Five standout stars destined to battle it out for the Six Nations Player of the Championship
As we enter the final weekend of Six Nations fixtures, it is safe to say that the 2026 iteration of the competition will be remembered for many years to come.
Scotland, France and Ireland are all still in with a reasonable shout of being crowned champions on Saturday, while Italy have a real prospect of finishing in the top three for the first time in their history.
It is a Six Nations that will be remembered for an England collapse, and with this, fans got to witness the Azzurri beat them for the very first time, which should have a beneficial impact for the competition moving forward.
Several players have stood out in the campaign, and we are going to explore who could be crowned the 2026 Six Nations Player of the Championship.
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Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Arguably the most obvious name to be on this list, the 2025 Six Nations Player of the Championship, has continued his fine international form for France.
The Bordeaux Begles winger has been in devastating form as he has scored a try in every round of the competition ahead of the final round against England, and due to the crisis Steve Borthwick’s side finds itself in, it is expected he will emerge from this match having crossed the whitewash once again.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey has been electric and has not simply just finished off tries, as he has been key to the French attack.
According to Opta, the 22-year-old has the most rugby involvements across the tournament with nine, made the most metres with 298 and accumulated the most line breaks with 11.
Opposition defences, except South Africa, have yet to discover a way to nullify him due to incredible pace and sharp movement, meaning he would be considered for this award once again.
Finn Russell
The Scottish fly half has grown since his return to rugby in Britain after his spell in France with Racing 92, and Finn Russell looks to be the complete package at fly half.
Russell has always had the ability to create something from nothing, but vitally, he has seemingly removed the trait for having a horror show every so often when in a Scotland shirt.
The 33-year-old is arguably the best fly-half in the world at the moment, and he has facilitated the impressive attacking performances of Gregor Townsend’s side this year.
Russell has been central to Scotland’s incredible performances, excluding their Italy defeat, as he has been reliable off the boot, and more noticeably, he has facilitated the Scots' running game with eight line-break assists.
Scotland may fall short when it comes to winning their first-ever Six Nations; however, he has been a dominant figure across the competition and is in contention for the award.
Kyle Steyn
The winger has been incredible throughout the competition, notably against both England and France, with the Scottish international deemed fit enough to feature against the Irish on the final day despite suffering an injury against Les Bleus.
Kyle Steyn will be vital for Townsend’s side if he is to get his first win over Ireland as head coach, as the 32-year-old has among the best performers across the championship in both attack and defence.
In attack, only Bielle-Biarrey and Thomas Ramos have more metres gained (265m), while Steyn has beaten the most defenders in the competition with 21 to this point, and in defence, he is ranked fourth for dominant tackles with 24.
This demonstrates how pivotal to the Scottish side he has been and why his inclusion against Ireland is imperative.
Tommaso Menoncello
What more needs to be said about the Italian centre? He is a man that excels at every part of the sport, and he has demonstrated that once again in this iteration of the Six Nations.
Tommaso Menoncello has already won the award, back in 2024, when Italy had a fantastic tournament by finishing fourth, and it is no coincidence that once again the nation are performing well as the centre is in fine form.
The 23-year-old has been immense in the Italian attack, as he has gained the most metres from the entire squad, as he has made 253, while he has made the third most line breaks from anyone in the competition with eight, and the only player to beat more defenders than him in the Six Nations this year has been Steyn.
It is important to note that 52.2% of his 28 carries have been dominant, meaning he has made the most dominant number of carries in the competition, while it has taken two or more tacklers to stop him on 89.3% of carries.
Stuart McCloskey
The Ulster centre earned his jersey for the Ireland team for the Six Nations after impressing at club level before carrying this form into the autumn internationals.
Stuart McCloskey has since then gone on to become arguably Ireland’s best player and deserves to be among the nominees for this award.
Ireland have relied on McCloskey for their attack, with the 33-year-old proving to be a fine battering ram but one which oozes class in his ability to give offloads and throw incredible passes.
One moment that will stick out is his chase down of Marcus Smith at Twickenham, while another moment from that game is where he powered through the defence in the build-up to a Robert Baloucoune try.
McCloskey has made 51 carries this Six Nations, making the second-most amount of metres in contact with 106, as 31.1% of his carries have been dominant, requiring two or more tacklers to take him down on 76.5% of occasions.
Topics: Rugby, Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan