Arguably the best player of the 2026 Six Nations has been left out of one outlet's team of the tournament.
After five weeks of drama, excitement and some of the best matches of international rugby in years, the 2026 Six Nations is over.
The record-breaking tournament saw more tries scored across the 15 fixtures than any other iteration, with France securing the title with a penalty kick in the final.
In total 111 tries were scored in the 2026 men’s Six Nations, just the second time that 100+ tries have been scored after 108 were scored in 2025.
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Throughout the tournament several players put in standout performances, with many of them putting in performances worthy of making the official team of the tournament.
Ahead of the official announcement, one outlet decided to pick their own team of the tournament, and they made one glaring omission.
Following a dismal performance in their opening fixture against France, Ireland impressed this year, and Stuart McCloskey was key to their success.
Despite the fact he is now entering the senior part of his career at the age at 33, the Irish centre has finally shown exactly how good he is and is therefore receiving widespread adoration.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell lovingly called him "the Irish fridge" after the dominant win over Scotland in their final match, and said that the quality of his performances throughout the tournament were “immense".
And yet, All Things Rugby decided against including the Ulsterman in their team of the tournament.
Instead, the outlet opted for Italy’s Tommaso Menoncello and Scotland's Huw Jones as their picks for the team's midfield.
Menoncello certainly deserves a spot in the team of the tournament as he proved that he is a generational talent at just 23 years old and cemented himself as Italy's best player.
However, the suggestion that Jones had a better tournament than McCloskey feels disrespectful to the many highlight-reel moments that the Irishman produced throughout the Six Nations.
The Ulster centre finished top of several key statistics, with the third-most carries (74), a dominant carry percentage of 31.6%, while assisting the fourth-most line breaks (nine) and the joint-most tries (six).
And it appears that this opinion is shared by many fans who took to the comments of the outlet's team of the tournament post to question the omission.
Reacting to the post, one fan wrote: "McCloskey? Huw Jones not even in the same parish as him at the weekend or for most of the tournament."
With another adding: "I dunno if I can seriously look at this if it doesn’t have McCloskey…mind blown."
Topics: Rugby, Rugby Union
Ben McCrum