TWO MEMBERS OF Declan Kidney’s Irish squad have been included on the list of contenders to take this year’s RBS 6 Nations Player of the Tournament award.
Comprised of the the 12 players who received Man of the Match honours over the first four weekends of the tournament, the shortlist includes four players from Warren Gatland’s Wales side, three from France, two from both Ireland and Scotland, and one from Italy.
Jonathan Sexton, who impressed in attack and defence during Ireland’s 42-10 demolition of Italy, and Donnacha Ryan, who guided the Irish lineout to its most impressive performance of the campaign against Scotland, will be considered alongside Sam Warburton (Wales), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Mike Phillips (Wales), Julien Malzieu (France), Imanol Harinordoquy (France), Yoann Maestri (France), David Denton (Scotland), Ross Rennie (Scotland) and Sergio Parisse (Italy).