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Break out the tux, it's The42's Six Nations awards

We’ve had 15 long games, and here’s who we’re giving a great big slap on the back to.

BIT OF A comedown from the epic international rugby tournaments we watched in 2015, sure, but the 2016 Six Nations came to an end after 15 games full of their own sort of drama and even a bit of excitement here and there.

Here’s some of the categories we’re ready to hand out some big shiny gongs for.

Player of the Championship

Where would England be without Billy Vunipola?

Probably behind or resting on any number of gainlines that the big number eight trampled his way through with ease.

Donnacha Ryan and Rob Kearney take down Billy Vunipola James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Coach of the Championship

There’s no denying that Eddie Jones took over a nation with enormous rugby resources. But though he struggled to rein his mouth in, he managed to pull the team together on the pitch and the no-nonsense, bad boy-embracing tones he set early on helped England be themselves and return as a dominant force in this tournament.

Vern Cotter, Eddie Jones and Joe Schmidt James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Telling eyebrow movement of the year

Nothing like a lecture after taking an off-the-ball cheap shot.

The Gordon D’Arcy award for best beard

Josh Strauss! Can we keep him?

Guilhem Guirado scores their first try despite Josh Strauss That's him on the left. Craig Watson / INPHO Craig Watson / INPHO / INPHO

Best overall facial hair

 Jack McGrath’s moustache was in the running for Player of the Championship too.

Jack McGrath Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

Best try-saving tackle

Duncan Taylor was a bolt from the dark blue for Scotland. Poor Tom James thought he was home and hosed.

RBS 6 Nations / YouTube

The Stuart Lancaster award for reformed characters

Dylan Hartley, you old rogue you!

10xv27 #BadBoyz4life

The entertainer: Stuart Hogg

RBS 6 Nations / YouTube

The big question: what games were the disciplinary powers watching?

Between some missed opportunities for the citing commissioners to make themselves useful and failures by disciplinary committees to act on the citings that did come through, it’s been a poor tournament for the judiciaries.

There was a boot to Conor Murray’s head that went unpunished by a TMO, a punch on Rob Evans was written off as nothing much, a high tackle that put Dave Kearney and his AC joint out of a game and nothing was said while the highest-profile playmaker in the competition was blindsided high, hard and late two metres in front of a referee in the same game and the punishment was a penalty rather than a true deterrent, protection.

As for Joe Marler, well, that was just an out and out disgrace.

What a try that would’ve been

Errors aplenty in that laissez-faire French defence, but we love to see off-the-cuff chips through the line like this.

RBS 6 Nations / YouTube

Rookie of the Year

Don’t believe the hype! Maro Itoje is even better than we expected him to be.

Maro Itoje tackled by Josh van der Flier and Mike Ross Andrew Fosker / INPHO Andrew Fosker / INPHO / INPHO

The award for outstanding contribution to a ruck by a referee

G’wan Jaco. Get stuck in there. Who cares if you’re blocking the only angle the TMO you’d soon call for could look at.

RBS 6 Nations / YouTube

For no reason at all, here’s a forward attempting a drop-goal

Grazi, Sergio.

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