France have been confirmed as Six Nations champions after their win against Scotland at the Stade de France, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of a Championship with so many ups and downs.
From three teams with the same record at the top, to Italy avoiding the Wooden Spoon for the second year running, it was a great competition.
Amongst it all, so many players put in great performances.
Out of all of them, here is Charlie Elliott’s best XV, showcasing those who were the best of the best.
Outside Backs
15- Thomas Ramos (France)
This team starts off with possibly the toughest decision. Blair Kinghorn was outstanding and grew into the tournament but is pipped by his Toulouse teammate Thomas Ramos.
Ramos often goes under the radar because we expect so much from him, it is hard to ignore his performances this year though.
Not only did he become the all-time top scorer in France’s history against Scotland, but he also kicked to near perfection throughout the campaign.
The player that gave Les Bleus a base to work off, he is just on a different level to everyone else.
14- Tommy Freeman (England)
A try in each game for Freeman shows just how key he was to England as they snuck themselves into runners-up for the Six Nations.
Hugely powerful, the winger was a great outlet and defended equally as well, coming up with some huge tackles as well as huge tries.
Versatile too, from being able to play in the centres, means that the Northampton Saints man could be in the team for a long time to come.
11- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France)
Probably the best player in the tournament full stop.
Eight tries carried Les Bleus at times and his uncanny ability to create things out of nothing thanks to pure speed and desire lifted his team in moments where they needed it.
A strong case for being the best player in the world on current form.
That crossfield kick against Ireland summed up the fact that he has a bit of magic in him and can come up with anything at any given time.
Centres
13- Huw Jones (Scotland)
What a player Jones is, so good for Scotland on both sides of the ball and the perfect man to keep the play ticking, while also having a moment of magic in him.
His line running was especially good, making numerous strides forward which helped his side to get valuable metres.
Surely a Lions bolter.
12- Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)
Italy needs to build on this year, with it being a consecutive Six Nations with no Wooden Spoon.
The two men to build off are Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex in the centres, because they are a cut above.
Menoncello salvaged what could have ended up being a very disappointing campaign with a great performance against Wales, and some solid ones in the defeats.
Halfbacks
10- Fin Smith (England)
Smith absolutely burst onto the scene this Six Nations, shifting England’s original future star Marcus Smith to fullback with some consistently brilliant performances.
He looks composed far beyond his years and his kicking from the tee is impressively accurate.
It wasn’t a tournament for fly-halves really, as Finn Russell grew into it and Sam Prendergast was great at times, but Mr Consistent has to be nailed down as the best in this position.
9- Maxime Lucu (France)
It would have been so easy to pick Antoine Dupont, who as everyone knows is a maverick and a genius.
Even though he missed a game and a half, Dupont was top of plenty of the statistics charts.
His replacement, Lucu deserves a place in this team though, because France did not look any different while he was playing, which is a huge credit to him.
Lucu kept up the tempo and had a few moments of magic himself, meaning that he is good value for the nine jersey in this team.
Front Row
1- Ellis Genge (England)
Looseheads had a pretty good time of it over the Championship, but Genge really stepped up a gear and was the best of the lot.
His scrummaging has improved so much, and he has gone from being a menace around the pitch with slightly weak scrummaging to a monster in the scrum and present everywhere on the pitch.
Danilo Fischetti deserves an honourable mention as he was the second on this list, as he established himself as a top-level prop.
2- Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
Five tries in three games is just insane numbers for a hooker and is the reason that Sheehan gets in this team.
The French duo of hookers had very good campaigns too, but Sheehan was better thanks to his scoring ability.
It wasn’t to be for Ireland, but they had a few star performers.
3- Will Stuart (England)
What a player Will Stuart is.
Absolutely everywhere for England, summed up perfectly by his step on Giacomo Nicotera in the buildup for Marcus Smith’s try against Italy.
Hugely competent in the scrum and does not only the basics that a prop should do but so much more.
Had a few doubters before the tournament but proved them all wrong.
Second Row
4- Maro Itoje (England)
Captain fantastic for England, Itoje led the line very well indeed.
He finished second in lineout takes and third in jackal steals, summing up his best abilities.
A freak of an athlete, the second rower is surely on the plane for the Lions tour this summer.
5- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Given Ireland’s relative physical struggles, Beirne still managed to put in mega performance after mega performance in the second row.
He did everything that he needed to and was a shining example of what Simon Easterby was trying to do in terms of physicality and hard work.
Ollie Chessum did well in George Martin’s absence, but Beirne edges it.
Back Row
6- Francois Cros (France)
Basically an ever-present for the eventual winners, missing only 20 minutes, Cros showed that he is a key cog in the France machine.
Amongst all of the disorganisation that Fabien Galthie uses, Cros gave a sense of calm and consistency and was the glue that kept the side together.
Backs are only as good as their forward players, with France’s entire forward pack deserving credit for their role in the title.
7- Ben Earl (England)
Jac Morgan has to be mentioned somewhere on the flanks, as the Wales back rower was unstoppable despite his side’s weaknesses.
Earl gets in though, with a masterclass in ball carrying and tackling, in most stats relevant to his position, he was up there.
Could not have missed out on this team with the amount that he contributed to England (even if he played a fair bit at eight).
8- Gregory Alldritt (France)
France’s brilliance in the backs is well documented, but Alldritt still managed to steal headlines and get himself a few mentions despite his star-studded teammates.
Consistent, solid and just a rock in the back row, the La Rochelle player brings a sense of calm in the same way that Cros does.
His ball-carrying and engine are unmatched, and he continuously got crucial yards for the team to work from.
READ MORE: Six Nations – England’s demolition crew roar like Lions
