England’s newest talisman dominates the Six Nations in key statistic
England's Ben Earl on the charge against Ireland.
Following a truly blockbuster weekend of Six Nations action filled with upsets and drama, Planet Rugby takes a closer look at the top performers in the tournament.
Most carries
England’s hero and talismanic number eight Ben Earl is head and shoulders above the rest in the carries department. He consistently offers himself to get go forward for the Red Rose and is absolutely critical to Steve Borthwick’s side at the moment.
Earl’s tally of carries sits on 62 which is a full 17 ahead of the next-placed player, showcasing just how much the star has his hands on the ball.
📣👏 @BenEarlba appreciation post
Another bulldozing performance from the @Saracens man topped off with another of those trademark reaches over the line 💪#ENGvIRE | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/fVDQqiDF3g
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 11, 2024
Runners-up: Wales number eight and workhorse Aaron Wainwright is on 45 carries with Ireland’s Caelan Doris and Welshman Cameron Winnett on 42 each. Monty Ioane of Italy and Scotland’s Jack Dempsey round out the top five.
Most tackles
The inspirational Michele Lamaro is another player who grinds for his team week in and week out. This time around Italy finally got their reward with their first win in Rome in 11 years.
Lamaro is the clear tackle chart topper of the Six Nations, showcasing how he leads by example. The skipper has notched up a whopping 82 tackles in four games at an average of 20.5 per game which is staggering.
Runners-up: Welsh captain Dafydd Jenkins is the next placed player with 67 followed by his compatriot Tommy Reffell. Niccolo Cannone of Italy is on 54 whilst the duo of Federico Ruzza (Italy) and Doris round out the top five with 51.
Most breakdown steals
The superstar Reffell added two steals to his tally in Wales’ loss to France at the weekend as he did everything in his power to get his team over the line.
However, it was not to be but his total of eight doubles the next best in the competition, underlining that he is simply in a different class to everyone else in the Six Nations.
Runners-up: England’s Sam Underhill and Italian Gianmarco Lucchesi are in second place on four, with France captain Gregory Alldritt next on three. England’s Maro Itoje and Frenchman Francois Cros round out the group on two.
Most points
Scotland’s Finn Russell maintains his lead atop the Six Nations points charts, although the gap has been cut down to two points with Les Bleus star Thomas Ramos bagging a big haul against Wales.
Still, Russell’s 47 points are enough to lead the way. He will be desperate to keep ahead of the pack by trying to fire his side to a win against Ireland.
Runners-up: Ramos is now on 45 points alongside Ireland’s Jack Crowley on the same figure. Some way back is George Ford of England on 37 with Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe on 25.
Most tries
The giant Scotland wing Van der Merwe did not add to his tally when his team lost to Italy but still holds a small lead with his five tries.
The superstar’s shot at scoring eight or more tries has become much less likely after blanking in Round Four, unless he produces a banging final-round performance against Ireland.
Runners-up: Right behind the South African-born Scot is Ireland duo James Lowe and Dan Sheehan on four, with Earl, George Furbank (England) and Gael Fickou of France rounding out the top five with two.
Most try assists
Last week’s leading duo of Huw Jones and Russell (both from Scotland) did not add to their tallies but were joined by the creative Ireland star Jamison Gibson-Park who is never far from the action.
The trio are on three try assists each and with the teams facing each other on Super Saturday it will make for an interesting subplot to see who comes out of the clash as assist king.
Runners-up: A three-way tie rounds out the top five in England’s Elliot Daly and Les Bleus pair Damian Penaud and Matthieu Jalibert.
