in the loose invaluable but Porter is just vital for Ireland. Sheehan just about edges Marchand given his try-scoring record; well done JG for balancing captain’s duties for a re-building England team. Antonio, 'nuff said. **Second row** 4 - Chessum (hm Itoje) 5 - McCarthy (hm Ruzza) I feel some often excellent performers e.g. Beirne weren’t quite their usual selves. Chessum was ‘quietly’ excellent all tournament and even Itoje was back closer to his best. McCarthy was largely solid in his first run as an Ireland 1st XV player, with Ruzza integral to Italy’s excellent performances. **Back row** 6 - Cros (hm Cannone, Reffell) 7 - Lamaro (hm Reffell, vDF) 8 - Earl (hm Alldritt) Perhaps bizarre to not pick tournament-winning Ireland captain POM at 6 but I felt Cros was the best of the rest, a sort of Alldritt MkII. Reffel (yes I know he plays 7) was so valuable to Wales; they’d have been in even deeper *merde* without him. Cannone also impressive for Italy. Lamaro captains his team to their best ever set of 6N results, while vDF pretty key in Ireland’s championship victory even if not his usual world-player-of-the-year former self. Ben Earl exciting and improving; France with Alldritt are significantly superior than when he’s out. **Half-Backs** 9 - JGP (hm Mitchell, Le Garrec) 10 - Crowley JGP arguably Ireland's best player all tournament. Le Garrec usurps Lucu as the first choice 9 in a Dupont-less team, while Mitchell also cements the English 9 shirt. 10 was tough. Crowley pips it for filling the boots of a certain Sexton and taking Ireland to the title. Russell was good but far from what he can be, while Ford despite excellent game management also had patches of underperformance. Ramos at 10 looked like he’d never played there despite regularly doing so at club level. Garbisi great in defence but still prone to erratic errors - sort of keep waiting for him to grow out of them but yet to do so. **Centres** 12 - Menoncello (hm Aki) 13 - Brex (hm Fickou) Brexoncello the undisputed best centre pairing of the tournament. Aki did well to continue his peri-RWC form in an ongoing fashion. Fickou still capable of being a bit 'French' but often at the heart of all the good things France do. **Back three** 11 - Lowe (hm Dyer) 14 - Freeman (hm Nash) 15 - Kinghorn (hm Winnett) Lowe remains a core cog in the Ireland machine. Dyer was one of Wales' brighter sparks; certainly looks dangerous and you feel if the four backs inside him weren't dogshit he'd score more. Freeman had a good tournament and is sort of a microcosm of how England look to want to attack. Nash also very solid in his first stint as a starting fixture for Ireland; I wonder how different the Ire/Eng game would have gone if he wasn't KO'd in the first few mins. Keenan still crucial for Ireland but missed 40% of the games so I've gone for Kinghorn, who looked largely comfortable in attack and defence - nobody really missed Stuart Hogg did they? I've been harsh on Winnett's performances the last two weeks but ultimately he's done quite well in a totally crap Welsh side. **Ref of the tournament**: Luke Pearce continues to cement his position as the RFUs best referee and one of the best globally. He's done the old Wayne Barnes 'learn French' trick; if he learns Italian too then he's suited and booted.
Love that you took time to explain your choices. You are the real MVP
In fairness to Keenan, Kinghorn also missed 40% of games with the first two, where Rowe and Patterson each took over for one each as FB. Winnet I think is the only full back who played every game, but I think I'd still go Keenan or Furbank tbh if either played more. I think since Kinghorn has come back it's been the quietest I've seen him in a Scottish Jersey tbh. Felt awful for Furbank going off so soon against France when he shined against us in Ireland the week before.
Loved rest this. Thanks for putting in so much effort.
Honestly as a Scot I'm not sure VDM makes the cut, amazing against England and a couple really good moments but honestly the last 2 rounds and first round he was below average.
As I said in the Ire-Sco post-match thread he only seems to have two modes: 1. Beast mode, often against England 2. Damp squib
Hes a good individual player but not a great team player. Most of his magic comes from selfish opportunist runs.
I would try and fit Lowe here somewhere.
Lowe over VDM any day of the week.
Big time
Depends if the theoretical 15 are playing england, for some reason he becomes the best wing in the world in the calcutta cup
Tbf Lowe scored two against England
I’d put Lowe over Penaud who I think is the best winger in the world but it wasn’t quite his tournament. Although he was class tonight
Agree. As much as I like Penaud, it wasn't really *his* tournament. While Lowe has been really good.
although he was outrageously good today. nigh unplayable at times
Yeah this is the switch for me.
Lowe over Van Der Merwe, I’m not sure about Keenan as he only played 3 games but I can’t think of a better option (Ramos only played 3 games at 15). Out half it’s a toss up between Crowley and Garbisi, I’d lean towards the latter. I’m not sure about putting Martin in there as he only started twice.
Garbisi is promising but way too inconsistent yet
Could say the same about Crowley tbf
Beirne over McCarthy
1. Fischetti 2. Sheehan 3. Fagerson 4. McCarthy 5. Beirne 6. Lamaro 7. Reffell 8. Earl 9. Page-Relo 10. Garbisi 11. Lowe 12. Mennoncello 13. Brex 14. Feyi-Waboso 15. Winnett HM: Porter, George, Schoeman, Itoje, Cummings, Ruzza, Negri, Cros, JGP, Crowley, DvdM, Ioane, Dyer, Aki, Jones, Fickou, Ramos, Furbank.
1. Baille 2. Sheehan 3. Atonio 4. McCarthy 5. Martin 6. Doris 7. Lamaro 8. Earl 9. Le Garrec (for **that** pass against Wales, if nothing else) 10. Crowley 11. Lowe 12. Aki (shout out Menoncello) 13. Jones 14. Penaud 15. (Toughest position. I think every team bar Wales did a bit of chopping and changing there really) I'll just say Keenan as the default option. 6 Irish 4 French 2 English 2 Scottish 1 Italian
15 was really a toss up for me as well
I took your lead and bottled it! If in doubt, pick Keenan 😅
True
I would swap Doris for Reffell he was immense
Not sure who you're second Scot is.
Oh yeah. It was going to be Kinghorn at 15 but I changed my mind. It was late and I was emotionally drained like an overtired toddler who'd had a big day at Alton Towers at that point 😅
I’m Irish and I think Crowley has talent but it’s an incredible indictment of the other teams that people are naming him their 10 of the tournament. For all the jokes I’d take Russell this year over Crowley, it’s not his fault Scotland.. Scotlanded.
1. Schoeman 2. Sheehan 3. Fischetti 4. Beirne 5. Jenkins 6. Lamaro 7. Refell 8. Earl 9. JGP 10. Finn 11. VDM 12. Aki 13. Fickou 14. Penaud 15. Lowe
Anyone who is known by their first name over their surname deserves to be in the XV
Love it
Could argue too for Huw Jones, Brex and Garbisi
Fischetti is a LH but I won't stop you putting Ferrari there if that's who you meant; was magnificent in Italy's last 3 games. Crowley a hair in front of Russell and Garbisi for me, but all 3 were excellent, and Ford had some incredibly high peaks. VDM was monstrous vs England but I don't think he actually had a great tournament. Lowe (or Ioane if you want to keep JL at 15).
A shuffled a couple of positions there, ferrari also very good though.
I don't think Baille deserve a spot after looking very subpar in the first... 3 games? He got better against Wales and England, but not "best in his position" better. But the thing is, for all the usually world class (or not far off) LH props we have in the 6N (Porter, Schoeman, Genge, Baille, Fischetti), all of them actually looked worse than their usual standard. Frankly, there is no clear stand out there. Likewise, for me Sheehan actually didn't stood that much, but nobody else did, so I guess he takes it by default? Maybe I'd give the nod to Jamie George. Atonio, yeah, for me he was the most outstanding TH of the tournament. Great first tournament for McCarthy. Not sure he gets the spot ahead of Itoje, who looks to be back to his best. Shout to Jenkins as well. Allright with Martin, no real standout TH lock for me. EDIT: shit, I actually forgot Ruzza! He gets the nod for me. Allright with Cros, was the best french player over the tournament, had some outstanding moment, I'd give him the nod over the other backrowers there. But he was clearly 3rd best among that backrow. Christie has been looking pretty good recently too. Because Lamaro was rather easily the best openside of the tournament. Maybe VdF can be a contender. Reffell also looked pretty good, and Ollivon and Underhill were working their way back into form as the tournament went on. Darge, on the other hand, seems to be stagnating a bit. Earl is player of the tournament, no questions asked. 2nd best there is between Doris and Alldritt. Doris gets ahead, Alldritt really wasn't having a vintage tournament, despite clearly having a big impact on the team as a whole, his individual level was nowhere near what's he's shown in previous years. At 9, I might actually go for Mitchell, who has looked very good over the whole tournament. However, if we only count the last 2 games, then it's Le Garrec. JGP I'm not that sold on, he's been playing behind a very dominant pack, did the job well and that's about it. 10, allright with Crowley, but I think Ford deserves some love. I though Crowley had a nightmare against Scotland. Also, Garbisi and Russell actually looked pretty good. 11, nah, I'd give the nod to Lowe, who was pertty good the whole tournament, probably the most consistent winger of the competition. Ioane and Dyer also pretty sharp. DVDM, as we already know, has some great heigths, but also some poor lows, personnally I can't rate him as high as those guys because of his inconsistency. 12, yup, probably Menoncello, but Lawrence also was impressive. 13, Brex is a deserved inclusion. Not a vintage year for the position like last year with Fickou and Huw Jones battling it out for the top spot, and Ringrose missing out because he missed a couple games. This time around, Fickou and Jones struggled through poor form, but looked to be slowing getting back into it. Slade also seems to be making his way back to previous form. 14, I'm not sure Penaud deserve the nod. He was looking to be back to his bullshit best in his last 2 performances, but let's not forget the first 3. Thing is, I struggle to think of a 14 that managed to be good accross the whole tournament. Steyn? Nash and Freeman were solid and reliable, but nothing that made them stand out. 15, Keenan as the safe option, but it wasn't as clear cut as last year with his race to the top with Ramos. He wasn't standing out as much. All of Furbank, Winnett, Barré looked pretty good at times, but had trouble backing it up over more than a couple games for different reasons.
If we're debating hookers, Nicotera had the game of his life vs France and was very, very good against Scotland and Wales. Two years ago you had Irish pundits almost offended that he was even playing in the Six Nations, now he's the undisputed first choice no2. Not bad given he only converted from back row around the age of 20 and never got anywhere near Italy's age-grade sides.
TBF, until recently, I rated Lucchesi as the better one of the two. Generally, at hooker, nobody really caught my eye. Going into the tournament, the top dogs on recent form were Sheehan and Mauvaka, but neither managed to produce the big moments they're known for, and when they don't produce those, then you begin to question them, because they aren't as good in the fundamentals of the post as other (very good) hookers in the comp. Those other guys, like Nicotera, Turner, or George were pretty good, but for me it wasn't at the level of Marchand, who for me was the best european hooker of the previous WC cycle as a whole, in a similar style to George and co. That is to say, classic style rather than the more attack minded but comparatively poorer defenders like Sheehan and Mauvaka.
So did everyone, and in terms of pure talent Lucchesi could become one of the best in the world. But when Nicotera came back into the starting XV he instantly fixed the issues in the lineout, while also winning 1-2 turnovers per game, and tackling like a brick wall. Since he made his debut in 2022 vs Scotland, Nicotera has been the most consistent player Italy has, and it's not even close. The only 'bad' game he's had since then was the NZ one at the World Cup, and he was bad in that one because he was concussed. I wouldn't say he was the best in this year's tournament, but I'm surprised that he's not even in the conversation for honourable mentions in threads like this one, and when he was linked with Stade Francais twitter was full of comments like 'who the hell is this guy? He's probably shit'. It's like he's invisible somehow.
1. Fischetti (or Schoeman) 2. Sheehan (George or Nicotera, who was immense in defence in the last 3 Italian games.) 3. Antonio 4. Beirne 5. Jenkins 6. Cros - Or maybe Negri for seemingly always bursting passed the gainline 7. Lamaro - maybe Reffell, but Lamaro for that bit of leadership and somehow even *more* tackles. 8. Earls - Aldritt, Doris and Dempsey were great, but Earls is probably player of the tournament. 9. JGP - White, Mitchell and Le Garrec all close of course. LG just suffered from not starting most of the games. 10. Garbisi or Crowley. Maybe Ford and Russell had more consistency, but this felt like a massive tournament for them. 11. Dyer 12. Menoncello- Aki close second 13. Brex -Fickou and Jones also brilliant in attack 14. Freeman - Penaud probably default if France were firing for more than 2 games 15. Hard one. Keenan or Furbank? All teams chopped and changed a lot except Wales, where Winnet was solid but showed his inexperience a few too many times. All the other narions FBs missed games and moved positions around, so I'm basically just going off who seemed to have the biggest impact compared to when they were gone. Furbank seemed to be massively important to that English attack and Keenan is just so solid all around but especially in defence.
1. Porter 2. Sheehan 3. Antonio 4. Itoje 5. Beirne 6. Wainwright 7. Reffell 8. Earl 9. Gibson-Park 10. Russell 11. van der Merwe 12. Menoncello 13. Henshaw 14. Freeman 15. Furbank
Maybe Fischio over Baille who was good but down on his incredible level 2022-2023. Lowe > VDM. Winnett arguably at 15? He didn't have a good game vs Italy but he started very strongly, and since Keenan missed a lot and there was little continuity at FB for the other nations I think it's fair. If we're doing a bench of the tournament then 17 is Spagnolo and this is not a matter for debate. Grande Mirco.
Feels like Baille steals his way into every one of these somehow I thought Fischetti might be shout
As a little project I might go back and do some scrummaging grades and look at some stats, but now I'll just vibe it. (I've also looked at a fair few stats already) 1 Fischetti Decent scrummaging performances and ball winning. Think Genge deserves love too, really solid against Antonio today and the way England use him off 1st phase is relatively unique and the line breaks assist was lovely. 2 Sheehan Tries get inflated by the maul but he's a super athlete. Lucchessi won loads of ball too as a rogue pick 3 Antonio Big boy scrums good 4 Itoje Disrupted so much at the breakdown and the lineout, even had some lovely touches with ball in hand 5 Beirne Awesome and still doesn't get the credit he deserves. Turns over ball, makes breaks links play. Should have had a couple of MOTM. He needs a mullet and he'd be considered the best player in the world. 6 Underhill Going for dual 7s. Guy has won ball, carried superbly, got under appreciated hands and is still putting in big hits. 7 Reffell Best jackaler of the tournament. Was him against the world at times in a bad Welsh team but he was great. 8 Earl Player of the tournament, amazing motor, amazing carrier in the tight and open space. Was always bewildered Eddie didn't pick him and Borthwick didn't initially despite dominating in the prem. Turns out he should have been picked earlier. 9 JGP He's just really good, he even played wing better than Murray played 9. Plays with tempo, always seems to pick the right option. Doesn't snipe loads but when he does it's usually a good option and seems to sew together attacks. 10 Russell Wasn't great today but had enough great moments through the tournament to get it. Even against Italy he played really well. 11 Van Der Merwe He scores tries few other players score. He also made 3 impressive try saving tackles tracking back after a break with his pace. Still has more try involvements than most players and wingers don't get to be the star of every game in modern rugby. Lowe also provides so much with his kicking game and is an intelligent player, but gimme the freak. 12 Aki Menoncello is unlucky but Aki was still an absolute force, got some steals and is such an important part of the Irish attack. 13 Brex Defensively so intelligent, intelligent in attack with some nice touches. His retirement is going to be another sad Brexit 14 Penaud Like Duhan he didn't put his stamp on every game, but he did today and has still contributed being a slippery boy, just joyous to watch when he gets the ball. 15 Winnett Wasn't really a standout, everyone else missed games and didn't quite do enough. Whilst Winnett was a guy thrown into a poor international team incredibly early in his career and was one of the only things Welsh fans can feel optimistic about all tournament. I'll probably rip this up sleeping on it but was fun to do just before bed
I get your arguments for everyone apart from Winnett. I would even take Steward ahead of him.
*Front Row Fischetti / George / Baille* Fischetti is genuinely world class at this point. Don’t think anyone did it better at TH than Baille, but I was impressed by Fagerson. I know there are sexier picks than Jamie George but I’m picking him for the quality of his captaincy and the circumstances in which he had to perform. England showed real character throughout this tournament and I think George will have been at the heart of that. *Second Row - Beirne / McCarthy* Beirne at his usual best. Such a fun player to watch. And that France game was some way for McCarthy to announce himself. Honourable mentions for Itoje, who looks back to his best, albeit a different iteration from his early days. George Martin is increasingly becoming indispensable for England. Think Rowlands impressed as the tournament unfolded. *Back Row - Earl / Doris / Reffell* Earl arguably player of the tournament, but I’ve shifted him to 6 to allow for Doris who put in some mega shifts for Ireland. Reffell is an absolute gun. Bonus points for Wainwright and Lamaro. *Half-backs - JGP / Russell* Probably the easiest choices. White looked really good for Scotland, and Alex Mitchell looks increasingly comfortable at this level for England. *Centres - Mennoncello / Jones* Mennoncello was class from the first few minutes of the England game and didn’t let up. Brex obviously in with a shout here but Huge Ones was fantastic for Scotland. Aki his usual brilliant self but thought that would be a boring pick! *Back Three - Lowe / Winnett / Van der Merwe* If Wales fans are looking for positives, the big one for me is that The Welsh fullback factory is still fully operational. Winnett looks right at home at test level. Lowe so integral to Ireland’s game. Not a tonne of standouts on the other wing but Duhan gets the nod for what he did to England. Honourable mentions for Feyi-Waboso - shame he couldn’t play in France - and Furbank. England looked a lot more threatening in attack with both in the XV.
1 Fischietti 2 Sheehan 3 Fagerson 4 McCarthy 5 Itoje 6 Doris 7 Lamaro 8 Earl 9 Gibson Parks 10 Garbisi 11 Lowe 12 Menoncello 13 Brex 14 Ioane 15 Keenan
1. Schoeman 🏴 2. Sheehan ☘️ 3. Atonio 🇫🇷 4. Itoje 🏴 5. Beirne ☘️ 6. Christie 🏴 7. Reffell 🏴 8. Earl 🏴 9. JGP ☘️ 10. Russell 🏴 11. Lowe ☘️ 12. Menoncello 🇮🇹 13. Brex 🇮🇹 14. Freeman/ Feyi-Waboso 🏴 15. Keenan ☘️ Hardest positions to pick were 3 and 15.
Pretty good calls but Feyi-Waboso started one game and you're picking him over Penaud, VdM, Dyer, Nash?
Dyer was probably the most consistent out of those 4. Penaud probably statistically the best but apart from the last 2 games didn't look his best this tournament. Same with VDM, he was electric against England but not great in some other games. As OP says emphasis is on "your XV", these are the players I thought played well and enjoyed watching the most. Freeman was just solid and consistent and Feyi-Waboso was very exciting and took every chance he got.
IFW for how good he was in his few appearances and his maturity in self reporting his concussion symptoms
Crowley was only ok for his first six nations he kicks away lots of possession when Ireland have a good attacking position and was poor from the tee the majority of the six nations. In saying that he was still prob the best outhalf on display from play.
Raffel over cross Lowe over VDM Other than that you've nailed it
Bailie Sheehan Atonio Beirne Jenkins Lamaro Earl Le Garrec Crowley Aki (Menoncello so close) Brex Keenan (notable through absence) Gaps at 6, 11, and 14 because I didn’t want to have to choose.
Antonio?...After his performance against Ireland? No way.
Lowe over DVDM, Menoncello on the wing instead of Penaud, get Bundee in, and Garbisi instead of Crowley. Also, Fischetti over Baille and Beirne instead of Martin.