Will there be a first-time Six Nations Player of the Championship in 2024?

Dylan Coetzee
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Split with Ireland legend Brian O'Driscoll and France star Antoine Dupont.

Split with Ireland legend Brian O'Driscoll and France star Antoine Dupont.

The award for the Six Nations Player of the Championship was introduced in 2004 and has since become highly anticipated as to who will be crowned the best player.

In 2024 there is a great chance there could be a first-time winner with most of the previous winners not taking part. Before the action, Planet Rugby takes a look at who has won the award in the past.

Three-time winners

Only two players have claimed the award on three occasions in the expert duo of Brian O’Driscoll of Ireland and Frenchman Antoine Dupont.

O’Driscoll is a legend of the tournament and the leading try scorer of all time. The Irishman was some player at number 13 for his country where he notched up an impressive 26 tries to his name. Interestingly the former superstar was nominated for the award on six occasions – more than anyone else.

Meanwhile, Dupont, who has actually won the award back-to-back over the last two seasons where he inspired France to a Grand Slam in 2022 and a runners-up finish in 2023, will be unable to defend his crown as he makes the switch to Sevens in the hope to fulfil his dream of becoming an Olympian at Paris 2024. However, one would not bet against him being named the Six Nations’ best again later in his career.

Two-time winner

There is only one player who has two Player of the Championship awards and it is Scotland great Stuart Hogg. The former full-back shares a record with Dupont as the only players to win back-to-back awards as the Scots’ form in 2016 and 2017 was truly something to behold. Hogg boasts a 50% conversion for the award having been nominated four times.

One-time winners

The remaining 12 winners of the award have only claimed it on one occasion. Leading the charge in this group is former Ireland second-row Paul O’Connell, who finally claimed the honour in 2015 after being nominated five times in total.

Hot-stepping Welsh great Shane Williams is another star with multiple nominations, with a total of three, as he was crowned the best player in 2008. Two players had two nominations each in record Test cap holder Alun Wyn Jones and Italian Andrea Masi, who won the award in 2019 and 2011 respectively. Masi is the only Italian to claim the honour.

The last eight players won the title after being nominated one time only with Ireland trio Tommy Bowe (2010), Gordon D’Arcy (2004) and Jacob Stockdale (2018), Welshmen Leigh Halfpenny (2013), Dan Lydiate (2012) and Martyn Williams (2005), Scotland’s Hamish Watson (2021) and England’s Mike Brown (2014) all winners of the coveted title.

Full list of winners

2004 – Gordon D’Arcy (Ireland)
2005 – Martyn Williams (Wales)
2006 – Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2007 – Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2008 – Shane Williams (Wales)
2009 – Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2010 – Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
2011 – Andrea Masi (Italy)
2012 – Dan Lydiate (Wales)
2013 – Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
2014 – Mike Brown (England)
2015 – Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
2016 – Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
2017 – Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
2018 – Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
2019 – Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
2020 – Antoine Dupont (France)
2021 – Hamish Watson (Scotland)
2022 – Antoine Dupont (France)
2023 – Antoine Dupont (France)

READ MORE: The Six Nations individual records that are nearly impossible to beat

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