FRANCE SCRUM-HALF Antoine Dupont has been voted the 2023 Guinness Six Nations Player of the Tournament.
The award was awarded by public vote after a six-man shortlist for the prize was drawn up. Dupont wins the award ahead of Irish trio Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, and Caelan Doris along with his French team-mates Thomas Ramos and Damian Penaud.
It is the third time Dupont has won the award – he also won in 2020 and 2022 – and is now the second person to win the award as often, following Brian O’Driscoll (2006, 2007 and 2009.) Dupont won 26% of 138,000 votes cast.
Meanwhile, 10 Irish players were included in the Team of the Tournament, which was also drawn up by public vote.
Almost all of the pack are Irish: Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Finlay Bealham form an all-Irish front-row while Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, and Caelan Doris have been picked at six, seven, and eight. James Ryan is in the second-row, along with Thibaud Flament of France.
Dupont is naturally picked at scrum-half, while Johnny Sexton is named at fly-half for what was the final Six Nations of his career. James Lowe and Hugo Keenan are in the back three but Mack Hansen – in spite of being shortlisted for the Player of the Tournament – misses out on the team to another shortlisted winger in Damian Penaud. Finally, it’s an all-Scottish midfield: Sione Tuipulotu at 12 and Huw Jones at 13.
