Six Nations: Who rivals Antoine Dupont as tournament's greatest player?
2025-02-06
Category: sports

This year's tournament marks 25 years since the beginning of the Six Nations era.Over the past quarter of a century, the championship has played host to some true greats of the game and, in current France captain Antoine Dupont, has a player seemingly taking the game to another level.BBC Sport takes a look at each nation's standout stars since 2000 and the impact they have had on this competition, before giving you the chance to make your selection of who you think is the greatest player in Six Nations history.Statistics provided by Opta and correct on 6 February, 2025
Such has been Antoine Dupont's impact since making his France debut in 2017, numbers alone do not get close to doing him justice.The frame of a bull, the acceleration of a wing and technical skills from the gods - Dupont's skillset is otherworldly. A scrum-half who matches 20 try assists in the Six Nations with 20 turnovers simply is not normal.It is not just in the XV-a-side game that Dupont has excelled. The prospect of representing his country at a home Olympics last year meant he missed the 2024 Six Nations to focus on sevens, and Dupont scored two tries as France beat favourites Fiji to win the gold medal at the Paris Games."The boys joke around and call him 'The Martian' as he is not from earth, he is an alien," said Toulouse lock Emmanuel Meafou before last year's Champions Cup final. "The stuff he does in games is only half of what he is capable of."And yet that half is better than virtually anyone else. In France's 43-0 win against Wales on Friday, the 28-year-old's shift lasted barely 50 minutes and yet he became the first player to provide three try assists in two separate men's Six Nations matches.The cross-field kick for Theo Attissogbe's opening score was so casual, it was almost offensive.Dupont next visits Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, where he masterminded a record rout of seven tries in 2023. The England camp have been keen to stress this week that the 2022 Grand Slam-winning captain is only human, but his reputation is becoming anything but.
Jonny Wilkinson will always be synonymous with drop-kicking England to World Cup glory in Sydney in 2003 but his record in the Six Nations is equally impressive.In 2001, when he won back-to-back titles with England, Wilkinson set overall records for points (89) and conversions (24) that are yet to be surpassed in a single edition of this tournament.Wilkinson's peerless game management and place-kicking were underpinned by the fiercest of work ethics and desire to put his body on the line, a combativeness that helped the fly-half face down depression and panic attacks during his career.England's Six Nations win-rate with Wilkinson in the team was 74%, while he made 172 of 211 kicks at goal and ranked fifth of any player for try assists (17)."Jonny instilled confidence in those who played with him and took confidence away from those he played against," said former Six Nations team-mate Richard Hill. "There were many matches we would have lost without him."
The influence of the most-capped player in history has perhaps been most keenly felt since his retirement.Since Alun Wyn Jones officially called time on an 18-year international career in 2023, Wales have won just five of 20 Tests, losing all six in the Six Nations.He made his Six Nations debut in 2007, while his last appearance came against France two years ago. His tally of 67 appearances in the championship is the second-most of any player, while the second-row totem is the top tackler in the tournament's history (752 at 93% success rate).The 2019 Six Nations player of the year has won five Six Nations championships and three Grand Slams - both the most of anybody on this list."He always strived to be the best and over a long period he has achieved that," said Wales' record points scorer Neil Jenkins. "Wales have had some incredible rugby players and he is up there as one of the best, if not the best."
Watching Brian O'Driscoll dart through defences almost at will was a joyous experience - unless you were among those tasked with trying to stop him.Elusive and formidable, O'Driscoll played with an ease which belied the sheer seriousness of his numbers; 163 defenders beaten, 82 offloads, 53 turnovers, 45 wins and 26 tries - all of which stand as Six Nations records despite his retirement more than a decade ago.The centre's final Six Nations campaign in 2014 provided a fairytale ending; a knee-knocking triumph in Paris that saw O'Driscoll win his second championship on his 133rd, and last, cap for Ireland.It came 14 years after the 2009 Grand Slam winner burst onto the Six Nations scene by scoring one of the tournament's most iconic hat-tricks against France in the same stadium.
Sometimes moments matter more than statistics.When Scotland prepared to face England at Murrayfield in 2018, they had not beaten their oldest rivals in a decade. The visitors had lost just once in all 25 Tests under head coach Eddie Jones.Enter Finn Russell and one of the standout Six Nations performances.Scotland's fly-half unfurled his catalogue of unhurried skills to confound English defenders, an overpowering influence personified by his involvement in Scotland's second try.A huge miss-pass, sailing over bewildered opponents on the edge of his own 22, led to a Huw Jones break and Russell was involved again, his floated pass finding Sean Maitland to score.Russell subsequently added consistency to his mercurial make-up. His success rate of 84.7% from the tee ranks him second only to Dan Biggar of all regular kickers over the past 25 years - he missed one kick in total in 2024 - while his 20 try assists is a tally only bettered by Ireland's Conor Murray (29).
Perhaps the highest praise that can be paid to Italy's greatest captain is that he would have commanded a starting place in any side during his Six Nations career.Italy won just nine games over 16 years with Sergio Parisse in the team but their talisman never stopped - he made 785 carries, 244 more than any other player in Six Nations history.The back-row behemoth also gained a remarkable 3,088m, ranking him second since 2000 - and every other player in the top 10 for carries is a back.Eighty defenders beaten, 540 tackles at an 88% success rate and 198 line-outs taken.Parisse was there for Italy's first away point against Wales in 2006, their first back-to-back wins in 2007 - including a maiden away victory in Scotland - and he captained the side to a first win against France in 2011.He also scored one of the great Six Nations tries following a sweeping counter-attack in another win against Les Bleus in 2013 and followed that up several weeks later by starring in the Azzurri's first defeat of Ireland.