Ranked! The 10 best Six Nations goalkickers of the 21st century

You have a number of great kickers, such as Owen Farrell, Greig Laidlaw and Johnny Sexton, playing in the 2018 Six Nations.

But where do these match-winners rate among the best kickers of all-time in the Six Nations championships?

Here, in the pictures below, we count down from 10 to one......

Hasn’t the firepower of those above him in the list but if there’s one thing Laidlaw knows, it’s his limitations in the kicking stakes. Takes the kicks within range and when in doubt hands over the duties to Stuart Hogg. Has 614 points from 62 matches with many of those games coming in the darkest days of Scottish rugby.

The son of rugby league great and former England centre Andy, Owen Farrell is one of the rising stars of English rugby with his game management and goal-kicking prowess making him an exciting option at either fly-half or centre. The only way is up for Farrell on this list.

Grayson played 32 times for England and scored 400 points for the national team in an international career that spanned nine years. Second on the English all-time list behind Jonny Wilkinson and could have had more caps had it not been for arguably England’s greatest outside-half ousting him.

The fly-half carved out a reputation as one of rugby's most reliable fly-half's and holds the record as Wales' most-capped player. A trusty kicker to follow in the boot-steps of Neil Jenkins, Jones was a prominent figure in Wales winning the 2005 Grand Slam bagging 14 points in their thrilling second-half fightback in France and 16 in the final day decider against Ireland.

Halfpenny is one of the most talented and successful players of the modern era with his prolific boot and game-breaking ability having proved pivotal for Wales and the British & Irish Lions. No matter how he's performing, the fullback never fails to be reliable from the tee, scoring 379 points in the Six Nations down the years. Arguably the most reliable kicker in the world today.

Paterson was a stalwart of the Scottish side for more than a decade in a variety of positions, winning 109 caps and becoming for a time the most prolific points-scorer in international rugby. In one remarkable ten-month period in 2007-08 he kicked 36 consecutive goals for Scotland, , not missing a single attempt during the 2007 Rugby World Cup or the 2008 Six Nations Championship. When he quit in 2011 he was his country's leading points scorer (809) and most-capped player (109).

His epic drop-goal has earned him fourth in our rankings - the highest of any active players. Can have peaks and troughs with his kicking for goal but has still mustered 679 points from 72 games and is poised to fill the No.10 shirt for many years to come.

The greatest kicker in Irish Test history by a country mile. His 1,083 points in 128 appearances is nearly double that of David Humphreys in second spot. Not only sliced through the posts with penalties and conversions but landed some crucial drop-goals for the Emerald Isle, his three-pointer to win the 2009 Grand Slam in Cardiff being one to remember.

Fully justifies third spot in the table for keeping Italian rugby afloat during choppy waters. Played for the Azzurri between 1991-2003 and amassed an incredible 983 points from just 74 appearances. The Argentine-born outside-half also played twice for the Pumas scoring 27 points. Retired in 2000, but was persuaded to return, playing on until 2003, as there was no heir apparent.

There could only be one man to take this spot with Wilkinson slotting 1,179 points from 91 caps. And Jonny does have a 2003 World Cup winner’s medal to his name, one he richly deserved for coolness personified when landing the crucial drop-goal to seal victory over Australia in the final.