As the end of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations approaches, it is nearly time to once again vote for your Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship.
This year’s Championship has provided plenty of thrilling rugby, with lots of players starring for their sides.
Previous winners include illustrious names such as Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Williams, and Leigh Halfpenny, as fans vote for who they feel was the very best over the Championship.
Ahead of this year’s vote, we took a look back at some of the of the recent winners, as voted for by you.
2021 – Hamish Watson
Last year’s winner was Hamish Watson, with the Scotland flanker taking the award thanks to his terrific performances as his side claimed historic wins away to France and England.
A record number of voters took part as the Edinburgh player came out on top ahead of Antoine Dupont, Louis Rees-Zammitt, Taulupe Faletau, Robbie Henshaw, and Tadhg Beirne.
Watson was a pivotal part of Gregor Townsend’s side as they claimed their first win in Paris since 1999 and their first win at Twickenham since 1983.
He became just the second Scotland player to win the award, after Stuart Hogg in 2016 and 2017.
2020 – Antoine Dupont
2020 saw Antoine Dupont take centre stage for a France side that came agonisingly close to their first Championship in a decade.
Dupont starred throughout the Championship for Les Bleus as they won four of five matches including victory over eventual champions England.
The scrum-half dominated games and led the France attack with his speed and passing and established himself as one of the very best on the international stage.
Dupont picked up four try-assists including a terrific set-up for Romain Ntamack in the final round as France strove to catch England on points difference as they took on Ireland.
While it was not to be for France, Dupont dazzled and was deservedly named Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship.
2019 – Alun Wyn Jones
Wales stormed to their first Championship since 2013 with a Grand Slam victory in 2019, and captain Alun Wyn Jones was at the heart of everything they did.
Jones dominated throughout the Championship, making 81 tackles and being a constant threat at the lineout.
However, the Wales legend was also just as important in a more intangible way, as his talismanic captaincy also played a key role for Warren Gatland’s men, notably as they overcame a 16-point deficit away to France.
Jones led by example as his side brushed aside the competition including crucial wins in Paris and Edinburgh and claimed a deserved accolade as a result.
2018 – Jacob Stockdale
Jacob Stockdale burst onto the scene in 2018 to score a record seven tries on the way to being named the Player of the Championship.
Stockdale started all five games as Ireland claimed a first Grand Slam since 2009 and piled on the points for Joe Schmidt’s side.
The then-21-year-old scored two tries in three consecutive games as Ireland stormed to victories over Italy, Wales, and Scotland before claiming a crucial try against England in the final round.
No player has scored more tries in a Six Nations Championship than Stockdale’s seven and it was a reflection of the stunning form that the Ulsterman brought to the 2018 Championship.
2016 & 2017 – Stuart Hogg
Only two men have ever won the Player of the Championship award more than once, and Stuart Hogg is in good company alongside the legendary Brian O’Driscoll.
Hogg claimed the accolade in both 2016 and 2017 as he shone for Scotland with some stunning displays from full-back.
Scotland only picked up two wins in 2016 but Hogg stood out as a top performer throughout, laying on a number of tries for his teammates and starring in their wins against Italy and France.
In 2017, Hogg once again shone scoring a joint-best three tries, including two against Ireland which saw the full-back named Player of the Match.
2015 – Paul O’Connell
2015 saw a fitting end to the Six Nations career of Ireland’s Paul O’Connell, as the Munster lock was crowned Player of the Championship.
O’Connell led Ireland to their second successive Championship as they edged a final day three-way decider with Wales and England.
Ireland’s defence was in imperious form throughout the Championship under the leadership of O’Connell and he duly became the first Irishman since Tommy Bowe to be voted Player of the Championship.
O’Connell wrapped up his final campaign with a try against Scotland to cap a perfect finale for the legendary second row, with that score crucial to Ireland taking the title on points difference from England.
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