So here they are, The Skene Skrum's very unofficial awards for the 2012 RBS 6 Nations teams, players, plays and tries of the tournament, both great and abysmal. Let's start with the easy ones and get more tenuous as we go down.
Team of the Tournament: Wales
It had to be. It's been another fantastic tournament for the Welsh that sees them pick up their 3rd championship and 3rd Grand Slam in 8 years. Having predicted a post RWC slump, they proved me very wrong as Gatland's team showed that they have strength and depth with occasional absences of Bradley Davies, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn-Jones. An excellent effort.
Wales lift the 6 Nations trophy
Player of the Tournament: David Denton
The toughest of categories, but it ultimately came down to game time and consistency. Denton burst on to the scene against England with an energy and purpose not really seen in Scotland since the early days of Simon Taylor. What's remarkable is that he sustained that momentum throughout the duration, carrying more than any other player in the tournament. A real star for Scotland and huge potential for their future and probably the British & Irish Lions.
Rookie of the Tournament: Owen Farrell
No team debuted as many players as England (9 in total) and this prize has to go to Owen Farrell. Starting at 12 for Scotland and Italy and then moving to 10 for the remainder, Farrell has cemented himself as the longterm symbol of England's future. Creative in the back line and reliable with the boot, Farrell will be there for a long time to come. Honourable mention to Wesley Fofana.
Try of the Tournament: Jonathan Davies
Richie Gray's audacious dummy? Manu Tuilagi's burst to the corner? Tommy Bowe's chip and chase in Paris? Any try from Scotland? Nope, this one goes to Jonathan Davies who was merely the finisher to a devastating first phase play from an attacking lineout which saw George North combine sheer brutality with effortless finesse to see his colleague through. Awesome skills.
Jonathan Davies finishes off a superb Welsh move
Play of the Tournament: Chris Ashton
As it can't be the same as the try, I'm going for Chris Ashton. I'm not an Ashton fan, but his 1 moment of the tournament came in Paris where he read the game beautifully to take out hooker Dimitri Szarzewski with a monster hit when the overlap was on for France, making him spill the ball before Farrell deftly flicked on to Tuilagi who did the rest with a barn-storming run to the corner from 45 yards.
Tackle of the Tournament: George North
North's tackle on Owen Farrell when the Englishman was through one-on-one. Smashed. Honourable mention to Jim Hamilton who showed North there are plenty other bigger guys in the game than him.
George North vs Owen Farrell. No contest
Disappointment of the Tournament: Gordon D'Arcy
It boggles my mind that he is a sure starter for Declan Kidney when he had some seriously torrid performances. One of the most overrated players in Europe, the ability only to shine when partnered with Brian O'Driscoll was exposed with the Ireland supremo out through injury. Quiet in all of the games, he only ever seemed to come to the fore when mistakes were made. Lots of work to do.
Referee of the Tournament: Nigel Owens
There were some awful refereeing displays this year, with Steve Walsh and Wayne Barnes top of the useless list and Romain Poite not far behind. Alain Rolland may be considered by some to be the best, but he showed this tournament that he can choke games for teams. For me, it was Nigel Owens who proved again he is probably the best the northern hemisphere has, capped with an excellent display in the final game of the tournament at Twickenham.
Coach of the Tournament: Stuart Lancaster
Gatland's done it before, so you can maybe forgive me for not awarding him with this one. Almost reluctantly, I'm giving the nod to Stuart Lancaster. Not much of a media man, he appears to be a very good man manager and coach, getting the best out of a very young squad that most had down as being too inexperienced to make any sort of impact. 4 wins out of 5 dispelled that, but I'm not yet convinced he's the man to take them forward to RWC 2015.
Stuart Lancaster has restored some English pride with 4 wins
Weirdest Moment of the Tournament: Graeme Morrison & Tommy Bowe
A clever kick from a quick penalty by Jonathan Sexton set up what was the most bizarre moment of the tournament. Tommy Bowe collected the ball out near the touch line, isolated from any Irish support and confronted only with Scotland centre Morrison who wrestled him to the ground before they rocked to and fro for what seemed like 30 seconds before Bowe finally got the ball down. Finally judged to not be a valid try , credit had to got to Morrison for holding up the Irishman, but it had everyone scratching their heads as to what they had just seen.
Worst Style: Stuart Hogg
You couldn't miss him. Scotland's youngest debutant for 4 decades entered the international test arena at the Millennium Stadium with yellow boots as loud as the Welsh crowd that day. Luckily for him, he backed up his terrible taste with some fine runs and what should have been his first try on his debut. Honourable mentions to Richie Gray's barnet and Shaun Edwards' moustache.
Do you have any more ideas for categories and winners? Write your thoughts below!
I wouldn't agree with Aston being Play of the tournament, and possibly sam warburton must have been tackle of the tournament against tuilagi 5 meters out from try line! But George North's tackle on farrel was brilliant!!
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