Another men’s Six Nations tournament is done and in the books and it proved to be one of the best in recent years. Ireland took the title on the final day but a big stumble against England cost them the chance of a second consecutive Grand Slam. England looked shaky through the first 3 games but that win against the Irish and a last-minute loss against the French has them hoping of bigger things to come from this squad. France and Scotland both looked well short of their best from recent years, whilst the Italians have almost never played as well and as consistent, and it showed with their results. And it was Wales who finished winless and they will hope that this might be their rock bottom as they prepare for the big job of starting over again.

I’ve picked some of my winners and losers from the 2024 tournament and as well as my team of the competition so let’s start with looking at my winners.

Winners

Italy – They maybe didn’t get match their highest ever finish (4^th in 2013) but they did get their best ever set of results with 2 wins and a draw, which may well have been a win if the ball hadn’t fallen off Paolo Garbisi’s tee. Other than their big loss in Dublin, they looked more than the part in this year’s tournament after a disastrous World Cup. With plenty of top talent coming through (the centre combination of Brex and Menoncello is a scary prospect for the next 5 years), it’s not ridiculous to think there’s plenty more to come from Italy.

Ireland – Fairly obvious given they won the tournament, but after falling disappointingly short in the World Cup, Ireland got straight back to the task at hand. They weren’t maybe as crisp as they would have liked but they got the job done with relative ease. They blooded some new talent in Jack Crowley (who looks a worthy successor to Johnny Sexton) and big Joe McCarthy and saw their elite performers continue to operate at the highest levels. Next stop is a big summer tour to South Africa with a chance to (morally) right some wrongs from the WC.

Ben Earl – Previously most famous for his over-exuberant celebrations of squint line-outs, Earl stepped up as the best England performer and quite possibly the player of the tournament (he’d get my vote). His carrying was destructive at times, particularly in the last two games, when England had go-forward ball and with things looking to click after an uneven start to the Steve Borthwick era, Earl might become the most crucial component of this England team over the immediate future.

Test Match rugby – For the most part, it was a tremendous tournament and boost for the test match arena. The Netflix behind the scenes special helped build some anticipation and it was followed up by some great games, some fantastic tries and some huge results. We also saw Hollie Davidson (first woman as part of on-field officiating crew) and Andrea Piardi (first Italian referee) break new ground on the reffing front. It wasn’t all great (just wait for that) but this year’s Six Nations will be classed as a success overall.

Losers

Wales – Easily the biggest losers. Hopes weren’t high given the youth of the squad and the turmoil in the game in Wales, but aside from their stirring second half against Scotland, they were consistently outclassed throughout the tournament. Only a few players will come out of the Six Nations with high marks which leaves Warren Gatland (who claims he tried to resign immediately after their loss to the Italians) in a bit of a quagmire. This might be a bigger rebuild than he expected with few solid signs of hope.

Scotland – 4^th place with 2 wins, 2 tough losses and a gut-wrenching loss in Italy is not the result Scotland were hoping for this year. This might end up proving to be their best chance to challenge the top of the Six Nations table and yet they bottled it. For all the complaints about refereeing and such like, the Scots let themselves down when it mattered most. Has this crop of players gone as far as they can go in this system with this coach? You get the feeling a shake-up is needed.

The French Old Guard – The French tried to keep the ball rolling from years past with minimal turnover and it just did not work. Paul Williamse and Jonathan Danty in particular look they’ve had their day. Not until they admitted that that plan wasn’t working and went with youth did the French look close to their best. The youth did mean their defence got worked a bit against Wales and then England, but if they sort that, you expect they’ll be right back at the top next year. Given we are at the start of a new World Cup cycle, expect more older heads to roll.

Test match rugby – Just to counter the previous positivity, this Six Nations brought out some big negatives, some of which are plaguing the sport in recent years. Some of the reffing was incredibly suspect and at times, it continues to be too complicated to understand all the laws and decisions which is killing some of the interest. Some of the rules (and weak attitude) around head injuries continue to confound (how Cavin Nash was able to play a week after being knocked clean out is beyond me) and the game still has a tendency to be too stop-start or kick heavy. There’s a long way to go until test match rugby can compete on a broader sporting scale.

My Team of the Tournament

15 – Thomas Ramos (FRA)
14 – Damien Penaud (FRA)
13 – Nacho Brex (ITA)
12 – Bundee Aki (IRE)
11 – James Lowe (IRE)
10 – Jack Crowley (IRE)
9 – Jamison Gibson-Park (IRE)

1 – Andrew Porter (IRE)
2 – Dan Sheehan (IRE)
3 – Uini Antonio (FRA)
4 – Joe McCarthy (IRE)
5 – Dafydd Jenkins (WAL)
6 – Michele Lamaro (ITA)
7 – Tommy Reffell (WAL)
8 – Ben Earl (ENG)