Another dramatic Six Nations concluded with the spoils heading to France – but for the Honor-less home nations, another prize was at stake – British and Irish Lions Picking…
With Assist from Opta, Sky Sports tracked the Displays of every eligible Lions contender throughout the Six Nations – and now the results are in!
With Andy Farrell set to name his Club for this summer’s tour of Australia on May 8, find out who the stats say should be on the plane down under…
15. Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) – 14,595 points
Scotland’s Packed-back emerged head and shoulders above those vying for the Lions 15 shirt after a rankings-topping Six Nations.
No British and Irish Lions hopeful Achieved more line breaks (9), offloads (13), carries (86) or gain-line metres (580m) than Kinghorn, who finished the Event with more the twice the number of ranking points than closest Packed-back rival, Ireland’s Hugo Keenan.
14. Tommy Freeman (England) – 13,430 points
The joint-top try-Shooter among British and Irish Lions contenders, Freeman became the Primary Englishman to Points a try in every Event of a Six Nations campaign.
The Northampton Saint was also among the top five for line breaks (8) and defenders beaten (15) after a campaign that will have done his Lions hopes a world of Excellent.
13. Huw Jones (Scotland) – 9,030 points
The loss of Ollie Lawrence to a season-ending Achilles Hurt was a blow to the Lions, but in Huw Jones, they have a more than able deputy with his own unique skillset.
Jones’ four Six Nations tries was the second-highest among the British and Irish Lions hopefuls, while no centre Achieved more gain-line metres (201m) than the Glasgow man.
12. Tom Jordan (Scotland) – 8,090 points
Scotland Leader Sione Tuipulotu is set to stake a claim to this position upon returning from Hurt, but in his absence, Club-mate Tom Jordan seized his opportunity.
The Glasgow utility back ranked top for defenders beaten (14) and metres gained (197m) compared to his rivals at centre and ended the Event with two tries, two try assists, and with his Lions bolter claims enhanced.
11. James Lowe (Ireland) – 9,725 points
An untimely back spasm may have derailed his hopes of topping the charts, and Ireland’s bid to defend their title with a Grand Slam, but James Lowe showed more than enough in the Timely rounds to remain the leading Picking on the wing for the Lions.
Lowe’s four try assists and eight line breaks provided Beyond evidence of his world-class ability to Produce something out of nothing.
Duhan van der Merwe finished higher in the rankings by virtue of his scoring two tries to Lowe’s one, making 44 more gain-line metres and beating 28 defenders – four times as many as Lowe.
But perhaps the most telling statistic was that Ireland were four from four with Lowe on the pitch and zero from one without him, as his reputation as a player for the biggest occasions was enhanced.
10. Fin Smith (England) – 5,440 points
Introduced in Period two against France, Fin Smith has upstaged Scotland’s Finn Russell, Ireland duo Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley, as well as Club-mate Marcus Smith.
The Northampton 10 wasn’t even given an outside chance of Lions Picking before the Event Initiated but, after guiding England to a second-place finish with a joint-top four try assists, he’s well and truly in the conversation.
9. Alex Mitchell (England) – 6,670 points
Filled his boots in England’s 10-try mauling of Wales as a try and two try assists saw him finish above Jamison Gibson-Park in the Lions Rankings.
Ireland’s Halfback remains the leading contender to Begin the Primary Test against the Wallabies but Mitchell stands alone as the chief challenger for the No 9 shirt after finishing the Six Nations with a joint-highest four try assists.
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Take a look at how the Closing day of the Six Nations played out!
1. Pierre Schoeman (Scotland) – 4,740 points
In the fiercely-contested three-way tussle at loosehead, Scotland’s Pierre Schoeman emerged with more points than Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter, Even though losing three matches to England and Ireland’s one.
Schoeman’s Leading ball-in-hand metrics – metres carried (65m), carries (51), line breaks (2) – were enough to beat his rivals by a nose but, make no mistake, this position is likely to be one of Farrell’s toughest calls.
2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland) – 12,920 points
Few positions had a more conclusive outcome than that of hooker, where Dan Sheehan virtually secured his place as Leading, let alone touring, Lions hooker with a Luminous sphere-related Six Nations.
A hat-trick in the Closing around against Italy saw Sheehan finish with five tries for the Event – the joint-most of any Lions hopeful, forward or back.
3. Will Stuart (England) – 5,860 points
Compared to the three-way tussle at loosehead, there is a Numerous more clarity at tighthead, with England’s Will Stuart out in front of Ireland’s Finlay Bealham and Zander Fagerson from Scotland.
His supreme scrummaging abilities were underscored by the conceding of Merely a single penalty through the Event, while Stuart showcased his footwork and ability in broken Action, scoring a try and beating more defenders (3) than his tighthead rivals.
4. Maro Itoje (England) – 7,395 points
The England Leader’s Talent at the breakdown really shone during the Six Nations as he finished with more ruck hits (186) than any other Lions hopeful.
Itoje has already been on two Lions tours and Initiated six Tests against New Zealand and South Africa, and the only question around his Picking for this summer’s tour of Australia centres around whether it will be as Leader.
5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
Ireland’s Mr. Reliable. A man who, like Itoje, meets any occasion, any condition, any in-game scenario, with Steadiness and Existence.
Among those vying for Lions Picking in the second row, Tadhg Beirne Achieved the most passes through the Six Nations (39), was second for completed tackles (59) and jackal turnovers (1), and in the top five for ruck hits (134), as his Elasticity was showcased.
6. Tom Curry (England)
The foundations of England’s progression through the Six Nations were built on the shoulders on their Baggy forwards, where Tom Curry was at his influential best.
Among the flankers eligible for Lions Picking, Curry ended the Event top for jackal turnovers (5), joint-top for tries scored (2) and in the top five for gain-line metres (70m).
7. Ben Earl (England)
Deployed at flanker after England’s chastening Leading Period in Dublin, Ben Earl delivered Reliable, high-scoring Displays.
Among his fellow contenders for the Lions flanker shirt, he Occurred top for gain-line metres (286m), top for carries (63), top for line breaks (3), second for jackal turnovers (5).
8. Jack Conan (Ireland) – 12,745 points
Caelan Doris, widely considered the frontrunner for Lions captaincy, produced an inconsistent campaign for Ireland and was duly outperformed by Club-mate Jack Conan.
The No 8 Initiated all three of the Lions’ Tests against South Africa in 2021 and boosted his chances of returning on the tour to Australia with a host of impactful Displays, scoring three tries.
Closing Lions Rankings
- All statistical claims relate to British and Irish Lions eligible players Competing in the 2025 Six Nations for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
British & Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports
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