Four nominees announced for Six Nations Player of the Tournament
Rugby NewsTuesday, 18 March 2025 at 07:27
The race for the 2025 Guinness Player of the Championship is underway, with four standout players—Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Tommaso Menoncello, Tommy Freeman, and Blair Kinghorn—nominated for the prestigious award.
The quartet earned their spots by securing the most votes from fans selecting the Guinness Team of the Championship, which will be revealed soon.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France, Bordeaux Bègles)
The 21-year-old French sensation rewrote the record books this year, scoring eight tries—the highest tally in a single Six Nations edition—surpassing Jacob Stockdale’s seven from 2018. Bielle-Biarrey also contributed four assists, giving him 12 try involvements, the most by any player in a single campaign.
To put that into perspective, only Antoine Dupont (two tries, seven assists in 2025) and Jonny Wilkinson (2001), Will Greenwood (2002), and George Ford (2015) have come close with nine try involvements.
Tommaso Menoncello (Italy, Benetton)
The 2024 Guinness Player of the Championship returned with a bang this year. Menoncello notched up two tries and carried for over 320 metres, showcasing his attacking prowess. However, his defensive contributions were just as impressive—he led all backs with three breakdown steals and 59 tackles, highlighting his all-around impact.
Tommy Freeman (England, Northampton Saints)
Freeman matched Bielle-Biarrey’s feat by scoring in every round of the 2025 Championship, a feat not achieved since Philippe Bernat-Salles in 2001.
The English winger also ranked second across all teams for line breaks (eight), playing a crucial role in helping England secure their highest Championship finish since 2019.
Blair Kinghorn (Scotland, Toulouse)
Scotland’s dynamic fullback shattered records with his ball-carrying exploits, gaining a remarkable 580 metres—over 200 more than the next best, Marcus Smith. This surpassed Mike Brown’s previous record of 543 metres set in 2014. Kinghorn also led the tournament in carries (86), line breaks (nine), and offloads (13), cementing his status as one of the Championship’s most influential players.
2025 British & Irish Lions Squad: Bookies’ Predictions for the Tour
The bolded players in our proposed Lions squad represent the starting XV, according to current odds.
2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD (36)
BACK-THREE (6)
- Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) - 1/16
- James Lowe (Ireland) - 1/8
- Hugo Keenan (Ireland) - 1/5
- Tommy Freeman (England) - 4/9
- Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) - 8/11
- Darcy Graham (Scotland) - 2/1
CENTRE (4)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland) - 1/5
- Ollie Lawrence (England) - 1/4
- Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland) - 2/7
- Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) - 8/11
FLY-HALVES (3)
- Fin Russell (Scotland) - 1/10
- Fin Smith (England) - 8/15
- Sam Prendergast (Ireland) - 8/11
SCRUM-HALVES (3)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland) - 8/11
- Alex Mitchell (England) - 11/10
- Ben White (Scotland) - 11/10
PROP (3)
- Tadhg Furlong (Ireland) - 1/8
- Andrew Porter (Ireland) - 1/7
- Zander Fagerson (Scotland) - 4/11
- Ellis Genge (England) - 4/6
- Fin Baxter (England) - 5/6
- Pierre Schoeman (Scotland) - 5/4
HOOKER (3)
- Dan Sheehan (Ireland) - 1/10
- Jamie George (England) - 8/15
- Luke Cowan-Dickie (England) - 6/5
LOCK (5)
- Maro Itoje (England) - 1/33
- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland) - 1/10
- Joe McCarthy (Ireland) - 4/6
- Ollie Chessum (England) - 8/11
- George Martin (England) - 11/10
BACK-ROW (6)
- Caelan Doris (Ireland) - 1/5
- Ben Earl (England) - 1/5
- Josh van der Flier (Ireland) - 1/3
- Tom Curry (England) - 8/15
- Jack Morgan (Wales) - 4/6
- Ben Curry (England) - 6/4
Can you name every England Rugby captain of the professional era?
From the early days of professionalism to the modern era, England has seen a host of legendary captains wearing the armband.
Whether it's the grit of Will Carling in the 90s, the tactical brilliance of Martin Johnson, or the fearless leadership of Owen Farrell, this quiz will challenge even the most dedicated fans.
Think you can name them all? Grab your boots and let's see how well you know the men who led England into battle on the world stage!
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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