Justin Tipuric has been named Guinness Six Nations Player of the Round after his two-try display for Wales against England in Round 4.
Despite his side going down 33-30 at Twickenham, the Ospreys man was once again one of the standout performers.
As well as scoring twice, his tenacity around the breakdown allowed his side to pile the pressure on their hosts in the second-half.
Tipuric was the man to cap off a dramatic Wales move to score within 25 seconds of the restart, in what will be remembered as one of the all-time great tries of the Guinness Six Nations, before bundling over late on to secure a losing bonus-point for his side.
The flanker seemed to be everywhere you looked on Saturday, registering three clean breaks and two offloads from his nine carries, as well as doing the dirty work and clocking 13 cleanouts during the 80 minutes. It’ll be no surprise to see Tipuric leading the Wales tackle charts, with the 30-year-old taking down the ball carrier 11 times, on par with teammate Josh Navidi.
The Welshman pipped the five other contenders to the line for the award, with a number of standout performances throughout the weekend.
Lining up against Tipuric on Saturday was Ben Youngs, who had a terrific performance in his 99th appearance in an England shirt, while Maro Itoje who dazzled in defence.
There were a number of Scotland players who could have taken the crown, with Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson doing the business at the breakdown against France, while Adam Hastings’ contribution with the boot was enough to see him in the mix for the award.
Tipuric has been a shining light for a Wales side that have claimed just one success so far this Championship but will be looking to finish with a flourish as they host Scotland in Round 5 this weekend.
