Player of the tournament
Michael Aylwin: George Kruis. Greatness emerges from Dorking. Kruis has been a relatively late developer, although not so late that he should not have played a major role in the World Cup. His work rate is phenomenal, his carrying hugely improved, and he ransacked the French lineout in Paris. England have always been well stocked with locks – and never more so than now. That Joe Launchbury can’t break into the team tells its own story. He’s come out of Horsham. Classic A24 rivalry.
Andy Bull: Billy Vunipola No one has benefited more from Eddie Jones taking over the team. Vunipola says that Jones has helped him start to enjoy his rugby again and, at the same time, he is fitter than he has ever been. The upshot was that Vunipola was named man-of-the-match three times in five games, an extraordinary run of form by any standards. Jones says Vunipola could grow into the best No8 in the world. He’s right.
Eddie Butler: George Kruis Commanding in the last two games, the ones that turned a solid recovery after the World Cup into prizes – a triple crown and a grand slam. Excellent in the air on both England’s throw and the opposition’s, and athletic on the hoof. Always good for 80 minutes, too.
Robert Kitson: George Kruis No one could possibly dispute the impact Billy Vunipola made in this championship but Kruis has been the consistent glue in England’s championship-winning pack. Along with his Saracens’ team-mate Maro Itoje, his lineout interventions in Paris proved pivotal in the grand slam decider and he is the most improved forward in Eddie Jones’s squad. France’s Guilhem Guirado and Scotland’s Stuart Hogg both deserve recognition, too.
Paul Rees: Billy Vunipola The England No8 started the tournament with a midfield burst at Murrayfield that scattered defenders, and never stopped. Fitness is no longer a concern and he now steps, offloads and thinks about his game. He will get even better.
Favourite match
MA: Italy v Scotland. Things were starting to feel a little claustrophobic by the third Saturday. Although this championship has received worse press than it has deserved, the shadow of that Wales-France match the night before was long and doleful. But Scotland have been the most pleasing team to watch this championship, and this was the first of their two wins. Italy rose to the occasion, too. Both teams scored fine tries, and the result was not quite safe until Scotland’s brilliant try late on. A little gem.
AB: Scotland v France France’s narrow win over Italy in the opening match had a more exciting finish, and I would have picked it if only Sergio Parisse’s drop kick had gone over in the final minute. But it sailed well wide. Instead, then, one the underdog did win. A match that swung to-and-fro, and was settled in the end, by a truly superb piece of skill from Stuart Hogg.
EB: England v Wales The home side must have been surprised at the lack of skill and spite in the challenge from the only other unbeaten team up to that point – and in their surprise England failed to drive home their patent advantage. It meant Wales were not buried with seven minutes to go, which allowed the wacky closing chapter to unfold.
RK: France v England Not for the quality, necessarily, nor the outcome. It was simply good to witness a competitive game on a good surface that gave everyone watching a timely reminder of why Six Nations grand slams are never easy to win. The post-match satisfaction in the eyes of England’s senior players also underlined that good things do eventually come to those prepared to wait long enough.
PR: No one stands out There was an anarchic quality to France’s victory over Italy, two teams trying to find out what it took to win. Overall, probably Scotland against France, although England’s first-half display against Wales stood out.
Best moment
MA: The final whistle of the Wales v France match. The Wales camp were offended by the reaction to their victory – and certainly it would be churlish to complain about the manner in which they gather their frequent wins these days. But we are allowed to call a mind-numbing game a mind-numbing game. George North’s try was hilarious in its construction. Guilhem Guirado’s consolation at the death was blunt-instrument coshing of the most dispiriting kind, mainly because it was so obviously in vain. Dispiriting is the word.
AB: Stuart Hogg’s deft flick overhead to put Tim Visser away in the far corner against France for one. Gareth Davies’ fine, flying try from 50m out against Scotland for two. But the pick of the lot would be Ireland’s fourth try against Italy, a team effort that took them from back in their own 22 to Italy’s try-line, 80m in all, covered in eight passes between seven players, who beating six tacklers along the way.
EB: The flick by Stuart Hogg over his head to Tim Visser for the try that sank France at Murrayfield. It gave Scotland a back-to-back win and handed the trophy to England – of which the Scotland full-back was presumably not aware as he played magician.
RK: Wales’s late comeback against England. In the end it did not quite happen but, for a stirring moment or two, Twickenham thought it might just be witnessing an improbable resurrection. If only the Welsh had turned up in the first half as well.
PR: The times Virimi Vakatawa received the ball on France’s wing. He had not played 15-a-side for more than two years having taken up sevens, but he made things happen; not always to his side’s benefit, but usually. He offered something different in an era of conformity.
Biggest disappointment
MA: The fact that France are no longer even a disappointment. They just are the way they are, and the way they are is dull and incoherent. They can still rouse themselves, it appears, when England come calling in pursuit of a grand slam, but even then they were outscored three tries to nil. This tournament hasn’t been anywhere near as bad as some have complained, but France are the common denominator in the two worst matches by a distance. Bring in Georgia and Romania? Why not.
AB: That even at the end the championship still seemed to be suffering a hangover from the World Cup, when the gulf between the European teams and the four southern hemisphere sides seemed as wide as it has ever been. Even Eddie Jones sounded a little underwhelmed by his team’s achievement, describing it as “only a small step” before the Australia tour this summer. And he’s right, for all England have improved, the Six Nations sometimes felt like a second-tier event.
EB: The Six Nations settled on the same old, same old – the familiarly tribal in winter. It was as if the World Cup had never happened – except as a low point to inspire England. There must be less painful incentives to give skills a chance to shine over contact, where concussion always lurked.
RK: Sergio Parisse missing the late drop-goal that would have given Italy victory over France. It would have been a champagne moment in another flat tournament for the Azzurri who endured a brace of heavy beatings in their final two games. A championship is only as strong as its weakest link and Italy’s woes make the continuing refusal to consider Georgia’s admission to the championship pyramid even more frustrating.
PR: Scotland’s opening 20 minutes against England at Murrayfield. They had so much build-up after nearly making the World Cup semi-finals but started with a whisper.
One thing to change for 2017
MA: That more coaches follow Eddie Jones’s lead and speak their mind, whatever’s in it. Warren Gatland used to do it but he’s gone all melancholic and subdued. Even EJ took himself away for 10 days. People blame the press, but people get the press they deserve. Journalists are pussy cats compared to some of the slathering lunatics on social media. Let’s all cut these coaches a bit of slack when they say stuff that isn’t handed down to them by a media manager.
AB: For referees to stop endlessly re-setting scrums, and speed up the incessant TV referrals. More important than either of those though, is for the European teams to notch up a few wins in the summer tours and autumn internationals, so that in 2017 there is a genuine sense that whoever wins the Six Nations can claim to be up among the best teams in the world.
EB: “Why would we want to do that?” is the stock response of the Six Nations to any queries about change. The answer to its question to answer a question is: to make European rugby better. It is time to start laying plans for a play-off between the team that finishes last and one that tops the European Nations Cup. Chances of that happening? Slim to zero.
RK: Next season’s match schedule is set in stone but the championship is increasingly in danger of living on former glories. Just doing things the way they have always been done is far too complacent. Starting the tournament in better weather in March, discussing a promotion/relegation play-off or two divisions, encouraging more positive rugby … hopefully the age of enlightenment will dawn at some point.
PR: The weather. Perhaps the talks over a global season from the end of 2019 will result in the Six Nations being played in March and April; dream on. And the disciplinary system.
Michael Aylwin’s team of the tournament
MA: Quite a lot of Scots (four) for a side that came fourth and not many Welsh (one) for a side that came second. No apologies. Jamie Roberts was close, but this is a team of fresh faces. Duncan Taylor has been superb, and we want an Italian, so Michele Campagnaro is that man. Similar explanations for John Hardie over Sam Warburton and Virimi Vakatawa over George North. Special mentions for Jack McGrath, Gareth Davies - and our old friend Chris Robshaw.
Andy Bull’s team of the tournament
AB: Dan Biggar just pips Johnny Sexton at fly-half, partly because I saw so much more of Wales in this Six Nations. But even the little I caught of Ireland was enough to know that CJ Stander was superb, and so he holds off Chris Robshaw at No6. I love Gareth Davies’ speed over the ground and his ability to finish, so he’s at scrum-half, where there is real strength in depth across the tournament.
Eddie Butler’s team of the tournament
EB: I would make Dylan Hartley captain, but have to find room for a Frenchman (don’t I?) … so he’ll have to do the job off the bench.
Robert Kitson’s team of the tournament
RK: A harsh call on, among others, Wales’s Rhys Webb, Taulupe Faletau and Jonathan Davies, as well as Ireland’s CJ Stander, England’s James Haskell, Virimi Vakatawa of France and the Italian centre Michele Campagnaro, but it is hard to argue with England’s right to the majority share. Next year’s Lions selection will be fascinating.
Paul Rees’s team of the tournament
RK: No half-backs stood out, although a few scrum-halves had their moments. Perhaps there should be more Englishmen, but they played as a team while their rivals relied more on individuals.
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