Wales celebrate their 26-19 win over England at the final whistle in their Six Nations rugby international match at Twickenham, London, Saturday Feb. 2, 2008. AP Photo/Tom Hevezi
There isn’t a formal 6 Nations Player of the Season Award, just individual awards at league level. So I thought we’d have a Roar one and test people’s abilities and knowledge of the “dire and unattractive, ELV-lite” Northern Hemisphere game to see if they could nominate one. Or even their top three.
It’s early May, and the seasons in the various 6 Northern Hemisphere Nations are coming to a close.
It was last August when the various leagues and Cup competitions got underway.
In November, the Autumn Internationals were a mixed bag: Wales, Ireland and France coming out the best of the nations in their various matches against the Top 10 tier countries of New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and Australia.
There were some excellent individual performances from players, but nothing to write home about at team level as the Northern Hemisphere countries licked their wounds.
The Six Nations was completed in March, with Ireland holding the various cups of Triple Crown, 6 Nations Championship and their coveted Grand Slam honour at the end of it all.
The Magners League has been won by Munster with two games to spare.
The finalists for the Heineken Cup are settled between Leinster in their first final having beaten the Heineken Cup holders, and twice-Heineken Cup winners, Leicester, who are hoping to do the double in the play-offs for the English Premiership which begin next weekend.
The best of the Italian players plied their trade in England and France, with Argentine-born Sergio Parisse leading by a number of lengths.
His club team, Stade Francais, are lying in third in the Top 14 with Toulouse and Perpignan tied on points at the top and Clermont Auvergne joining them in the play-offs at the end of May.
Cardiff Blues won the Anglo-Welsh cup for the first time.
I know there’s the prospect of the Lions Tour still to come, but that’s a separate competition all to itself.
And then there’s the tours by France and Italy down south, but they’re too far away, and I suspect wouldn’t impinge on people’s picks anyway.
So with a few weeks to go for the main events, who are your early picks for Player of the Year across the 6 Nations?
Is the Lions squad an indicator of who were the best players from Britain and Ireland? Does 6 Nations performance give certain players a strong standing?
With French teams and players having an abysmal performance – by their usual standards – in the Heineken Cup, and coming third in the 6 Nations Championship, did any of their players stand out at club-level in the Top 14?
With Leicester sitting pretty in both the Premiership and the Heineken Cup final, do their players merit extra mention?
Argue away.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
We’ve finally reached that moment of truth when the top Super Rugby teams need to find their best form for the playoffs, and Test…
The Brumbies and Reds' performances against the Waratahs and Force respectively were excellent and showed something missing in Australian rugby for a long time:…
There is nothing to disguise the demise of the Waratahs this season. It is appalling that this great brand has received the wooden spoon.…
Matt Toomua argues that if the Frenchman can pick up a World Cup, it would propel him into the GOAT conversation. LISTEN NOW: https://bit.ly/3KiQ5Cc
A wooden spoon. Losing to Moana Pasifika. Head coaches and players departing. Christy Doran and Matt Toomua discuss on the Roar Rugby Podcast. LISTEN…
With just over a month out until the Wallabies' first match, Christy Doran and Matt Toomua discuss their early squad predictions - and what…
