The leading men in the 2024 6 Nations

Opta cast their number-crunching net far and wide when it comes to all things statistics, but if we were to cherry-pick notable performers, some are more obvious than others.

The findings throw up a number of questions. For example, does the lack of any out-and-out Irish leaders in most individual player categories suggest a far more equitable share of the workload? See what you think…

Carries: Ben Earl (ENG)

Ben Earl is far and away England’s main man when it comes to carries. So much so, in fact, that he’s the only Englishman in the top ten here, and is the overall leader with 42. Fellow back rower Aaron Wainwright for Wales has also underlined his exceptional Championship - in an otherwise disappointing year for his country - with 38. Welsh fans may also be heartened by the precocious presence of fullback Cameron Winnett, who for many will have come from nowhere and sits third with 37 carries (see below for another impressive Winnett-related feat).

Praise is due for Cyril Baille as well, who is the solitary front rower in the top ten.

Ben Earl (ENG)- 42; Aaron Wainwright (WAL) - 38; Cameron Winner WAL) - 37; Monty Ioane (ITA) - 35; Caelan Doris (IRE) - 34; Jack Crowley (IRE) - 34; James Lowe (IRE) - 33; Paolo Garbisi (ITA) - 33; Cyril Baille (FRA) - 30; Calvin Nash (IRE) - 29.

Metres Gained: Cameron Winnett (WAL)

Winnett may be on the smaller side in stature, but that’s been no obstacle when it comes to his powers of evasion and flat-out speed. The youngster from the Rhondda has made more metres than anybody else in this year’s Championship - and 24 more than his nearest rival, James Lowe. Not even the marauding Duhan van Der Merwe (181) comes close. Having gained almost as many metres as France duo Matthieu Jalibert and Damian Penaud put together, Cardiff back Winnett might represent one of the green shoots of Wales’ emergence from some difficult years.

Cameron Winnett (WAL) - 260; James Lowe (IRE) - 236; Monty Ioane (ITA) - 218; Duhan van der Merwe (SCO) - 181; Calvin Nash (IRE) - 178; Thomas Ramos (FRA) - 175; Freddie Steward (ENG) - 152; Ange Capuozzo (ITA) - 144; Matthieu Jalibert (FRA) - 139; Damian Penaud (FRA) - 134.

Defenders Beaten: Rio Dyer (WAL) and Ben Earl (ENG)

Dragons wing Rio Dyer is proving himself to be a favourite with Wales head coach Warren Garland, and it’s not hard to see why, when he plays every game like it could be his last. He’s beaten 12 defenders so far, level with Ben Earl (who some pundits have even suggested should be played at centre). Earl is the only forward in the top 10. Wing Monty Ioane, who appears to be an ever-present across a number of categories, such is his potency in attack, is third with 10.

Rio Dyer (WAL) - 12; Ben Earl (ENG) - 12; Monty Ioane (ITA) - 10; Damian Penaud (FRA) - 9; Duhan van der Merwe (SCO) - 9; Kyle Rowe (SCO) - 9; Tommy Freeman (ENG) - 9; Gaël Fickou (FRA) - 9; Jack Crowley (IRE) - 9; Cameron Winnett (WAL) - 9.

Tackles Made: Michele Lamaro (ITA)

'Industrious' doesn’t begin to sum up the workrate of Azzurri captain Michele Lamaro, but it’s a good start. The back rower has made a breathtaking 55 tackles after three rounds of play - he also tops the dominant tackles list, with six - with Wales’ Tommy Reffell nine behind. Lamaro’s Italy teammate, lock Niccolò Cannone, is third with 41. Two front rowers have been putting themselves about too, in prop Pierre Schoeman (36) and hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi (34). Workhorses, one and all.

Michele Lamaro (ITA) - 55; Tommy Reffell (WAL) - 46; Niccolò Cannone (ITA) - 45; Dafydd Jenkins (WAL) - 41; François Cros (FRA) - 40; Caelan Doris (IRE) - 38; Charles Ollivon (FRA) - 38; Pierre Schoeman (SCO) - 36; Maro Itoje (ENG) - 35; Federico Ruzza (ITA) - 34; Gianmarco Lucchesi (ITA) - 34.

Carry Dominance: Sione Tuipulotu (SCO)

At the heart of Scotland’s deadly attacking game is Sione Tuipolutu (one half of the delightfully-named ‘Huwipulotu’ midfield pairing, along with Huw Jones). Just how influential is the Glasgow centre? Well, considering his carry dominance is 19.9% higher than the next person - Kyle Rowe, his teammate for club and country, who has featured in one fewer match - you could say: very. The greatest disappointment is that he's now ruled out for the remainder of the Championship through injury. The next man in line is Grégory Alldritt (52.4%), who along with Josh van der Flier (43.8%), is the only forward in the list of leading carry dominators.

Sione Tuipulotu (SCO) - 73.7%; Kyle Rowe (SCO) - 53.8%; Grégory Alldritt (FRA) - 52.4%; James Lowe (IRE) - 51.9%; Alex Mitchell (ENG) - 50%; Damian Penaud (FRA) - 47.1%; Bundee Aki (IRE) - 45.8%; George North (WAL) - 44.4%; Josh van der Flier (IRE) - 43.8%; Rio Dyer (WAL) - 41.7%

Tackle Success Rate: Maro Itoje (ENG), Manuel Zuliani (ITA), Elliot Dee (WAL), Tadhg Beirne (IRE)

Of the players who have made a minimum of 20 tackles in this year’s Championship, only four can boast a 100% tackle success rate: second rows Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne, flanker Manuel Zuliani, and hooker Elliot Dee. No back features in the top list, but loosehead prop Cyril Baille pops up once again with a 96.6% tackle success rate, with tighthead Zander Fagerson marginally ahead of him on 96.8%.

Maro Itoje (ENG) - 100%; Manuel Zuliani (ITA) - 100%; Elliot Dee (WAL) - 100%; Tadhg Beirne (IRE) - 100%; Jack Dempsey (SCO) - 97%; Zander Fagerson (SCO) - 96.8%; Cyril Baille (FRA) - 96.6%; Grégory Alldritt (FRA) - 96.4%; Adam Beard (WAL) - 96.2%; Paul Boudehent (FRA) - 95.8%.

Turnovers Won: Tommy Reffell (WAL)

Flanker Tommy Reffell must be a nightmare to play against, such is his disruptive influence at the breakdown. Followers of Reffell since his fledgling days with the U20s and Leicester will say it was ever thus, and won't be surprised to see him atop the list of turnovers won. Fellow back rower Sam Underhill is making up for lost time in the England jersey and has five turnovers, with Maro Itoje and Gianmarco Lucchesi behind him on four. Most surprising, perhaps, is the presence of Reffell’s former Tigers teammate George Ford among these turnover titans. The fly-half has made three turnovers.

Tommy Reffell (WAL) - 6; Sam Underhill (ENG) - 5; Maro Itoje (ENG) - 4; Gianmarco Lucchesi (ITA) - 4; François Cros (FRA) - 3; Huw Jones (SCO) - 3; George Ford (ENG) - 3; Grégory Alldritt (FRA) - 3.

Lineout Takes: Federico Ruzza (ITA)

Rampaging second row Federico Ruzza is a cornerstone of the Italian pack, and he is evidently their target man at this set-piece, taking 17 lineouts in three matches. While Wales’ lineout has faltered at key moments, back rower Aaron Wainwright (15) and lock Dafydd Jenkins (12) have been the go-tos in this area. Tadhg Beirne, Ollie Chessum and Scott Cummings are all level with Jenkins in third.

Federico Ruzza (ITA) - 17; Aaron Wainwright (WAL) - 15; Dafydd Jenkins (WAL) - 12; Tadhg Beirne (IRE) - 12; Ollie Chessum (ENG) - 12; Scott Cummings (SCO) - 12; Maro Itoje (ENG) - 10; Adam Beard (WAL) - 10; Charles Ollivon (FRA) - 10; Ethan Roots (ENG) - 9.

 

Line Breaks: James Lowe (IRE)

Wing James Lowe had to feature in here somewhere. The winger is so often Ireland’s trump card when one is required, and his seven line breaks are the most in the Championship this year. In what has been an otherwise muted campaign for another wing, Damian Penaud, the Frenchman still has five line breaks to his name, with three other wings, Rio Dyer, Duhan van der Merwe and Elliot Daly, all joined by hooker Dan Sheehan and second row Tadhg Beirne on four.

James Lowe (IRE) - 7; Damian Penaud (FRA) - 5; Rio Dyer (WAL) - 4; Duhan van der Merwe (SCO) - 4; Dan Sheehan (IRE) - 4; Tadhg Beirne (IRE) - 4; Elliot Daly (ENG) - 4; Kyle Rowe (SCO) - 3; Tommy Freeman (ENG) - 3; Louis Bielle-Biarrey (FRA) - 3; Monty Ioane (ITA) - 3.

Find more statistics from the Guinness Men’s Six Nations here.