The British Lions who staked claims for a place Down Under in the Six Nations
The 2025 Six Nation s was one of the closest-fought Championships in recent times as France ended a three-year wait for the title.
Fabien Galthié's men narrowly pipped England by a point, while Ireland were a further point back following a Super Saturday that started with all three teams in with a chance of victory. Scotland flattered to deceive once more in fourth, while Italy finished above a sorry Wales side who propped up the table for the second season in a row.
A constant subplot was the battle to catch the eye of Andy Farrell and his Lions coaches in the last internationals before decisions were made in May. The opening night set the tone as Wales went down 43-0 to a ruthless France but Round 1 proved fruitful for Scotland's Huw Jones, whose hat-trick against Italy both helped his side to a 31-19 victory and further furnished his reputation as a try-scoring centre of international pedigree.
The healthy Irish contingent of Lions hopefuls did their chances little harm with a 27-22 victory over England in Dublin, and they followed that up with a 32-18 win at Murrayfield.
Wales' poor start continued with a 22-15 defeat to Italy in Rome - a result which saw the end of Warren Gatland's second stint as head coach - but England's came alive in stunning fashion with a 26-25 win over France. Elliot Daly underscored the versatility that has proved such an asset on previous Lions tours by coming off the bench to score a 79th-minute winning try and set Twickenham alight.
Ireland's campaign for a third straight Six Nations title looked to be progressing nicely despite having to scrap for a 27-18 win against a much-improved Wales, energised by the Cardiff crowd in a backs against the wall display. The emergence of Sam Prendergast at fly-half looked set to not only solve Ireland's conundrum post-Johnny Sexton, but also complicate an already stacked selection headache for Farrell at No.10.
Yet it was another young star that emerged as the Lions bolter, as Prendergast ultimately missed out on selection amidst a disappointing denouement to Ireland's campaign. A chastening 42-27 defeat to France in Dublin, partially at the hands of France's own starlet Louis Bielle-Biarrey, proved pivotal in deciding where the Championship trophy would end up.
The stage was set for Les Bleus' delightfully talented generation to add a Six Nations title to their collection but they still faced pressure from England, who were waiting in the wings for any French slip-ups against Scotland.
Steve Borthwick's men dug deep to get past the Auld Enemy 16-15 and end their Calcutta Cup hoodoo in dramatic fashion, Finn Russell's conversion attempt which would have won the game for Scotland sliding past the post after Duhan van der Merwe's late try, before powering past Italy 47-24. They were discovering talents of their own, with wing Tommy Freeman rising to the fore as he scored in all five matches – part of the sales pitch that earned him a first Lions call.
Freeman was amongst four nominees for the Player of the Tournament award alongside Scotland's Blair Kingorn, Italy's Tommaso Menoncello and the winner, Bielle-Biarrey.
Kinghorn was a bright spark of a Scotland campaign that ended with them in fourth, with the full-back proving his international class with a pair of tries in a 35-29 win over Wales. They were unable to spoil France's party on the final day, as a 35-16 win was enough to send the trophy back to Paris.
It was not without nerves after Ireland and England both won on the final day, with England's 68-14 destruction of Wales featuring the emergence of Henry Pollock. The 20-year-old marked his international debut with two tries and his inexorable rise will continue with the Lions this summer.
It capped a remarkable end to a Championship that saw players fight tooth and nail for the right to wear the famous red jersey this summer. Some stocks rose, other fell, and it all amounted to an enthralling few weeks that only whetted the appetite for the summer tour Down Under.
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The Sun
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