Player of the tournament
Nominees: Stuart Hogg, George Kruis, Billy Vunipola, CJ Stander
WINNER: George Kruis
George Kruis’ absence from the shortlist for the official award was nothing other than criminal, especially when you consider it was organised by real people, and not just based on statistics. The likes of Vunipola and Hogg have stolen more headlines, but for sheer consistency, the England second row has to take it. His lineout work has become the talk of the town and his physicality in both the carry and tackle have never been in doubt.
Emerging player of the tournament
Nominees: CJ Stander, Maro Itoje, Rob Evans, Duncan Taylor
WINNER: Maro Itoje
Only one winner here, as Maro Itoje makes it a clean sweep of the first two awards for Saracens second rows. The sheer athleticism of the young man is so impressive, and after Jones took his time in introducing him to to the international scene, he has settled into it amazingly quickly.
Match of the tournament
Nominees: Wales vs Scotland, England vs Wales, Scotland vs France
WINNER: England vs Wales
In contrast to last year, there weren’t really any games that stand out as absolute classics – Scotland’s win over France was entertaining, as was their loss to Wales, but for the pure sporting drama of the last 10 minutes, this one goes to England’s 25-21 win over Wales at Twickenham. England’s 19-0 and 25-7 leads looked utterly unassailable, but Wales somehow fought back and were within a dodgy linesman’s call of having the chance to actually win it. In the context of the recent World Cup result on the same ground, when England also managed to throw away a lead, it was proper rugby drama.
Team try of the tournament
Nominees: Tim Visser vs France, Anthony Watson vs France, Jamie Heaslip vs Italy, Leo Ghiraldini vs Scotland
WINNER: Heaslip vs Italy
Offloads from Simon Zebo, Jared Payne and Andrew Trimble all contributed to this stunning 60 metre team effort that saw the ball go through seven pairs of hands before Heaslip crashed over. A very strong mention for Tim Visser’s score, that was preceded by incisive bursts from Gray and Nel before Hogg’s brilliant overhead flick.
Individual try of the tournament
Nominees: George North vs Scotland, George North vs Italy, Stuart Hogg vs Ireland, Duncan Taylor vs France
WINNER: Hogg vs Ireland
Both North’s efforts were excellent scores from set plays, but to score a try from over 50 metres on a kick return without a single hand – literally – being laid on you is pretty much unprecedented in today’s game. Step forward Stuart Hogg.
Coach of the tournament
Nominees: Eddie Jones, Vern Cotter
WINNER: Eddie Jones
To be honest, Jones won this one at a canter but we needed at least one other nominee. To win the Six Nations Grand Slam in your first year in charge is a phenomenal achievement; to do so just a few short months after the World Cup debacle is even more so. The spiky Aussie has become an instant hit with England fans.
Biggest disappointment
Nominees: Italy, France
WINNERS: Italy & France
Join winners for this one, because we can’t decide who out of Italy and France have been more useless. Yes, France manage two wins, but they were fortunate in both of them. They have shown glimpses of the laissez faire rugby of old, but that means nothing if there is no game-plan or solid set piece platform. They currently have neither and when you throw in a porous defensive line, it has been less a case of revolution under Guy Noves, than evolution of the awful.
Italy, under increasingly intense scrutiny for their participation in the tournament, decided the best way to stake their claim after the wooden spoon was all but confirmed in round three, was to ship 125 points in their last two games. Whoever takes over from Jacques Brunel has a really tough job on their hands.
One thing to change for 2017
Not bonus points – in such a short tournament, they would be all but useless as winning all your matches will, more often than not, still represent the best way of winning the tournament.
The other a la mode suggestion – promotion/relegation – is one we think needs to be seriously considered, because Italy’s performances after losing to Scotland in round three were nothing short of dire. If a play-off were to be introduced, whereby the wooden spooners had to play the European Nations Cup champions to see who would be in the Six Nations the following season, then we would at least be giving the tier 2 nations something tangible to aim for, rather than the very obvious and very low ceiling that exists at the moment.
Chances are that more often than not things would remain the same – especially as it seems harsh to demote a team if they have had one bad year, as is eminently possibly in a tournament that is so short and sharp – but given the strides they are making, teams like Georgia and Romania deserve at the very least a chance of mixing it with the big boys.
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
10 replies on “Six Nations 2016: The Rugby Blog Awards”
Promotion / relegation based on play off taking last two years performance into account. This keeps it static enough for old boys to be happy, removes the home and away fixtures issue and still gives T2 nations something to aim for. Problem solved!!
I have always been a keen supporter of a relegation/promotion aspect perhaps over the two years have the normal trappings yearly of triple crowns, grand slams etc. but the actual championship won over two years, a two legged play-off by the bottom team in the Six Nations and the second tier competition winners, how this would be accommodated I am not sure but it would go some way to grown the sport we love, either this or welcome in both Georgia and Romania.
Why not one or the other? I just feel its better to have teams playing every weekend the tournament is active and personally don’t like the team sitting out aspect this could easily be accommodated by filling in a rest week and adding another weekend.
Glad someone else has mentioned the dodgy line decision near the end of the England / Wales game. If the Welsh scrum half had carried on to score it my well have stood. I was accused of Welsh bias when I mentioned it elsewhere. A similar situation happened in a Premiership game that weekend and a try was given, despite opposition players having stopped after a judge flagged momentarily. Lesson: Play to the whistle, not the flag, if you fail to “hear” the whistle carry on and score. (I believe it was better for the game overall that we lost. Jones is more likely to pick the half dozen other players, who deserve recognition in England, than the previous incumbent).
No sorry, hate to say it but Itoje would’ve smashed him into touch, watch the footage.
Also it was a different situation the lineo called North to be out of play and the decision stood, in the Worcester game the Lineo pulled his flag down and shook his head, Worcester played the whistle and scored, no correlation.
Yes but we will never know because the linesmen got it wrong just as Joubert got the final call in the RWC game wrong between the Aussies and Scotland.
Too many bum decisions being made by officials.
If the linesman’s call had cost England victory we would never hear the end of it you can be assured of that.
The anti-Welsh London media machine/ITV/EBC would have made sure of that I can tell you.
I’ve always thought that relegation might crush rugby in Italy rather than making it competitive elsewhere. But Georgia do deserve a shot, I like the idea of a playoff, it would have to be at the right time of the year though.
Good to see team try and individual try, was that just to get Hogg and Heaslip in?
Absolutely agree on Kruis too, that rbs list was a joke.
I’m a huge supporter of the relegation play off but I’ve found it strange that Romania always get mentioned in the same bracket as Georgia for improvement.
Georgia undoubtedly could challenge the top tier. Having not lost a game in the European Nations Cup since 2007 and finished third in their pool at the WC they are probably the most improved side in world rugby over the last ten years.
But Romania have trundled along at the same standard they have always been at. They’re quite far off Georgia and were only really mentioned in this debate after the WC because they had beaten Canada, not exactly proof that they can challenge the top tier, and because the spokesperson for the ENC who brought it up in the media is a Romanian. One day maybe, but definetely not now.
BBT I think you are doing Romania a huge disservice yes they lost heavily to Ireland and France but they competed with France for at least 40 minutes but fitness showed and France turned on the gas, they only lost by 10 to Italy and I saw the Canada game, yes the weakest team in the group but the pack put in a huge effort with a excellent display by the captain who was pretty good in the other games too.
I feel Romania would be near the bottom but they could compete.
The George North questionable decision counterbalanced by the disallowed but perfectly good try scored by Dan Cole