Robbie Henshaw has been named Guinness Six Nations Player of Round 5 thanks to his stunning performance for Ireland against England in Dublin.
The 27-year-old has quietly put together an excellent Championship and he was again superb at the Aviva Stadium, running hard and tackling harder in a lung-busting performance.
Henshaw won Ireland’s first penalty of the day by chasing a Johnny Sexton high kick and wrapping up Elliot Daly, allowing Sexton to score the hosts’ first points.
That was a sign of things to come. The inside centre was excellent under the high ball all day and applied constant pressure to England, helping to win an arm wrestle his side did not give up on.
Henshaw picked up 31.1% of the vote, enough for him to become the first Irishman to win the Player of the Round award in this year’s Championship.
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Second place went to Brice Dulin, who scored in the last moments against Wales for one of the most dramatic moments in Championship history.
The French full-back got the decisive try and had a similar score earlier ruled out but his entire display was what earned him the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match award.
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He made 138 metres on 12 carries, broke an incredible 11 tackles and completed an offload in a scintillating attacking display.
That earned Dulin 27.4% of the votes cast, narrowly missing out on becoming the third Frenchman to be named Player of the Round.
And it’s no surprise that one of Dulin’s compatriots was also in the running.
To stage an inspirational comeback, it takes an inspirational leader. And Charles Ollivon was certainly that on Super Saturday, with 22.6% of those voting recognising his display.
Not only did the flanker score a crucial try with three minutes to go – giving France hope of a late victory – but he also made 21 tackles, two of them dominant tackles, and made 13 carries.
Ollivon managed to prevent Gareth Davies from scoring a first-half try with a brilliant stop to hold up the scrum-half over the try line.
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But his biggest contribution came with just a couple of minutes to go, as he dived low to plant the ball down from close range. What happened next is already legendary.
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Several Scotland players could have been named Player of the Match, including brace try-scorers Duhan van der Merwe and Dave Cherry who both enjoyed brilliant performances.
Huw Jones was also a constant menace in the midfield but ultimately it was the hard-grafting Watson who took a vote share of 18.8%.
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Watson racked up 21 carries for 120 metres as he provided the hosts with plenty of go forward in attack while he also contributed to a solid defensive effort with his presence at the breakdown.
Guinness Six Nations Player of Round 5 result
Robbie Henshaw (IRELAND v England) 31.1%
Brice Dulin (FRANCE v Wales) 27.4%
Charles Ollivon (FRANCE v Wales) 22.6%
Hamish Watson (SCOTLAND v Italy) 18.8%
