Scotland snubbed for Six Nations Player of the Championship - who could have made the six-man shortlist?

Scotland have been overlooked for the Six Nations Player of the Championship award despite enjoying their best tournament since 2018.

Three of Ireland's Grand Slam winners have been nominated with full-back Hugo Keenan, wing Mack Hansen and back-row forward Caelan Doris all making the six-strong shortlist alongside France trio Antione Dupont, Thomas Ramos and Damian Penaud.

Irish players have won the prestigious award on seven previous occasions, with Brian O’Driscoll the only person to land it three times, although France captain Dupont could match that record having taken the accolade in 2020 and 2022.

Scotland may have had a case for at least one player making the shortlist considering some of the outstanding individual contributions made across their five matches as Gregor Towsend’s men finished third behind Ireland and France, the number one and two ranked teams in world rugby.

Scotland players celebrate lifting the Doddie Weir Cup after victory over Wales at Murrayfield on matchday two of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Finn Russell had some magical moments and he came fourth in overall points scored across the tournament with 32, while he was also joint-leader for try assists on four. The Racing 92 fly-half was third for successful conversions (9) and also made the top five for offloads (7) – all despite missing the final match through injury.

A number of his Scotland team-mates also featured highly across other individual categories with Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn scoring four tries each – bettered only by France's Penaud on five – although Kinghorn was named as a replacement for the first four matches.

Scotland scrum-half Ben White topped the chart for most completed passes in the tournament (282), three more than Dupont, while Matt Fagerson made 83 succesful tackles – more than anyone else in the Six Nations. Jamie Ritchie shared the title of most turnovers (5) with Ireland's James Ryan, while Pierre Schoeman's 60 carries were the second highest behind England’s Freddie Steward.

Duhan van der Merwe could have also been in the running after landing an impressive all-time Six Nations record of 35 defenders beaten in a single tournament. He was also third for most metres made (482), while his three tries were among the most spectacular in the competition. Other outstanding contributions came from the likes of Sione Tuipulotu and Richie Gray.

The last Scotland player to win the Player of the Championship award was Hamish Watson after a breakthrough tournament in 2021, while Stuart Hogg claimed the title in successive campaigns in 2016 and 2017. The 2023 winner – to be announced later this week – is decided by a fans’ vote.