The players of the tournament, the outstanding matches, best and worst moments and team of the championship

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Player of the tournament

Robert Kitson: Conor Murray. Epitomises the team Ireland have become: classy, smart, consistent, strong, versatile. Probably the world’s best scrum-half.

Paul Rees: Jacob Stockdale. Seven tries, a Six Nations record, and a burning determination that summed up his side.

From Ireland’s win to England’s loss, the Six Nations was settled in Paris | Paul Rees Read more

Andy Bull: Jacob Stockdale. Could easily be Johnny Sexton or Rory Best. But hell, Stockdale scored seven of Ireland’s 20 tries, which broke the record for the most scored in the Six Nations.



Mike Aylwin: Johnny Sexton. Actually not that consistent, but at key moments his mastery proved decisive. That drop goal will rightly be remembered as one of the greatest in history. All else has followed from it.

Gerard Meagher: Rob Kearney. Ever present now in two grand slam campaigns, nine years apart. He is 31 but enjoying a renaissance at full-back. Masterful under the high ball and slippery in attack.

Play Video 0:50 Ireland's Joe Schmidt relieved to seal Grand Slam with win over England – video

Best match

RK: Scotland v England. The Scots were brilliant in the first half and Murrayfield was bouncing. England have yet to emerge from the Calcutta Cup wreckage.

PR: Ireland’s home matches against Wales and Scotland crackled, but for drama nothing beat their late victory in Paris, the match that shaped the championship.



AB: Scotland 32–26 France. Four fine tries to start, including two beauties by Teddy Thomas, then a nail-biting second half with Greig Laidlaw and Baptiste Serin swapping penalty kicks till Scotland finally edged ahead.



MA: Scotland v England. None of the matches were great for 80 minutes. France-Ireland finished superbly but was average till then. Even the Calcutta Cup was great for only 40 minutes. It might have carried on if Danny Care’s try had stood, but petered out.

GM: Ireland v Wales. Irish power ultimately prevailed over Welsh abandon but the resilience of Warren Gatland’s side made for an enthralling contest. In terms of atmosphere, Scotland v England wins hands down.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Johnny Sexton kicks the winning drop goal in Paris. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Favourite moment

RK: Johnny Sexton’s extraordinary winning drop-goal in Paris. They will still be toasting it at Irish grand slam reunion parties in 50 years’ time.

PR: Finn Russell’s long pass from deep in his own half to Huw Jones in Scotland’s victory over England to spark a move that ended with a try.



AB: The rapier sharp try that sealed the grand slam for Ireland, a chip and chase by Jacob Stockdale, who burst by Mike Brown then touched down inches before the dead-ball line.



MA: That pass. Nothing has been so enthralling this championship as Finn Russell’s fortunes in the first three rounds. Unlikely ever to reach Sexton’s levels of mastery, but his genius is untouchable when it’s on.

GM: That pass from Finn Russell to put Huw Jones away against England. He was under so much pressure in the build-up to the match but to execute a pass like that took huge courage.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest England endured an underwhelming tournament. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Biggest surprise

RK: Scotland’s no-show in Cardiff. It set the tone for a relentlessly competitive championship: even a slight drop in standards, particularly away from home, is now liable to be punished.

PR: England’s collapse.

AB: England’s form. They were wobbly in the autumn, but nothing suggested the wheels were going to fly off like this. Much as Eddie Jones tried to spin it, the three defeats weren’t even close.

MA: A grand slam, except it shouldn’t be. This is the 10th in 19 editions of the Six Nations. All the same, we thought this year would be the tightest yet.

GM: The apparent ease with which England have unravelled. Put simply, they look cooked. Eddie Jones says they are fine physically but mentally they badly need a break.

Six Nations: England v Ireland on St Patrick's Day – in pictures Read more

The 2019 Six Nations will be …



RK: Another sobering campaign for England unless they find fresh ways to regain some attacking momentum. Ireland and Wales will be particularly eager to welcome Eddie Jones following his ill-advised jibes in their direction.

PR: Even more competitive.

AB: Fiercely competitive and wildly unpredictable, like all the others, but since it’s a World Cup year overshadowed, too, by how England and Ireland go against the All Blacks in the autumn.

MA: Scotland’s. This time, surely. Two home games to start, trip to France, where someone French will miss the crucial penalty, then home game, then off to Twickenham, where everyone’s grand slam dreams come true.

GM: The year we see France mount a sustained challenge. They weren’t that far away this time – but for a Jonathan Sexton drop-goal. Jacques Brunel seems to have them energised again.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Italy’s Sebastian Negri impressed throughout the tournament. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP

Team of the tournament

RK: Rob Kearney (Ireland); Keith Earls (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Hadleigh Parkes (Wales), Jacob Stockdale (Ireland); Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland); Cian Healy (Ireland), Guilhem Guirado (France), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), J Ryan (Ireland), Sebastian Negri (Italy), Josh Navidi (Wales), CJ Stander (Ireland).

Nine Irishmen and not one Englishman tells the story of a green party. Italy’s Matteo Minozzi is unlucky at full-back and Huw Jones only just saw off Garry Ringrose. Aside from England every team in the tournament is improving.

PR: Matteo Minozzi (Italy); Keith Earls (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Owen Farrell (England), Jacob Stockdale (Ireland); Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland); Cian Healy (Ireland), Guilhem Guirado (France), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Iain Henderson (Ireland), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Peter O’Mahony (Ireland), Yacouba Camara (France), CJ Stander (Ireland).

Dominated by Ireland, the most accurate side. Wales were a couple of passes away from the title and two missed late penalties cost France.

AB: Matteo Minozzi (Italy); Keith Earls (Ireland), Huw Jones (Scotland), Owen Farrell (England), Jacob Stockdale (Ireland); Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland); Cian Healy (Ireland), Guilhem Guirado (France), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Jonny Gray (Scotland), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Aaron Shingler (Wales), Hamish Watson (Scotland), CJ Stander (Ireland)

Minnozzi scored four tries and Huw Jones three. Alun Wyn Jones, Farrell and Guirado were brilliant as always. Gray made more tackles than anyone. Shingler and Watson were superb. Everyone else is Irish.



Conor Murray gives Ireland reason to dream of making it big in Japan | Gerard Meagher Read more

MA: Matteo Minozzi (Italy); Teddy Thomas (France), Huw Jones (Scotland), Mathieu Bastareaud (France), Jacob Stockdale (Ireland); Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland); Cian Healy (Ireland), Guilhem Guirado (France), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland), Johnny Gray (Scotland), Aaron Shingler (Wales), Johnny Barclay (Scotland), CJ Stander (Ireland)



No player for the team in fifth and only one for the team in second. Dan Leavy unlucky to make way for Shingler. And, yes, Barclay at No7, but Scotland flankers play left and right and what’s a number?

GM: Rob Kearney (Ireland), Teddy Thomas (France), Huw Jones (Scotland), Hadleigh Parkes (Wales), Jacob Stockdale (Ireland), Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Conor Murray (Ireland), Cian Healy (Ireland), Guilhem Guirado (France), Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Aaron Shingler (Wales), Hamish Watson (Scotland), CJ Stander (Ireland)

Thomas is selected ahead of Keith Earls because of two wonderful finishes in his two matches. No Englishmen, though Owen Farrell would have been in if not for Parkes’ excellence. Maxime Machenaud – the tournament’s top points scorer – is also unlucky.