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The 2017 Six Nations is now but a memory. Lee Calvert relives the good times and honours the classiest of class acts with his Team of the Tournament.
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1: Rob Evans (Wales)
The young Wales loosie had a good tournament in the tight and gave his side some much-needed go-forward in the loose. Also gets extra points for propping for 100 minutes in the final game against France before he was finally shown some mercy and taken off. Close between him and Joe Marler of England for this spot.
2: Ken Owens (Wales)
Pinpoint accurate throwing in and indefatigable in the open, the all-action Scarlets man was the personification of his nation’s determination to win. It’s a real shame his team’s management don’t have in savvy what he has in heart. Definite Lions tourer.
3: Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
The man with the unpronounceable first name (it’s like the “tig” in “tiger”, by the way) and the face of a 1920s gangster massacre continued the impressive form he has shown since the beginning of the season. Just edges out England’s impressive Dan Cole.
4: Courtney Lawes (England)
The Northampton lock’s international career began very brightly and then faded behind a miasma of injuries, poor form and questionable discipline. He is now emerging from the fog to realise his classy, powerful potential.
5: Joe Launchbury (England)
It was a very good tournament for second rows so it says something for how the England boilerhouse played that both members make the team. Launchbury was his usual mobile and destructive best and just edged out the likes of Jonny Gray, Donncha Ryan, and Alun Wyn Jones who were all in with a very good shout at selection.
6: Sam Warburton (Wales)
Moving permanently from the 7 jersey and the loss of the captaincy has seen the Wales flanker reborn as a hard carrying, ball-snaffling, defensive clamp of a blindside. Like Ken Owens, a standout performer in every outing, no matter how the rest of his team played.
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7: Kevin Gourdon (France)
The Frenchman with the first name of a Coronation Street mechanic was a livewire of class, running lovely support lines off his team-mates, hitting space regularly, scoring and generally being a bloody handful.
8: Louis Picamoles (France)
Speaking of handfuls, every defence against France had to get plenty of those around the big number 8 as he ran at the opposition again and again and again. Then did it again. Ludicrous 300 metre plus carrying stats for the tournament edges him ahead of Ireland’s CJ Stander.
9: Rhys Webb (Wales)
Everything a scrum half should be: tanned, brilliant white teeth, overly coiffured hair and a complete gobshite. But also had an outstanding tournament in defence, where his work is much unheralded, and in attack where his contribution was obvious. Often found himself and the sole creator in the entire Wales backline.
10: Jonny Sexton (Ireland)
The only true class act 10 in the tournament. Took plenty of beatings, particularly in the England game, but continued to be a one-man creative tour de force when required, and a very astute game manager in the rain vs France.
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11: Elliott Daly (England)
An amazing and consistent tournament from the young Wasp who, lest we forget, was playing out of position at the highest level and yet still looked a different league entirely to most others he took on. Incredible pace alloyed with outstanding rugby brain makes him a very large part of England’s present and future.
12: Owen Farrell (England)
His pinpoint 30-metre pass at full sprint to Daly for the try that sealed the victory and ultimately the championship for his side demonstrated in one moment everything that is good about him. The Saracens playmaker oozed composure, creativity and wrecking ball defensive power in the second five-eighth channel. Likely to win the official player of the tournament title.
13: Remi Lamerat (France)
Jonathan Joseph caught the eye against a poor Scotland defence, but it was the French outside centre who lived longer in the memory across the whole tournament. Was lively, tricky and full of energy and support running. Loses points for his defence, but given this was not exactly a vintage tournament for outside backs he did enough to get in here ahead of others. Garry Ringrose was close also.
14: George North (Wales)
Was utterly terrible against Scotland where his defence was so bad even the human motorised scarecrow Tim Visser made him look daft, but then showed against Ireland just how very good he can be, and was decent against France. Much is made of his size, but the true mark of what a player he is was his gorgeous, gossamer inside step at full speed between two Ireland defenders to finish Wales’ try of the tournament.
15: Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
A fullback whose play makes you love rugby again. Hits the line, takes people on, chips and chases, scores tries and causes a hush of anticipation every time he has the ball. If only he would keep his yapping mouth shut a bit more often then he would be impossible not to love.
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
31 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
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